Petronas Synthetic Oil vs Triple QX Semi-Synthetic

[Deleted User]

Just looking to get 1 litre of oil for top-up purposes (10W40) for a petrol Almera (95-00 Mk1).

On Euro Car Parts there's Triple QX 10W40 Semi-synthetic and Petronas 10W40 Synthethic for roughly the same price.

From the service records it looks like the car has always had 10W40 semi-synthetic so is it best to stick with that from Triple QX? Or is there a benefit from synthetic oil?

Actually toyed with the idea of getting 5L and doing an oil change myself, though with a sloped drive I'd have to use a vacuum tube to get the oil out via the dipstick and not change the oil filter (replaced 8 months ago). Not sure whether that's a good idea or not so maybe I'll stick with the top-up and let the garage sort out the oil change!

Stoke

There's lots of benefits of synthetic oil, but you shouldn't mix them.

AdrianC

There's no reason at all not to mix 'em. You just won't get those benefits - primarily, better stability and longer life of the oil at extremes of temperature.

photome

Stoke wrote: »

There's lots of benefits of synthetic oil, but you shouldn't mix them.

why shouldnt you mix them? I thought they were compatible

OP if you are just topping up go with whatever you fancy it wont make any difference

Stoke

AdrianC wrote: »

There's no reason at all not to mix 'em. You just won't get those benefits - primarily, better stability and longer life of the oil at extremes of temperature.

I was told it's possible to cause oil gelling when mixing semi and fully synthetic.

Personally, I won't ever go back to semi.

AdrianC

Stoke wrote: »

I was told it's possible to cause oil gelling when mixing semi and fully synthetic.

It isn't.
They may have been thinking of mixing normal and red coolant, which can gel.

Stoke

AdrianC wrote: »

It isn't.
They may have been thinking of mixing normal and red coolant, which can gel.

Ahh yes that might be true!!!

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I know the car uses about 1L between annual services so I've ordered 1 litre of Triple QX semi-synthetic.

Out of interest have any of you done an oil change using an oil extractor using suction/vacuum via the dipstick hole? If so, any recommendations for a brand of oil extractor?

AdrianC

urbankoala wrote: »

Out of interest have any of you done an oil change using an oil extractor using suction/vacuum via the dipstick hole?

A technique designed solely to save time. Unless you HAVE to, because of lack-of-drain-plug, use the drain plug. You'll get more out, you'll get more deposits out, and you'll have a good excuse to look around the underside for issues at the same time.