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I have never used full synthetic oil, and drove most of my cars 100k miles or more,

with no engine wear issues.  I do not relish paying more for synthetic.  

But I have nothing against using synthetic oil, if that is your preference. It is probably

superior to natural oil.

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Most important thing first, then some opinions.

 

Chevrolet recommends at least a Dexos1-rated semi-synthetic oil in a 5W20 grade for our cars (the 2013-2015 models), and to change it at regular intervals.

 

As long as any oil you buy for the car meets those requirements, and you follow the specified schedule, that's the most important thing. (For this or any car, really.)

 

Now, the opinions.

 

First, I certainly wouldn't go cheap and get a conventional (non-synthetic oil). In fact, if you're buying a Dexos1 oil, it will be at least partly synthetic no matter what as a function of meeting GM's quality specifications. Now, if you want to go full synthetic, there are several good options. I am currently running Havoline Pro DS full synthetic, not due to any brand loyalty but (literally) because it was the only name brand full synthetic that O'Reilly had in stock that met Dexos1 specs when I was shopping - and it was on sale. :) I have also used Mobil 1 and Valvoline full synthetic products in the past on other vehicles with good results.

 

Second, some observations and such. Having switched over to full synthetic, it seems like the engine runs a tiny bit quieter. This is possibly academic since it's a fairly noisy car anyway, to be honest, but at low speeds it simply sounds like it's running a touch more freely. I have also noticed a tiny improvement in gas mileage - maybe 1 MPG more in normal driving, about 2 MPG more on a recent vacation trip (over 500 miles on the highway). So it's not going to save you a ton of money, especially considering that I average in the mid-30s MPG all of the time anyway with the Spark.

 

Now, if you want to go longer intervals between changes, that's where synthetic oil can save some money over time. I still change my oil every 5000 miles with full synthetic, but you can easily go as long as 7000 or 8000 if necessary. The key is to continue checking your oil regularly, or at the very least, paying attention to the car's own oil change timer (accessible via the gauge cluster buttons while the car is in Park).

 

Possibly more info than the original poster wanted, but perhaps it will be of future use to others as well.

 

Duncan B)

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Duncan, for the past several years, all our oil changes are being done at GM dealers, so I have to assume they are installing correct grade of oil. First I like they wash and vacuum the car, and if they create a problem, they fix it without a hassle. One time the dealer mechanic messed up threads on the oil drain plug opening, and the dealer had it re-bored and re-threaded at no cost to me.

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I have to say, I do enjoy the free "quickie" wash after a dealer service. And I trust our dealer, and know they're using the right oil, so that's never a concern. We bought our 2014 as a CPO unit, so had free scheduled maintenance for two years or four oil changes, whichever came first. Turned out to be the four changes in the end, as we have put a fair number of miles on the car in two years of ownership.

 

That said, it is ridiculously easy to change the oil and filter on this car, should you choose to do so yourself. (Well, yours is a 2017, so maybe a little different, but I suspect most aspects are the same.) I knocked it out in about 45 minutes, same as if I had been waiting at the dealership, though without free bottled water and big-screen TV. And for about ten bucks cheaper, too!

 

Duncan B)

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On 4/18/2017 at 7:12 PM, Duncan said:

 

 

That said, it is ridiculously easy to change the oil and filter on this car, should you choose to do so yourself. (Well, yours is a 2017, so maybe a little different, but I suspect most aspects are the same.) 

Duncan B)

Where exactly is the oil filter located? Does it require special tool to remove it?

Although since I do not have a garage anymore, I doubt very much if I will try it.

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