timing belt
01-02-18, 12:18 PM
#16
I hate Walmart because of the way they pay their employees. The employees wages are not high enough to live on in most metropolitan areas, so the taxpayer gets to make up the difference in public support programs. Need to pay people a living wage.
However, I have used the Walmart brand of full synthetic oil for more than twenty years primarily because the stuff is cheaper and I need a lot of oil for all the motors I own. I was a chemist by trade and while a drag racer for more than twenty years worked on many motor projects, some with lubricants engineers. Full synthetic oils are only a bit different by brand depending on the base stocks they are made from. For our purposes the result is pretty much the same. Walmart engine oils are just as good and sometimes better than any of their competition. Tests pretty much prove it to. I've never seen sludge buildup on any of my motors. I had a Ford SHO that I ran hell out of. It used Walmart oil (changed every 6-8 K miles), but needed something done to the motor. When the valve covers came off the shop manager called me and asked what I'd done to keep the motor so clean. Said he'd never seen an engine that clean in his shop.
The real reason I use Synthetic oils is so I can extend the oil changes, often to 8-10 K miles or two years. They also lubricate better on cold start ups. Sometimes I'll drain the oil out of one my cars with 6 K or so miles and put it back in one of my boats. They get less use and yes, I'm that cheap.
Loren
However, I have used the Walmart brand of full synthetic oil for more than twenty years primarily because the stuff is cheaper and I need a lot of oil for all the motors I own. I was a chemist by trade and while a drag racer for more than twenty years worked on many motor projects, some with lubricants engineers. Full synthetic oils are only a bit different by brand depending on the base stocks they are made from. For our purposes the result is pretty much the same. Walmart engine oils are just as good and sometimes better than any of their competition. Tests pretty much prove it to. I've never seen sludge buildup on any of my motors. I had a Ford SHO that I ran hell out of. It used Walmart oil (changed every 6-8 K miles), but needed something done to the motor. When the valve covers came off the shop manager called me and asked what I'd done to keep the motor so clean. Said he'd never seen an engine that clean in his shop.
The real reason I use Synthetic oils is so I can extend the oil changes, often to 8-10 K miles or two years. They also lubricate better on cold start ups. Sometimes I'll drain the oil out of one my cars with 6 K or so miles and put it back in one of my boats. They get less use and yes, I'm that cheap.
Loren
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gmoney94 (01-04-18)
01-02-18, 03:31 PM
#18
I'm just wondering what the OP Shartney has decided to do with over 190,000 miles on his original timing belt? Keep going or replace? I'm quite interested to know.
01-02-18, 03:39 PM
#20
01-02-18, 10:22 PM
#22
01-03-18, 05:09 AM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
On the OP: I had thought you meant you purchased your oil at Walmart, I guess you are saying they have their own branded motor oil?
For me, I take advantage of the yearly Pennzoil Platinum 4 jugs (technically it's 24 qts or something not enough for 5 jugs so I lower it to 4 jugs) @ $10/jug rebate. Then I do the Mobil 1 $12/jug rebate limit 2. So I get 6 jugs of synthetic at about $11-$13 per jug, and use that for 2 of our cars--just did this I think it was Nov., so I have 6 jugs sitting, and I can get another 6 jugs hopefully late 2018. Neither of these oils are approved for BMW starting late 2015 on the Mobil 1, so I don't use it on my BMW. But I have leftover M1 that is approved. With the rebates, I don't see any reason to not use name brand. Of course, I would never, and will never, pay $8/qt. for BMW branded oil. So if say Castrol Edge Euro, which Walmart does carry, lost its LL-01 designation, it's actually cheaper to take it to the dealer (but I don't trust them, well my local I do, but not at least 4 other dealers in my area). I get that on bitog M1 and Pennzoil are not true full synthetics, but it's way more than good enough for a LS430 which didn't even come with synthetic from the factory imho....
01-03-18, 05:35 AM
#25
Lexus Fanatic
a) how many brake fluid reservoirs are black
b) how almost zero cars have a sticker anywhere indicating the timing belt was done
I was at a Lexus dealer and a cashier told some male employee maybe the svc mgr that a customer was upset and felt the $2700 charges were not justified. The man asked what car, and the cashier said '14 GX. The man said $2700 is not a lot.
I wanted to ask, what parallel universe do you live in? imho it doesn't matter how much a vehicle's list price is/was, a service in the mid 1000's is a lot of money, that most would avoid if not needed.
on a side note, I was looking at a Ferrari on hemmings, and one of the selling points was it just had a $28,000 service completed hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
01-03-18, 08:09 AM
#26
When you look at pics of LS430s on say cars dot com, just imagine
a) how many brake fluid reservoirs are black
b) how almost zero cars have a sticker anywhere indicating the timing belt was done
I was at a Lexus dealer and a cashier told some male employee maybe the svc mgr that a customer was upset and felt the $2700 charges were not justified. The man asked what car, and the cashier said '14 GX. The man said $2700 is not a lot.
I wanted to ask, what parallel universe do you live in? imho it doesn't matter how much a vehicle's list price is/was, a service in the mid 1000's is a lot of money, that most would avoid if not needed.
on a side note, I was looking at a Ferrari on hemmings, and one of the selling points was it just had a $28,000 service completed hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
a) how many brake fluid reservoirs are black
b) how almost zero cars have a sticker anywhere indicating the timing belt was done
I was at a Lexus dealer and a cashier told some male employee maybe the svc mgr that a customer was upset and felt the $2700 charges were not justified. The man asked what car, and the cashier said '14 GX. The man said $2700 is not a lot.
I wanted to ask, what parallel universe do you live in? imho it doesn't matter how much a vehicle's list price is/was, a service in the mid 1000's is a lot of money, that most would avoid if not needed.
on a side note, I was looking at a Ferrari on hemmings, and one of the selling points was it just had a $28,000 service completed hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
My friend who owns a shop gets very aggravated with people who come in an say oh it just needs pads and he takes the wheel off and the rotor looks like a record and the e-brake cables are shot and the calipers are semi frozen, then people get upset when they have to pay to get all that fixed they don't understand that you can't just throw a set of pads on a car and call it a day.
01-03-18, 11:06 AM
#27
Lexus Fanatic
This is my issue with people griping about the price either A. Learn to do it yourself or B. You purchased a high end car if you can't afford it sell the car and buy something more suitable for your budget.
My friend who owns a shop gets very aggravated with people who come in an say oh it just needs pads and he takes the wheel off and the rotor looks like a record and the e-brake cables are shot and the calipers are semi frozen, then people get upset when they have to pay to get all that fixed they don't understand that you can't just throw a set of pads on a car and call it a day.
My friend who owns a shop gets very aggravated with people who come in an say oh it just needs pads and he takes the wheel off and the rotor looks like a record and the e-brake cables are shot and the calipers are semi frozen, then people get upset when they have to pay to get all that fixed they don't understand that you can't just throw a set of pads on a car and call it a day.
01-05-18, 08:12 AM
#30
Lexus Fanatic
When I say fake, I mean like the Lexus dealer, where they exchange only the reservoir. So as long as your fluid was clean prior, you won't even know they didn't touch any of the 4 calipers and left the old fluid in the lines. If your fluid were dirty when you came in, then, it's clean when you leave, and within 2 days it turns dark.....I dunno when you watch youtubes with dash cams or gopros in cars that go in for service, it's rather sad....like cheating isn't that big of a deal. I can't help but feel the lease mentality fed this. Hey, it's not really your car, you're not losing anything when we cheat you, we cheated the lessor...