Hey I am almost at 10,000 miels on my car. I am going to need to get my checkup soon and my 3rd oil change. I jsut had a few questions hoping you guys can answer them for me.

I want to start using a nice new oil (I've been using dealership stuff). Should I go synthetic or semi-synthetic? What are the differneces? Which one is better?
I hear synthetic can hurt the engine, and once u go syntehtic you can go back? Which brand should I use? Which is the best? What are teh differences? Let me know, thanks!

What do they do on the 10,000 mile checkup? Do tehy change anything? Can I get anything performance wise instead of reuglar stock parts if they replace anything? Any input would be great!

Thanks in advance guys, youre the best!

 

There is a lot of debate over when to switch to synthetic, but I don't think anybody says to wait more than 10,000 miles. Definitely switch to whichever synth you like best (I use Mobil 1, others say Redline or Royal Purple or whatever, but they are all pretty good). Oil change and a couple of inspections are all they do.

You could go back to dino oil later, but I really would recommend sticking with synth. It lasts an easy 5,000 miles (more if you don't stress the engine much) and in the long run is cheap insurance.

 

I've been using Mobil 1 since 5,000 miles and think it's just fine. I think the debate about synth/dino is blown out of proportion. Synth oil is pretty good these days, and I'm perfectly comfortable putting it in my baby.
For the checkup, I'm just over 10k and was looking through the manual and Subaru does it's first major inspection at 15k, not 10. It looks like at 15k they're just doing a basic checkup on hoses, lines, etc.

 

You can also view the complete maintenance schedule at my.subaru.com. It's also useful for keeping track on what you've done and when you did it.

 

Will the dealership use Mobile 1 synthetic if I tell them to?

 

The one time I had them change it, I just brought some with me and told them to use it. I've changed it myself ever since - My dealership isn't that great...

 

Yes, but you will either have to supply it yourself or pay their outrageous price for it.