And I'm due for an oil change. I know there are dozens of threads on here about oil types, and I did try searching, but I got impatient after about ten minutes of not getting what I was looking for.

That said, the oil hasn't been changed since I bought the car, and I don't know exactly when it was changed before then, nor with what weight and viscosity or whatever the technical BS is. As mentioned, winter is approaching, I've gone well over 5k miles since buying the car, and I want to make sure I've got the right stuff in there cuz it originally came from California and I'm pretty sure, unless someone's been lying to me for years, that California has far mellower winter conditions than Utah. Also, the grand total miles on car is 142XXX). Living right at the base of the Rocky Mountains, between November 15ish to early March, snow is frequently falling and temperatures around 15-20 degrees F constantly, so the information I've been searching for is:

>full synth, blend, or natural?
>what weight? 0W or 5W
>what about that second number (I never did fully understand the system for describing oil, I know the number with the W next to it has to do with the weight, which I would assume has to do with the viscosity, but what is the second number? Like, an oil that is 5W-40, what is the 40?)

So in a nutshell, with the listed conditions, I should use (brand)(type)(__W-__) oil. For the brand, mobil1 seems pretty popular and cheap, for the type, considering its a high mileage car, full synth seems the best choice, so all I need is the blanks for the actual oil filled in.

TIA,
-Justin

P.S. N00b-flame me if you must, but remember: I did search and didn't find what I was looking for, hence this thread.

 

Mobil1, Elf, or Castrol full synth changed every 5K miles.

5W-30 or 0W-40 is perfect.

Use an Audi OEM, Mann, or Mobil1 filter.

The first number is viscosity when cold. The second number is viscosity at operating temp.

 

Excellent, just what I was looking for. Thanks.

What about summer? Same goes? Summers are as harsh as winters here, high temps are pretty constant between june and late august, so does that matter? is it more preferable to have a higher cold value for summer? or does it not matter much?

Thanks again

 

5W-30 and 0W-40 are well suited for all seasons.

 

Sweet action. Thanks bro.

 

Yeah, i'd go with mobil 1 0w-40 full synthetic. Dont go blended or "natural" they will just cause excessive sludge, but you shouldnt have a problem with that since you've got a v6.

 

I use full synthetic and a Fram filter. I use Quaker State but I'm considering switching to Royal Purple or Mobil 1. Winter use 5w-30 or 0w-40 and for summer I use 10w-30.

 

Wow. 2 sins in one engine: Fram and Q-State.

The OEM filters can be had cheap. Why mess with it?

As for Q-State... ever taken apart an engine with Q-State in it? It has a nasty habit of caramelizing on critical parts such as cams and turning everything it touches into a pumpkin-orange!

 

well quakers dont know much about cars

seriously quakerstate and pennzoil are on my **** list. they should never go in a german car. im in connecticut (110F* summer to -20F* winter) and i use mobil1 0w40 all year.

 

Aw snap, where in CT? I'm between BPT and Danbury... I can't remembr the last time I saw temps that extreme... I do know that today it's over 60 degrees and that tonight, it can dip below 40!