Story Time

A few months into owning my prior vehicle which was a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado I decided I wanted to do the "right thing" when changing my oil by running synthetic. TERRIBLE MISTAKE....let me say it again....TERRIBLE MISTAKE. Never again will I run synthetic on a vehicle with over 170k if the previous owner was using conventional. I bought my truck at 199k and it was in incredible condition mind you...those who are familiar with these trucks know that they can have a myriad of issues. Mainly where I am these issues are things like rust in the rockers and cab corners, intake manifold leaks, and exhaust manifold leaks. Mine was perfect and was immaculate inside and out. Not a spec of rust, no oil leakage whatsoever, and the engine ran perfectly.

I changed that oil to synthetic and immediately I had massive oil leaks occurring. Everytime I started/drove the truck I would lose approx. 1/2-1 quarts of oil within a matter of minutes it seemed. I was losing oil from the rear main, oil pan, and valve covers. I then took it to my mechanic that day who went to work on it. 900 dollars later and my truck was spotless again. But I had learned my lesson. Let this be a warning to all who think synthetic is a good idea on an old vehicle that has only ever ran conventional...DONT DO IT. it is simply not worth the issues in my opinion just for that extra piece of mind that we get from using synthetic.