Oil change is the common routine for auto maintenance. Oil change will protect the engine of your gasoline-powered or hybrid car from damage (e.g., heat created by friction). Although the 3,000-mile oil change is the credo of the quick-oil change industry, you don’t have to change the engine oil that often with the availability of synthetic oil. The question is whether we would rather use synthetic oil than cheap regular oil.

The following is a summary of pros and cons of using synthetic oil.

Benefits:

• Synthetic oil lubricants offer high purity and improve resistance to breakdown as compared to regular oil.
• Make the cold-engine starts easier during the winter, while prolonging high-speed driving during the hot summer season.
• Improve fuel economy since synthetic oil is usually slipperier than regular oil and thus reduces engine friction.
• Oil only has to be changed every 10,000 miles instead of 3,000 or 4,000 miles.

Shortcomings:

• More expensive than regular oil (Using synthetic oil bumps the price to $45 to $70 (or higher typically at the dealer) on average, as compared to costs of $20 to $55 for conventional oil change.
• Your new car warranty can be voided, if your vehicle owner’s manual requires or specifies synthetic oil, but you still uses regular oil.

Overall, synthetic oil is recommended instead of regular oil.