A relative has had good experiences so far with Danny's Car Care in Smithfield. He said they seem like up front, honest guys. I'm thinking about trying them out.
Synthetic oil is fully-compatible with OEM seal materials on just about any car. If your car leaks oil from a seal, it's not the oil. It's possible to have put too much oil in at one point, or your crankcase ventilation system is blocked and the blowby is not getting out. Both can cause pressure against the seals causing them to be compromised. Pull your dipstick out while it's hot and take the oil filler cap off too. See white smoke? Check your crankcase ventilation system. Get the right grade, the right filter and the right amount. Synthetics also have better detergent properties, too. If you use a synthetic "blended" oil, you'll never get more than 30% synthetic in it...just FYI.
Seems like I remember reading one time that switching to full synthetic after many miles on the odometer could cause a leak. I believe the article read that if you were going to go full synthetic, it should be done ASAP after the initial engine break-in or else stay with a synthetic blend. Of course, I'm not an auto tech and that may be inaccurate.
I'm also not an auto-tech, but i've heard the same thing when i had my Jeep. Theory was that the cleaning properties of a synthetic oil can clean off the dino-gunk (oil deposits) on a seal thats barely holding and often the dino-gunk is all thats keeping that seal from leaking in the first place. Thats not to say that this seal wouldn't break otherwise... its clearly bad if the only thing keeping it together is spoiled oil, but it can be the requisite straw for that particular camel. That said, my Wankel runs full synthetic Royal Purple and loves it.
I'm not sure the brand, but they charged me like 6 dollars each. I may look into doing oil changes myself, at least during the warmer summer months (its so cold this year); however I really don't know how to do much other than checking the fluid levels and topping them off myself. We just bought a van with 37 K miles, is it too late to start using synthetic on it? It's a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan.
That's not too bad for wipers, but actually you get what you pay for. I've tried every wiper brand and they all seem to wear so quickly (and begin to chatter) except for Bosch. Refresh my memory again. What did they do besides the oil change and wipers, because there seems to be about $18 difference in what you probably should have paid and what they charged if you just had an oil change and wipers put on. Also, lots of folks will follow the 3 month/3,000 mile rule pushed by auto service centers, but I've read before that such a maintenance schedule was excessive. I usually aim for about 5,000 miles.
Just say No to TAG I used TAG for a while. They are ok for simple oil changes but not for more major diagnosis and repairs. I had three occasions when I had to take my car back after the problem they "fixed" was still a problem when I picked up my car. The last straw ... on the third visit, the mechanic (last name Frame) told me I needed to replace my engine over the "add coolant" light indicator staying on. Now I'm no mechanic, but I knew that my engine was running fine. This car has over 270K miles on it and requires some TLC, but it is overall great shape. Since then, I've been taking my cars to Last Chance Garage off Lake Wheeler Road in Raleigh. They charge a little more than TAG, but the owner, Doug, is very smart and personally works on the cars. Their service is simply outstanding.
