Synthetic Oil vs. Conventional Oil: Making the Right Choice for Your Car

To take good care of your car, you’ll need to keep up with multiple maintenance tasks — none of which are more important than oil changes. By making consistent oil changes a priority, you’ll keep your engine clean, make sure the moving parts in your engine stay lubricated, protect your engine from overheating, and lower your engine’s risk of developing internal rust.

That said, the type of motor oil you choose for your next oil change will have a significant effect on your engine’s life span, performance, and cost. The advice in this article can help you determine whether your car needs conventional oil, full synthetic oil, or something else entirely.

How Are Conventional Oil and Full Synthetic Oil Different?

Generally speaking, drivers in Southern California can use both full synthetic and conventional oil without running into trouble. Even so, you shouldn’t choose an oil type at random — each of these products comes with perks and drawbacks that can have a meaningful impact on your car’s performance. With that in mind, here’s what you should know:

Conventional Oil

Conventional oil begins as naturally occurring crude mineral oil, which is partially refined to enhance its protective properties and viscosity. This oil type is still more popular than any competing product, primarily due to its low price point.

Still, conventional oil has some noteworthy drawbacks. For example, it can’t compete with other products when it comes to sheer performance, and it has a considerably shorter service life than full synthetic oil.

Full Synthetic Oil

On the other hand, full synthetic oil is entirely artificial — as a result, it performs better and lasts longer than conventional oil (or any other oil type). Additionally, full synthetic oil can deal with Southern California’s intense summer heat more effectively than conventional oil.

Though full synthetic oil is an excellent option for local drivers, it does have one downside worth mentioning: its price tag. But even though full synthetic oil does cost more than conventional oil, this oil type’s longer oil change interval can still help you save money in the long run.

Other Oil Types on the Market

While conventional and full synthetic oil are both widely used types of motor oil, they aren’t the only options available to Southern California drivers. Depending on your circumstances, you may benefit from using alternative oil types like:

Synthetic Blend Oil

Are you having trouble picking either full synthetic oil or conventional oil? If so, you might not have to choose — there’s a product that serves as a midpoint between these oil types. That product is called “synthetic blend oil,” and it’s literally a mixture of the two most common oil types available today.

As you might expect, synthetic blend oil delivers better performance than conventional oil while costing less than full synthetic oil. This oil type also falls between these two options in terms of its life span.

High-Mileage Oil

When your vehicle has been on the road for 75,000 miles or more, none of the oil types listed above will be your best bet. At that point, it’s wise to think about switching to high-mileage oil.

High-mileage oil goes through a manufacturing process much like that of full synthetic oil, but it’s designed for a different use case. To that end, companies making high-mileage oil include a specialized selection of viscosity modifiers, cleansers, anti-corrosion agents, and seal conditioners. That makes this oil product perfect for aging cars facing issues like oil burn-off and corrosion.

The Importance of Full-Service Oil Changes

Choosing the right oil type for your vehicle is a crucial step to take when preparing for your next oil change. Along with that, you’ll need to put some thought into finding a Southern California auto shop you can trust to handle this service. A great way to start this process is to look for shops that offer full-service oil changes.

Full-service oil changes resemble standard oil changes in many ways — the mechanics providing these oil changes still take dirty oil out of your vehicle and replace it with up to five quarts of fresh oil. But unlike standard oil changes, that isn’t where a full-service oil change ends. Instead, the shops that provide these oil changes also handle maintenance tasks such as:

• Oil filter replacement
• Chassis lubrication
• Tire rotation (if requested)

Get Southern California’s Best Oil Changes

Southern California is home to countless auto shops, and seeking shops that handle full-service oil changes can help you start narrowing things down. After that, you’ll want to focus on businesses that:

• Employ ASE-certified mechanics
• Offer all sorts of repair and maintenance services
• Provide money-saving coupons to customers
• Have several convenient locations in the region

To get all these advantages and more, give Ramona Tire & Service Centers a try! We’ve helped people in communities like Hemet, Indio, and Beaumont care for their vehicles since 1969, and we’ve built a rock-solid reputation along the way. See what we can do for you and schedule an appointment for conventional or full synthetic oil change service today!