Is it bad to switch from synthetic to conventional?

[JohnS.]

My dad has an 06 corolla and just passed 58k miles last week. Since the first oil change, he started using synthetic. So basically since the car had less than 5000 miles. Last week, he took it to a garage to get the oil changed and he asked for regular oil.

Do you guys think this will cause any harm? As far as I know, it shouldn't do anything damaging, but I thought it wasn't generally a good idea to switch between oils, especially after a long period of time.

He just told me the check engine light came on today so I'm hoping this has nothing to do with that because his car has zero problems, except for a bad wheel bearing(s) (which I don't think would set off the CEL).

 

[Lopez619]

I was told that it does not do any harm as long as you don't keep switching back and forth.

 

[joe7987]

I don't see why it would matter... it's not like your engine adapts to the oil you put in it... No real clue though. I'm just reasoning it out.

 

[Mr. Jollypants]

Does your body stop working if you switch from organic food to food that isn't "organic"? Same concept.

 

[JohnS.]

Hmm...

Thanks for the input.

Does your body stop working if you switch from organic food to food that isn't "organic"? Same concept.

Well I've personally seen people that change their eating habits to try to eat healthier, or try to cut out sugars, etc., or try to diet and when they eat something their body isn't used to, their body doesn't react well at all. They get sick, throw up, etc.

 

[JiuJitsu_greg]

Synthetic oil is a better product then conventional oil. IT protects the engine from friction much better and it is more resistant to breakdown. synthetic oil is mostly needed in performance engines and extreme cold climates. If your dad switched it will be fine. He is just using a less quality product. No a wheel bearing can not cause a cel. Most of the time cel has to do with a sensor like the o2 sensor.

 

[JohnS.]

That's what I thought. I wasn't sure though because on newer cars, everything is switching to electronic.

 

[joe7987]

Does your body stop working if you switch from organic food to food that isn't "organic"? Same concept.

Actually.. there's a decent chance that it might. The body DOES adapt to the food being put in it... but that's a different story, and not for this thread.

 

[Hendo]

Synthetic will just make it last longer. I just read you shouldn't use synthetic oil when breaking in a new engine because it's SO efficient in preventing wear, that your new motor won't break in properly. If he buys the oil and filter and does it himself, he'll probably pay the same as having someone else do a conventional change.

 

[253eg]

Does your body stop working if you switch from organic food to food that isn't "organic"? Same concept.

Good concept, but my body tends to have a brown eruption for a few days when I switch between organic and "not organic". Just sayin'.

 

[96hondacivicdx]

check the gas cap for the check engine light that is the most common for newer cars and once you have gone synthetic ive heard its better for the motor to stay with it and even look into amsoil its great

 

[XpL0d3r]

Good concept, but my body tends to have a brown eruption for a few days when I switch between organic and "not organic". Just sayin'.