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What oil do you use?


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I just got a 2012 Journey Crew with the 3.6l and I'm looking into what oil to use for the new vehicle. I know to stick with 5w-30, but was wondering if it's worth switching to synthetic. I believe the manual says you're good to go 8k miles between changes with regular old oil and a mopar filter. If I switch to synthetic, can I go a longer distance, or stick with the 8k miles? I do about 30k miles per year, so the longer I can go between oil changes, the better.

I've always used Mobile 1, so hopefully that's a good brand to put into Dodge engines? I'm new to dodge, so just wanted to check if there were better brands of oil to use on these engines? Thanks for the help!

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  • Official Dodge Support

I just got a 2012 Journey Crew with the 3.6l and I'm looking into what oil to use for the new vehicle. I know to stick with 5w-30, but was wondering if it's worth switching to synthetic. I believe the manual says you're good to go 8k miles between changes with regular old oil and a mopar filter. If I switch to synthetic, can I go a longer distance, or stick with the 8k miles? I do about 30k miles per year, so the longer I can go between oil changes, the better.

I've always used Mobile 1, so hopefully that's a good brand to put into Dodge engines? I'm new to dodge, so just wanted to check if there were better brands of oil to use on these engines? Thanks for the help!

One,

Congrats on the new vehicle. As far as oil changes go, I would not recommend going past the 8k even if you are using synthetic especially during the warranty period. I have a feeling that your oil change light will probably come on sooner than 8k though if you live in the desert.

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If I switch to synthetic, can I go a longer distance, or stick with the 8k miles?

I don't mean to hijack the OP original thread and will start a new one if necessary. At the risk of starting a huge debate, I would like to hear pros and cons of using synthetic oil vs. regular oil.

The reason I ask is, I am very fortunate I have not paid for an oil change in 20 years, as my dealer gives me a free oil change every three months or 5000 kms. In this oil change he uses a Chrysler recommended oil and filter. I am just wondering if synthetic oil would be an improvement for me. I would have to pay for the synthetic oil during these oil changes which obviously is not a big deal.

As I said I was just looking for opinions on the pros and cons of using synthetic oil vs. regular oil. If you could comment Chris it would be appreciatted.

Terry

Edited by Windancer
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No worries; for those who don't go and read it, I think the bottom line is:

- Synthetic flows better than Mineral oil, particularly in colder weather. If you live in a warmer climate, then regular oil should be just fine. If you live up north where you see <-20c weather, then synthetic can be beneficial to getting the lubricant around the engine faster at startup.

- Synthetic should still be changed at the vehicle manufacturers recommended intervals because while it may not completely break down as fast as regular mineral oil, it still picks up junk within the engine as it circulates through it. And while the oil itself may not break down as fast, the additives do.

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Cool thanks. I'll stick with the 8k miles max then. Will the oil light automatically go away after I change the oil or do I have to manually reset it somehow?

This is in the owner's manual, but it's quite simple. Turn the ignition "on" but do not start the engine. Within 10 seconds depress the accelerator pedal to the floor three times. Turn ignition off. Now start the engine. The oil change reminder should not come on. If it does, repeat the process.

FWIW - I've always used regular oil and have had several vehicles log well over 200,000 miles - the key thing was I changed the oil/filter every 5K miles. As noted above, if you live in cold weather climates, synthetic would be preferred since it flows better in cold temperatures. Otherwise regular oil is just fine.

Former vehicles:

1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS - 273K miles

1992 Plymouth Acclaim - 302K miles

1990 Plymouth Acclaim - 240K miles

1993 Ford Aerostar - 203K miles

Current vehicles:

2006 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT QC SB w/Hemi - 149K miles

2010 Dodge Journey SXT - 44K miles.

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Thanks for all the info guys. Do you think it would be worth the extra ~$20 per oil change to go up to Royal Purple? We have extreme heat here in the desert (3 months of 110 degrees F). Any added protection is good for me since we plan to keep this vehicle a long time.

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  • 6 months later...

Was told not to use synthetic for the 3.5, as its tolerances are much too loose to gain any benefits of the more slippery synthetic. Trust me, I tried. All it did was burn through it even faster. After switching back to regular old dino oil, it still burns a little bit of oil, but not nearly as much.

3.6 Pentastar may be different, as it is a newer engine with better tolerances.

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I don't mean to hijack the OP original thread and will start a new one if necessary. At the risk of starting a huge debate, I would like to hear pros and cons of using synthetic oil vs. regular oil.

The reason I ask is, I am very fortunate I have not paid for an oil change in 20 years, as my dealer gives me a free oil change every three months or 5000 kms. In this oil change he uses a Chrysler recommended oil and filter. I am just wondering if synthetic oil would be an improvement for me. I would have to pay for the synthetic oil during these oil changes which obviously is not a big deal.

As I said I was just looking for opinions on the pros and cons of using synthetic oil vs. regular oil. If you could comment Chris it would be appreciatted.

Terry

I use Mobil 1 full sythetic in my Journey and love it. I did some research on what I wanted and chose Mobil 1. I will admit that if someone was offering free oil changes, I would not care about the sythetic vs. conventional debate as there are some pros and cons to both but will definately be outweighed by the benefit of the free changes.

Also, if switching to sythetic, keep your change intervals the same. Conventional or sythetic has nothing to do with the change intervals.

All the best.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just an update, I've been using mobile 1 for every change, with a mopar filter. No complaints here, not a single drop burnt (and I'm at 16,500 miles now). I changed it at 4k miles, 8k miles, and 16k miles...and plan to change it every 8k miles from here on out (basically just whenever the oil reminder goes off). Would definitely recommend it to anyone!

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Do you guys know if the oil reminder turn on when it is at 5000k or when the engine find the oil uneffective.

Here's what the owner's manual says for 2011's...

C&P

Oil Change Required

Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change

indicator system. The “Oil Change Required” message

will flash in the EVIC display for approximately 10 seconds

after a single chime has sounded to indicate the next

scheduled oil change interval. The engine oil change

indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the

engine oil change interval may fluctuate dependent upon

your personal driving style.

Unless reset, this message will continue to display each

time you cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position.

End of C&P

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I just got a 2012 Journey Crew with the 3.6l and I'm looking into what oil to use for the new vehicle. I know to stick with 5w-30, but was wondering if it's worth switching to synthetic. I believe the manual says you're good to go 8k miles between changes with regular old oil and a mopar filter. If I switch to synthetic, can I go a longer distance, or stick with the 8k miles? I do about 30k miles per year, so the longer I can go between oil changes, the better.

I've always used Mobile 1, so hopefully that's a good brand to put into Dodge engines? I'm new to dodge, so just wanted to check if there were better brands of oil to use on these engines? Thanks for the help!

I switched over to synthetic and use whatever synthetic oil is on sale (Pennzoil, Quakerstate, Castrol and/or Valvoline). As far as which is the best oil to use that is entirely up to you. All synthetic oils are good to use as long as it meets Chrysler MS-6395 specs and has the API stamp. You also want to use a good quality filter like the Mopar filter with your synthetic oil change.

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Do you guys know if the oil reminder turn on when it is at 5000k or when the engine find the oil uneffective.

Not sure how accurate the oil change reminder is. I believe the sensor somehow measures viscosity. I dunno. I use dino and change every 4-5 K miles.

Peace.

Here's what the owner's manual says for 2011's...

C&P

Oil Change Required

Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change

indicator system. The “Oil Change Required” message

will flash in the EVIC display for approximately 10 seconds

after a single chime has sounded to indicate the next

scheduled oil change interval. The engine oil change

indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the

engine oil change interval may fluctuate dependent upon

your personal driving style.

Unless reset, this message will continue to display each

time you cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position.

End of C&P

My oil light goes off pretty much right at 3,000 miles every single time. It's kind of frustrating. Even the owners manual says 7,500 miles per oil change.

What I don't get is you can't extend it, like repgram it to come on later. My 2006 Chrysler Town & Country had an option in the settings to choose anything between 3,000 and 8,000 I think. Not the case with the Journey.

Also, I'm not sure if they've changed the technology of it much from 2009 to the current model, but mine doesn't seem very accurate. It'll come on at 3,000 almost on the dot and I've still got tons of life left on my oil. Seems like it isn't sensing anything at all. I dunno... just my thoughts. I don't care what it says, I change my oil at 5,000 miles no matter what. I don't need some nanny system telling me what to do with my cars, I've been doing this long enough to have a fairly good idea what I'm doing.

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My oil light goes off pretty much right at 3,000 miles every single time. It's kind of frustrating. Even the owners manual says 7,500 miles per oil change.

What I don't get is you can't extend it, like repgram it to come on later. My 2006 Chrysler Town & Country had an option in the settings to choose anything between 3,000 and 8,000 I think. Not the case with the Journey.

Also, I'm not sure if they've changed the technology of it much from 2009 to the current model, but mine doesn't seem very accurate. It'll come on at 3,000 almost on the dot and I've still got tons of life left on my oil. Seems like it isn't sensing anything at all. I dunno... just my thoughts. I don't care what it says, I change my oil at 5,000 miles no matter what. I don't need some nanny system telling me what to do with my cars, I've been doing this long enough to have a fairly good idea what I'm doing.

Same here, i never paid attention to any oil change reminders on all my vehicles as I am always on top of the service maintenance required. It's just annoying that i have to keep going back to the owners manual to read up on how to turn the reminder off.

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  • Official Dodge Support

Mornin all!

I'm not going to go on and on, you all seem to know what is expected and how to take care of your DJs.

What i have attached is a PDF of what has been sent out to dealers as hand out to customers as a pocket reference. (obviously condenced)

Hope it helps!

2013 OIL CHANGE INDICATOR SYSTEM_customer hand-out.pdf

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Wow, what a difference in the oil change intervals over the years. I always change the oil in my 2001 Neon every 5000 kms and rotate my tires every second oil change. Is the change in oil quality the reason for extended life or is it the better specifications in the manufacturing of the parts of the engines that make this possible? Although I probably won't be towing anything, I ordered the trailer tow package for my 2013 Journey to help keep the oil temperatures down during long highway trips. The added security of the oil cooler and oil change recommendations give me comfort, but there is no way I would go 12 months between oil changes.

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