What type of oil should I use? Conventional, Synthetic, or a Blend?

There are differences between the types of motor oil available to consumers.  Here we try to provide information that will help you make a choice for your vehicle.

We offer a choice of synthetic blend (semi-synthetic), conventional and synthetic oils

What is the difference between regular and synthetic oil? 

Regular motor oil, also called “conventional” oil, is a mineral grade oil derived from crude liquid oil from the ground.  It is created by a refining process.

Synthetic motor oil is also refined from crude oil from the ground.  However it is processed further than conventional oil is.  Synthetic oil is distilled, purified and broken down into its basic molecules. This process not only removes more impurities from the crude oil but also enables individual molecules in the oil to be tailored to the demands of modern engines.

Some customers choose full synthetic oil for their vehicle

What are the advantages or benefits of using synthetic oil?

A synthetic lubricant contains more highly refined base oils than those used in conventional mineral oils, offering you superior protection and performance. Synthetic engine oils provide a variety of benefits that keep your engine running at optimal performance for years.

Here are some of the benefits of using synthetic oil:

• Synthetic lubricants protect better at any temperature. In the summer, your engine will stay cooler and therefore use less fuel. In the winter, the engine receives lubrication sooner than with mineral grade oil.  At any temperature, when an engine is first started, a mineral oil takes some time to circulate, allowing friction between non-lubricated parts to cause wear.  In contrast, a synthetic lubricant starts circulating straight away, protecting every moving part within the engine. This results in less metal-to-metal contact and thus extends the life of the engine.

• Synthetic oil keeps your engine cleaner. As oil circulates through your engine it can pick up deposits. Over time, conventional oils can sometimes form sludge, which can reduce your engine's efficiency and, ultimately, reduce the life of your engine.  Sludge deposits can turn into varnish (sludge deposits that have hardened and coat internal surfaces) over time, thus synthetic oil helps protect against varnish as well.

• Use of synthetic oil helps to cut engine emissions when compared to conventional mineral oils.  This makes them more environmentally friendly compared to regular oil. Conventional mineral oils contain greater amounts of impurities, such as sulphur, reactive and unstable hydrocarbons, and other undesirable contaminants that cannot be completely removed by conventional refining of crude oil.

• Synthetic oils can also significantly improve fuel economy and efficiency. During the warm-up period of a typical truck journey, mineral oils are thicker and move more slowly, making the engine thirstier and less efficient. Synthetics, however, get to work much more quickly, so the engine reaches peak operating efficiency that much sooner.

What about synthetic blend oil?

Synthetic blend oil is part synthetic oil and part conventional oil.  It was created to counter the high price of pure synthetic oil, and imparts some of the benefits of synthetics into conventional oil, but at a lower price. The downside is that your vehicle won't reap the benefits of a fully synthetic product.

A blended (semi-synthetic) oil is another choice that customers may make.

What are the benefits of synthetic blend oil? 

An analysis of the differences between synthetic, synthetic blends and conventional oil by Valvoline, suggest that SOME of their blends (not all) offer benefits that approach that of a full synthetic in the areas of protection, cleanliness & horsepower, and other areas.  Some provide anti-wear protection and better cold start protection that conventional oil.  Some help minimize sludge and prevent deposit formation.  Some are better designed for today's most advanced engines, and some contain special seal conditioners that rejuvenate engine seals to help prevent leaks.  These advantages do not apply to all blends equally. This all means that if you choose to use a synthetic blend oil, you should choose which one to use carefully according to what benefits you are looking for.

According to Valvoline’s information, if you are looking for an oil to provide help maintain fuel efficiency for the life of the oil, or provide excellent protection in extreme hot and cold temperatures, you should look at a FULL synthetic.

For more detailed information, refer to the easy-to-read motor oil comparison chart found on the Valvoline website.

Superior quality conventional (regular) motor oil is also available.

If I just want to use conventional oil, what do you suggest?

If you choose to use a regular or conventional oil, you will be happy to know that there have been improvements to conventional mineral oil over the years.  Brands such as Valvoline produce premium conventional oils.  Their premium conventional oil  is an all-climate motor oil with stated benefits of:

• Helping to keep the engine clean by minimizing deposit formation

• Resisting oil thickening by providing solid oxidation control

• Improving gas mileage with the most commonly recommended grades by reducing friction.

• Providing anti-wear protection exceeding current U.S., Japanese and European wear tests for gasoline engines where each grade is specified

Our technicians do the job right!

Visit Great Canadian Oil Change for all your oil change needs

At Great Canadian Oil Change we offer a wide variety of oil products to meet your needs.  We will recommend the conventional and synthetic oil products which meet your vehicle manufacturer warranty requirements and leave the choice to you.  Visit the services page on Great Canadian Oil Change Regina’s website for a description of the quality Valvoline products we offer.

At Great Canadian Oil change in Regina, we follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of your vehicle.  We will verify that your vehicle is due for an oil change before performing it.  We look forward to seeing you for an oil change or for one of the many other services we offer!  See here for the services we offer. http://gcocregina.ca/ 

Great Canadian Oil Change on Quance Street and North Albert Street in Regina deserve the Thumbs up from www.trustedregina.com in our Regina Automotive General Category and they are Regina's Trusted oil change experts!

Retirement Savings Late Starter?  

Harry and Sally both earned high incomes and liked to live the good life. They leased higher-end European cars, took two-week exotic vacations almost every year, and lived in a house much larger than they truly needed. To accomplish this lifestyle, they put off retirement savings. Now in their forties, Harry and Sally are realizing they have some catching up to do. Listed below are a few things to consider:

Procrastination or bad breaks may have derailed a savings plan. Now is the time to make savings a priority.

Pay off the house - Avoiding mortgage payments in retirement can dramatically reduce Harry and Sally's living expenses. They could even consider downsizing the house now and free up more cash for savings. If they still have a mortgage payment as they approach their chosen retirement age, it would be good to have payments end at the same time they retire. This can be made possible by making additional principal payments each month or a lump sum yearly.

Plan to work longer - Putting off retirement a few years can have a dramatic effect on retirement savings. For each additional year worked, Harry and Sally gain an extra year of savings and delay one more year of having to live off those savings. By working part-time or seasonally for a while in retirement, Harry and Sally can reduce the amount they need to draw from their savings. This can give their money a chance to grow some more.

Take Canada Pension Plan (CPP) early and save it - CPP retirement benefits can be taken as early as age 60 or delayed until as late as age 70. If Harry and Sally take their benefits early and save them, it makes for larger savings that could be paid out on early death. These additional payments may be lost if income from CPP is postponed.

Avoid investing too aggressively - Those waiting too long to start saving for retirement may be more prone to 'gamble' with their savings on speculative investments. This approach is more likely to result in big losses.

Avoid investing too conservatively - Some late starters may be inclined to save their money in cash or money market-type investment vehicles. The problem with this strategy is that their modest savings will be ravaged more by inflation over time.

By making a few adjustments now, Harry and Sally may be able to avoid the shock of a forced lifestyle change when they retire.

A Trusted Regina Legal Professional shares information about AMENDMENTS TO THE HEALTH INFORMATION PROTECTION ACT

The Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) was enacted in Saskatchewan in 2003 to govern and regulate the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information. This legislation places duties and responsibilities on organizations and individuals in the health care system to ensure proper collection, use and safekeeping of personal health information.

You may not have known but some amendments to HIPA came into force on June 1, 2016. The amendments seem to be aimed at increasing the protection and safekeeping of personal health records and increasing accountability of trustees and their employees in handling those records. The amendments include the following:

• If personal health records are found unsecured, the trustee responsible for the records will be found strictly liable for the offence unless he/she can established that he/she took all reasonable steps to prevent the infraction.
• An employee of a trustee can be held liable for intentionally using, accessing, or disclosing personal health information without authorization. These provisions seem to be targeted at individuals “snooping” into the personal health information of others.
• A new provision implements a system to quickly respond to the discovery of abandoned or unsecured records and to take control of the records.

The Government of Saskatchewan has further advised that new privacy legislation, including The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2016 and The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2016, is currently being introduced and is expected to come into force in 2017.

A lawyer should be consulted to determine the legal implications of provincial and federal privacy legislation on your privacy and access interests.

This post is for information purposes only and should not be taken as legal opinions on any specific facts or circumstances. Counsel should be consulted concerning your own situation and any specific legal questions you may have.