Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:59:58 GMT From: "Walt Kienzle" <wkienzlenospam.com> Subject: Re: 5W50 synthetic oil ok? - 2004 Saab 9-5 auto
"George Ayer" <someonenospamatico.ca> wrote in message news:1AT_f.3075$fo1.128313nospam20.bellglobal.com... > My Saab dealer charges $89 for an oil & filter change (they also check the > belts, hoses, lube hinges, etc.) and use 0W-40 Mobil synthetic. Costco > will do an oil and filter change for $39 but use 5W-50 Castrol GTX > synthetic. The owner's manual recommends Saab Genuine or Mobil synthetic > 0W-30, 5W-30 or 0W-40. > > Think it's ok to go with Costco for my oil changes? Obviously, I'd like to > save $50 per oil change. > > Thanks for your input > George > I would say "yes", Costco is fine. Personally, I prefer Mobil 1 over Castrol, but they are both high quality oil products. Costco isn't likely to do much more than top off some fluids as part of their oil & filter change, and may use a lower quality filter than the Saab dealer, so check the filter brand at Costco too. [I now refrain from digressing into a discussion on why I don't like Fram oil filters.] Because of the reference to Costco, I assume that you are in North America, but you don't mention a specific location. 0W-40 is very light weight oil for the summer months. My opinion is that the 5W-50 has the edge if you live in a region with a warm summer. The explanation of the price difference between Costco and the Saab dealer is simple. Costco is for members only and they keep their prices low by eliminating all the checking that the Saab dealer promises. The Saab dealer doesn't need to reduce prices, oil changes are just a sideline of their main repair business and a service for their regular customers that want their cars worked on by the same technicians. That is an advantage that might be worth the extra cost the dealer charges: They know where to look for faults and can get a better "feel" for your car's needs if they see it in their shop for all its service requirements. Walt Kienzle 1991 9000T
