reading some of these threads are getting me paranoid....i did the search but i still found no clear answer

1) it is okay to start and drive your car without it warming up as long as u turn it off when its warmed up...correct? (i live in san diego so i dont deal with cold weather) this flooding stuff is worrying me

2)i still have the oil from the dealership..its probably nonsynthetic, but if it is and i put some extra oil in it every 1000 miles or so, will it mix well?

3) what stores u guys buy your oil? anyone use castrol or pennzoil the ones u can buy at costco?

many thanks

 

1) When driving cold, let it idle for 10 seconds or so to get the oil flowing, then drive but keep the revs under 4K. The flooding sucks when it happens, but is overblown. Doesn't happen to that many people. There is a procedure, if the engine is cold, rev at 3K rpm for 10 seconds, then let the engine return to idle before turning it off. I may have it wrong, but the procedure is in the manual.

2) Dealers should be using dino (fossil) oil. I use Pennzoil. I add 1/2 quart every couple thousand miles or so. Should be no problem mixing oil.

3) It doesn't matter where you get your oil. There is a certification (forget what it is) that you should look for. Printed on the label or bottle there's a standards emblem, looks like a Good House Keeping seal of Approval

 

1) it is okay to start and drive your car without it warming up as long as u turn it off when its warmed up...correct? (i live in san diego so i dont deal with cold weather) this flooding stuff is worrying me
Well, I've had my car for 4 months (mostly warm wx, here in St. Louis) and more than once, I've not warmed it up and forgotten the 3k for 10 seconds recommended by the owners manual, and I've never flooded it...

2)i still have the oil from the dealership..its probably nonsynthetic, but if it is and i put some extra oil in it every 1000 miles or so, will it mix well?
I don't think it'd be a problem. Certainly, in the best case, you'd want to use the same stuff all the time... Also, I'm pretty sure the consensus I've seen here (and what the owners manual recommends) is to stick w/ non-syntetic. That's my take on it too - I change my oil every 3 to 3.5K and just use regular ol' Castrol GTX

3) what stores u guys buy your oil? anyone use castrol or pennzoil the ones u can buy at costco?
I used to use Penzoil, but switched to Castrol GTX b/c of some stuff I read on a site about oil. GTX had low ash (which I think is a benefit b/c the RE burns some of it) and a fairly high zinc content, which is supposed to be good "insurance" for high revving engnes. There's a link to that oil site somewhere in one of these forums - don't have it handy b/c I'm at work now (goofing off <g>). I'm a newbie, but that's my 2 cents worth...

 

you definately better to not let car have a prolonged idle period before driving off. with the exception of extremely cold climates, long periods of idling does nothing except kill your fuel economy.

just like pcimino said, just keep the revs down until a minute or two of driving after the temperature gauge is at normal operating temp (it shows that its up to temp slightly before it actually is). although, i keep my revs below 3k, not 4k, but i typically shift below 3k anyways.

and if you have to move the car a short distance and turn it off before its at temp, rev it to 3k for ~10 seconds, let off the gas, and turn the car off before the rpms drop back to idle. reason for this is, when you let off the throttle, it cuts the fuel injectors off completely until the rpms reach idle. so if you turn the car off while the injectors are off, then while the rotors continue to spin, it will force any remaining fuel out of the combustion chamber.

 

1st) I think the flooding issue is in the past, I have not heard much about it this year. I live in NC and have never had an issue, and yes I only turn the car off after it has warmed up. I have turned it off cold before/stalled out on accident but she always fired right up.
2nd) Just use regular OIL, no need for synthetic, plus the engine injects some oil in with the gasoline.
3rd)I buy my oil from Walmart...Castrol 5W-20 or go to Autozone.

 

BTW, I guess it's b/c it's not in much demand yet, but I've only been able to find the 5w-20 (Pezoil and Castrol) in quarts (no 5 qt. containers). What a PITA (and more $$)!

 

^quite the contrary, it IS because 5w-20 is the new 'it' oil for newer cars, that oil manufacturers are purposely bottling them only in 1qt bottles to make more money off of you!!!! :p

 

I found it in 5 qt containers at walmart. Castrol GTX.

 

5w-20??

 

Hmmmm - what part of the country you live in? I've scoured several Wally Worlds and all the auto parts stores in my area (St. Louis, MO)... no such luck...

 

Found 5qt. 5W-20 Castrol GTX (API SL) at Walmart in NJ. For API SM, maybe it is not available just yet in 5 qt. ....

 

nice...thx for all the feedback!