Truck Maintenance

[Fishindude77]

Lucas is the sponsor of Indianapolis Colts football stadium.
They've got quite a business of oil and lubricants in the racing industry.

[myrdale]

I've never even heard of Lucas Oil.

If you walk through an AutoZone or similar parts store, you'll see their products for sale. They sell a lot of additives for transmission or motor oil.

[myrdale]

What the heck is synthetic motor oil anyways? I've never understood that.

To the best of my understanding, it is motor oil that has been chemically altered to exhibit certain characteristics. It is more durable and doesn't degrade as fast as conventional motor oil. I ran Castrol 10W30 in the Frontier which had to be replaced every 3,000 miles. The Tacoma uses Mobil 0W20. It gets changed every 10,000 miles.

[james.hendrickson]

I've seen it but never used it. Most additives are snake oil, and most motor oils are basically the same (all from the same refinery with different labels on the bottle)
About as far as I go is to use a full synthetic.
My friend is a mechanic, and he says that it does have benefits beyond conventional

What the heck is synthetic motor oil anyways? I've never understood that.

[bjl584]

Lucas oil has anyone tried the gears display at your auto parts store? While at the cashier numerous times I've spun the gears in the clear plastic housing and seen how Lucas oil forms a webbing around the spinning gears vs regular oil which does have that web coating the gears.

I've seen it but never used it. Most additives are snake oil, and most motor oils are basically the same (all from the same refinery with different labels on the bottle)
About as far as I go is to use a full synthetic.
My friend is a mechanic, and he says that it does have benefits beyond conventional

[james.hendrickson]

I've never even heard of Lucas Oil.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Lucas oil has anyone tried the gears display at your auto parts store? While at the cashier numerous times I've spun the gears in the clear plastic housing and seen how Lucas oil forms a webbing around the spinning gears vs regular oil which does have that web coating the gears.

[EasyMoney00]

Dude, everyone does a 1st complimentary oil/filter change. That's par for the course. It's a good thing you included the text message or no one would have believed you. Proof is in the pudding.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Text from Chevy.

[QuarterMillionMan]

You convinced me to start using the backup camera now. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks but I'll try it. Chevy dealer just text'd me a complimentary service which includes oil & filter, tire rotation, etc. It was a no brainer $150 value. Even though the Uber back and forth is $30 each way. Still a good value. It would be more convenient paying $100 at Fast Lube for a 15 minute oil change and $20 at the tire place both 1 mile from home. But free at the Chevy dealer won this time. Chevy dealer saw at my last visit that oil change is at 19% due. I was going to reset it to 100% before the visit but good thing I left it at 19%.

[ua_guy]

You want to buy it, then buy it. I'm saying get rid of the mandate that new cars must come equipped with such things.

Yeah I know what you're saying and I prefer living in a developed nation where we set minimum standards for safety and new cars are required to come equipped with such things.

[disneysteve]

As for the backup camera this 2024 Chevy has one which is my first which is displayed on a 7" color display. It must be an acquired taste sort of thing because I still haven't relied on it and I keep looking side to side and propping up in my chair to look over the back seats out the back window. Old habits are hard to extinguish. I need to start using it more.

Oh I was definitely the same when I first got the car. I had been driving for over 40 years without one. Why did I need one now? Little by little, I found myself using it more and more and realizing how the field of vision of the camera is far great than the field of vision of my eyes. It can spot a car pulling out of a space that I can't see yet. It can spot someone walking who is in my blind spot. It can show me the lines in a parking lot so I can easily tell if I'm fully in the space or not.

We went to the Philadelphia Auto Show recently and got a test drive in a Prius. The first thing I noticed when I got in is that the rear view mirror isn't a mirror at all but rather a rear camera display. Ingenious. Tremendously greater view, not looking over the headrests and backseat and out the window. It's a crisp clear unobstructed view of what's behind you.

[myrdale]

My father in law is a self-proclaimed luddite with technology.

I think he and I would get along very well.

[myrdale]

Those are things I will continue to have in my vehicles, and if they somehow become optional equipment (some airbags are) I will continue buying them as options on my vehicles. I don't need convincing these things work, and they work very well to save lives.

You want to buy it, then buy it. I'm saying get rid of the mandate that new cars must come equipped with such things.

[myrdale]

What does that mean?

It means trying to read through 374 pages of EPA regulations.