Synthetic oil and question about waxing (and some photos)

"Big Daddy Handsome" (bigdaddyhands)
08/12/2014 at 16:44 • Filed to: None

I feel like I might ask too many questions. If that's case, let me know.

So I'm interested in switching to synthetic oil for my Focus because, as far as I can tell, it's better than conventional. My instinct is to go for Royal Purple- is that a good choice, or do you guys have any recommendations/comments on that?

Also, how often do you guys wax your car? And if you don't mind, I'm really curious on your washing/waxing routine in general.. and what products you guys like..

In return, I have some photos from the last time I was in San Luis Obispo and happened upon an interesting building full of cars (unfortunately I couldn't get pictures of the ones inside, these were lying around outside):

Here's a sweet ass Mercedes-Benz:

Here's an awesome Ford Falcon wagon:

These were also in SLO but from a different spot. A beautiful Mustang ('65 Fastback GT?), and for some reason I really liked the look of this old auto shop (that is now closed.)

Thanks guys!

DISCUSSION (16)

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 16:46

Royal Purple is probably overkill for a regular car. I normally use Mobil 1 Full synthetic or Pennzoil Platinum.

EDIT: Royal Purple seems to be less expensive than I remember but I think I would still go with Mobil 1, more of a passenger car focus than a race car focus.

Squid > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 16:52

Synthetic oil is great. You really just need to decide what brand and how much you want to pay. I use Mobil 1 because that is what I like but everyone has their own opinion on what brand is best to use. Just get the correct weight and most importantly a high quality oil filter. If you are still in warranty territory, make sure you keep to factory oil change schedules but if you are out of warranty, you can easily get 10,000 miles to an oil change.

washing and waxing i like meguires products. Just wash, clay, wash, wax. If you use a DA polisher the waxing goes faster. Also the DA gives you the ability to use polishing compounds that would hurt your elbow.

The man in the iron mask > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 16:53

I use Mobil 1 Nascar and Formula 1 also go with it. http://www.arnoldclark.com/images/mobil/9…

GTI MkVII > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 17:08

I use Castrol EDGE and haven't had any trouble. As for wax, I actually prefer to use a paint sealant (essentially a synthetic wax that is more durable) topped off with carnauba.

My go to combo is Autoglym extra gloss protection followed by Meguiar's Gold carnauba shortly thereafter. I apply the sealant once every few months, and the wax every month or so. In between waxes, I use a spray detailer (or spray wax if i deem it necessary). Seeing as I park outside 24/7 and it rains a lot here in the summer, my wax jobs tend not to last as long.

The man in the iron mask > Squid
08/12/2014 at 17:09

Admit that you use it because you like how Tony stewart makes a split in the commercial of Mobil one with Jenson Button . lol

NaturallyAspirated > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 17:10

For a Ford, the Motorcraft oil in the red bottles works just as well as full synthetic. It's a synthetic blend. Back when I drove Mk 2 and Mk 3 Taurus SHOs, the engine rebuilders said that they could tell what type of oil the owner used by the amount of wear when they tore it down. They said that Mobil 1 and Motorcraft consistently had the least wear and were the cleanest.

Shifty > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 17:11

For both questions, you'll get answers all over the board. My personal choices are Amsoil or RedLine if I can't lay hands on the Amsoil right away, and Pinnacle or Chadwicks for wax.

Big Daddy Handsome > Squid
08/12/2014 at 17:11

Alright, good to know. I'll look into getting a proper oil filter, although I'm not too familiar with the brand names out there... I'm sure Google and common sense will save me, haha. Thanks for all the info!

Big Daddy Handsome > GTI MkVII
08/12/2014 at 17:20

I too park outside 24/7. No rain (live outside of Los Angeles) but I think I definitely will have to wax it more than most.

Big Daddy Handsome > NaturallyAspirated
08/12/2014 at 17:22

I didn't realize Motorcraft was such a good brand, that's pretty awesome. Thanks!

Squid > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 17:27

Bobtheoilguy.com is pretty good for info, the good filters are the Napa gold, Pureoil PureOne, K&N, or the Mobil 1 oil filters.

Stay away from the crap Fram filters. When I drove my old focus I used the Motorcraft filters but that was mainly because I worked at a dealer and they were like $2 for me.

A good filter is going to cost you from $8-13 just so you know. Wallmart is also a good place to get the 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 full synthetic for around $25.

Big Daddy Handsome > Squid
08/12/2014 at 17:29

Sweeeet. Thanks dude.

Squid > The man in the iron mask
08/12/2014 at 17:31

Race team sponsorships have not determined what oil I use. I like Mobil 1 pretty much because I really don't like Penzoil and that is all my dad uses. Also when Iswitched to synthetics Mobil 1 was the best oil I could get.

Squid > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 17:33

Yeah man, no worries. Also I don't think you can get the good filters at wallyworld any more, so you got to make two stops, but end up saving about $10 on oil for having to deal with the people of Wallmart. . .

Big Daddy Handsome > Squid
08/12/2014 at 18:03

That $10 might just be worth it.

JGrabowMSt > Big Daddy Handsome
08/12/2014 at 18:23

I was talking to a guy who had a very interesting way of looking at things. Every car at my house uses Mobil 1 Fully Synthetic.

He said "motor oil is cheap, motors are not." He said he changes his oil every 3 months or so, on all of his cars. That might not even come to 1000 miles most of the time. I'm not shy about running 7-8k between changes of the full synthetic juices. I am tempted to try out Royal Purple, but not enough to really act on it on my current car. Maybe if I get a toy car, I'll experiment on that, but not the Magnum. The engine is picky (requires 5w20 for the MDS to work, among other things) so I just feed it what it likes.

As far as wax goes, I have always been very happy with the results of Turtle Wax or Armor All. Not what I would call super high end brands, but I don't wax often, and the results tend to last. I just washed and waxed the Magnum for the first time since I bought it in May, and I used a simple wash and wax from Armor All, because my primary goal was the lift the dirt out of the car. I used a misting hose adapter, because I don't want to do a pressure wash on the body, I just want to get it wet and then wipe it down. The car cleaned up extremely well, and I'm very happy with the results, though I'm sure a clay bar is in order to really make it pop (black pearl coat).