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...they told me that they now stock the full synthetic for the '03 9-3SS (in the gold bottle), as well as the semi-synthetic (gray bottle) which they normally put in the '99-'02 9-3.
I was told that BOTH of these oils are Mobil 1 oils, with the Saab label applied. I was not aware that Mobil made a semi-syn. Does anyone know if this is true?
They said they thought Saab recommended the semi-syn (as opposed to full syn) for a reason in the "old" 9-3, and therefore weren't recommending the switch to full-synthetic, as it might inhibit warranty coverage. Sounds like crap to me, as the manual clearly states full-synthetic as an option... but I didn't feel like picking a fight this morning, so I just went ahead with the semi-synthetic. I'll be back in 4500miles for my 20k service, so I guess I'll reevaluate options again at that time.
I've heard many stories of long life and engine happiness from both those who insist upon synthetic and those who insist that it's unneccessary. I think in the big picture, it's much more important to consistently change your oil at an appropriate interval, monitoring both its level and signs of wear. If you were religious about noting when your oil was in need of changing, and changing it accordingly, I think you might notice very little difference between the effectiveness of synthetic and dino oil. It's just that with synthetic, it will last longer before it needs changed. Does this seem reasonable to the oil experts? I bet many are worse off for using synthetic, and thinking they can easily go 10k between changes than those who religiously change dino at 3k/3mo. But I've been wrong before.
That said, I think synthetic probably is worth it. If you can reasonably extend your drain intervals by say, 50%, and possibly also increase your fuel economy by maybe 5%, it's probably cheaper in the long run to use synthetic, even assuming that either choice is equally good for your engine parts. On top of that, you get the debatable benefits of the full synthetic (I've never heard anyone say it could be worse, until today), and the oh-so-coveted "peace of mind".
Now that I've talked myself into it, I wish I would have picked the fight this morning and insisted on the full-synthetic. Dammit. But I'm not gonna lose sleep over using the semi-syn for another 5k.
By the way, I've got a '99 9-3SE loaner car today. Can't really notice the difference between the T-5 and T-7. Won't boost full into the red like my '01 does, but it's an auto and mine's a 5spd. I don't recall if the '02 autos I test drove boosted full to the red or not, but I don't remember them feeling much different than the '99 I'm driving now. Brakes don't seem as good as my '01 though. Imagination?
Cheers,
'Roo
'01 9-3SE
'89 900S
posted by 12.13.238...
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