Synthetic Oil
1,520 Gallons @ $3 per gallon - $4,560 in annual fuel charges Based on Fuel Economy of
15.79 mpg (five percent average improvement)
AVERAGE ANNUAL FUEL SAVINGS USING SYNTHETIC OIL: $240Standard Transmissions
Standard transmissions are not quite as touchy as the automatics. However, it’s a
good idea to have them checked every oil change. Standard transmissions use
one of three lubricants: ATF (automatic transmission fluid), 30W motor oil, or
gear oil.
When you do a fluid check, you are not only checking the fluid level, but you
are examining the fluid for the presence of moisture (which turns the fluid
milky) and the presence of wear particles. A small amount of wear material is
acceptable, but excessive wear material can indicate a problem. The maintenance
interval for transmissions that use ATF and 30W motor oil is every 50,000 miles.
For gear oil the recommended interval is 80,000 miles. Once again, follow the
carmaker’s maintenance schedule because some can and do vary.