Complaint Review: Auto Zone - Charlotte North Carolina

"Looking for the real story on synthetics? Wondering what's true and what's not? These are some misconceptions about synthetics, and facts to set the record straight: MYTH: Once I use synthetic motor oil in my car, I cannot switch back to conventional motor oil. FACT: Synthetic motor oils are compatible with conventional and part synthetic (blend) motor oils. However, synthetics deliver superior engine protection versus conventional oils. MYTH: Using synthetic motor oil will void my vehicle's warranty. FACT: Using synthetic motor oil will not void your vehicle's warranty. Synthetics are formulated to not only meet minimum required industry standards, but also, in many cases, meet tougher industry and vehicle manufacturer standards. MYTH: Synthetic oil is only for new cars. FACT: Quality synthetic motor oil can be used in old as well as new cars, including vehicles in which conventional oil was previously used. Synthetic motor oils are beneficial for the good health, long life and top performance of new and old cars. MYTH: You need to allow a break-in period for new vehicles before using synthetic motor oil. FACT: In the past, it was recommended that conventional motor oil be used for your first oil change to allow for some controlled wear to break-in the new engine. However, with current engine technology, a break-in period is not necessary. You can use synthetics immediately." This is directly taken from Castrol's website. "Mobil 1 will leak out of the seals of older cars. Reality: Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 was tested in dozens of industry standard and OEM tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1. ExxonMobil also recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use." This is taken from the Mobil-1 site. "Compared to conventional oils, SynPower: Provides excellent engine cleanliness through superior sludge and varnish protection Helps reduce engine wear at high temperatures with improved viscosity stability Provides outstanding high-temperature protection under severe driving conditions Provides superior cold-temperature protection through faster oil flow at start-up Helps improve and maintain fuel efficiency for the life of the oil (applies to 5W30 and 10W30 grades) SynPower is fully compatible with all conventional and leading synthetic motor oils." This is from the Valvoline site. We called this a "trend" back in the Corps. "Secondly, What makes you an authority on this subject??? How come you say you know better than a trained Castrol Representative, and two well trained mechanics????" Simple. I know what I am talking about. I am not trying to make money off of you like the two mechanics are. Well trained? I doubt that. They don't even know about the advantages of using a superior lubricant. The Castrol website also renders the claims from whoever you talked to, moot. "I suggest that you call Castrol Oil and ask them about the dangers of using synthetic oil in an older car, and then comment on what the authoritys on the subject say or "idiots" as you call them, and try to say something intelligent in response the next time you write. I don't need to call anyone. I have all of my Castrol Distributor paperwork, and the website still says the same thing. My comments were intelligent. Just because you choose not to pay attention, does not disqualify them as wrong. "As for blithering idiots---I would try to at least demonstrate I can read what is written in a report before I start name calling. If you can't at least do that please be quiet, and mind your own business." I did read what you wrote. You first said the car uses 1 qt of oil every 6-8 weeks, but it was down 3 qts when you added some. By my cyphering, that means you didn't bother to open the hood for 4-6 months. If this is not the case, then one of two things are still true. 1-You didn't know how fast it goes through oil, and only check it when the idiot light turns on. 2-The car started going through oil at a much faster pace, and checked it when the light came on. There is a 3rd possibility, but it involves the word "liar", and includes the statement "looking for someone else to pay for an engine I never bothered to repair, and a big company like AutoZone looks like a good candidate". I never called you an idiot, Kim. I called the idiots who told you a bunch of hooey about Synthetics "blithering idiots". That's because they are. The FACTS are on my side.

Outside of the fact that Kim here apparently likes to talk about herself in the third person... She admits that when the oil was added.. "My engine was very low on oil", and qualifies this with "but the engine was not ruined at all, as it ran the same as I left the store with the new synthetic blend in" Ok... So, you are a mechanic? You checked and verified that your piston rings were still within spec? Of course not.. It felt the same to you, so it must have been the same. Faulty logic. Let's just yank this around some more.. Another quote... "As my car was using about 1 quart of oil every 6-8 weeks", yet, when speaking of the status of the vehicle when you added the synthetic oil... "I did not overfill as it was quite on empty and it takes four quarts to fill it, when the dip stick shows almost dry" So, let's be generous and say that it was 'only' three quarts down. So, you hadn't checked your oil for 18-24 weeks to allow it to get 3 quarts down. Long and short... You're looking for someone to blame for something that is either noone's fault, or your own fault. Either the car was slightly leaking oil and it developed into a major leak, or you ran it for too long with a low oil level which caused it to become a major leak.

An Escort engine probably only holds 4 quarts of oil. Very few cars hold more than 5. When you drive 3 or 4 quarts low, it is a very critical situation. You are essentially running without oil, and immediate severe damage is likely. Check frequently and add right away when it gets below the "add" mark (one quart low). If the oil doesn't reach the dipstick at all, then you can't know how much is in the engine. There could be none. If you wait until the red oilcan light on the dashboard comes on before adding oil, it will be already too late. Worn parts and leaky seals never get better by themselves over time, only worse. It is reasonable to expect the rate of oil loss to increase, perhaps dramatically. This will happen regardless of the type of oil. Read about Pep Boys on this site and realize you should consider it just a place that sells oil like Autozone. Neither one is qualified to diagnose or repair your car.

An Escort engine probably only holds 4 quarts of oil. Very few cars hold more than 5. When you drive 3 or 4 quarts low, it is a very critical situation. You are essentially running without oil, and immediate severe damage is likely. Check frequently and add right away when it gets below the "add" mark (one quart low). If the oil doesn't reach the dipstick at all, then you can't know how much is in the engine. There could be none. If you wait until the red oilcan light on the dashboard comes on before adding oil, it will be already too late. Worn parts and leaky seals never get better by themselves over time, only worse. It is reasonable to expect the rate of oil loss to increase, perhaps dramatically. This will happen regardless of the type of oil. Read about Pep Boys on this site and realize you should consider it just a place that sells oil like Autozone. Neither one is qualified to diagnose or repair your car.

An Escort engine probably only holds 4 quarts of oil. Very few cars hold more than 5. When you drive 3 or 4 quarts low, it is a very critical situation. You are essentially running without oil, and immediate severe damage is likely. Check frequently and add right away when it gets below the "add" mark (one quart low). If the oil doesn't reach the dipstick at all, then you can't know how much is in the engine. There could be none. If you wait until the red oilcan light on the dashboard comes on before adding oil, it will be already too late. Worn parts and leaky seals never get better by themselves over time, only worse. It is reasonable to expect the rate of oil loss to increase, perhaps dramatically. This will happen regardless of the type of oil. Read about Pep Boys on this site and realize you should consider it just a place that sells oil like Autozone. Neither one is qualified to diagnose or repair your car.

An Escort engine probably only holds 4 quarts of oil. Very few cars hold more than 5. When you drive 3 or 4 quarts low, it is a very critical situation. You are essentially running without oil, and immediate severe damage is likely. Check frequently and add right away when it gets below the "add" mark (one quart low). If the oil doesn't reach the dipstick at all, then you can't know how much is in the engine. There could be none. If you wait until the red oilcan light on the dashboard comes on before adding oil, it will be already too late. Worn parts and leaky seals never get better by themselves over time, only worse. It is reasonable to expect the rate of oil loss to increase, perhaps dramatically. This will happen regardless of the type of oil. Read about Pep Boys on this site and realize you should consider it just a place that sells oil like Autozone. Neither one is qualified to diagnose or repair your car.

Kim, Robert is absolutely correct on the synthetic oil information. One of my cars is a 95 Mercury Cougar with the 3.8L V-6 and 158,000 miles. Guess what? It runs great on synthetic oil. And, I have swithced back and forth. No problems. I also have a 1974 F-250 Truck with the 390 V-8 and it has 167,000 miles. It also does fine on synthetic. Then there is the 91 Toyota Corolla with only 62,000 miles on it. It runs fine on whatever i put in it. It currently runs on a synthetic blend. FYI...An oil leak is a mechanical problem and needs to be fixed. There is no magic cure for it. It needs to go to a mechanic. Also, once you run an engine 4Qts low on oil. It is ruined. The synthetic oil had absolutely nothing to do with your engine failure. I have been a mechanic, and also have built and raced cars. I follow the technology and specifications of everything automotive. I have also been a commercial driver for many years. As for Robert, he has demonstrated several times on this site that he knows the mechanic's trade. I doubt that it was an engineer at Castrol you spoke with. It was obviously some flunkie. Your car was a piece of junk and finally bit the dust due to your neglect. That is the real story here. I have seen it too many times.

Secondly, What makes you an authority on this subject??? How come you say you know better than a trained Castrol Representative, and two well trained mechanics???? As for the total confusion you have. If you READ what was written------- You will read that subject did not say that they put oil in their car after driving it without oil for 30 miles. Subject wrote----if you can read----- that after the oil was near empty, and the engine was still running fine, Subject stopped at Auto Zone and purchased 3 quarts and put in 3 quarts. ---and subject wrote that she then drove only 30 miles and all of the oil ran out. Alot of people have a confused mind where it comes to the dangers associated with using synthetic oil on an older car. You are one of those people. I suggest that you call Castrol Oil and ask them about the dangers of using synthetic oil in an older car, and then comment on what the authoritys on the subject say or "idiots" as you call them, and try to say something intelligent in response the next time you write. As for blithering idiots---I would try to at least demonstrate I can read what is written in a report before I start name calling. If you can't at least do that please be quiet, and mind your own business.

Synthetic oil does NOT harm engines. Conventional oil does NOT harm engines. In fact, with few exceptions(RedLine, AmsOil), sythetics are made from crude oil. They are called synthetic because of the fact that ALL of the molecules are uniform. A typical "conventional" 10W30 oil has molecules of various viscosities, averaging out to a 10 weight oil, with the shear strength of a 30 weight. A "synthetic" 10W30 contains 100% 10 weight molecules with shear strength of a 30 weight. This is the reason a synthetic flows better hot or cold. It's also the reason synthetics stay clean longer. They improve the lubrication of the parts by this principle also. If your seals went bad, they went bad because they are old, hard, and worn out. You could have put ANY oil, good, bad, cheap, expensive, in it and it would have done the same thing. AutoZone is a parts house that targets CHEAP customers. They do not advertise as being any sort of counselors. It seems the only person who has a clue is dennis Parker. Kudos to him for being the only one in your loop who is informed correctly. There are alot of misconceptions about synthetics. The facts are very simple. They are just plain better at everything than conventional oils. The only people not using synthetics for all of their lubrication needs are the ones who have missed the clue bus.

Kim, Although I am sorry for you that you had to go through this, Auto Zone is NOT at fault here. First, I want to clear up the misinformation you got on synthetic oil. ALL synthetic oil sold TODAY is reverse compatible. It is totally compatible with conventional oils and can be mixed if needed, or you can go back to conventional oil after using synthetic. When synthetic oil first hit the market, there was a compatibility issue, but that was a very long time ago, and has been worked out. If your engine burned or leaked that much oil, you had major mechanical problems already. YOU ruined your own engine by running it out of oil. You stated that it was 4qts down and you only drove it 30 miles! Oil is NOT optional. You were at fault for running it without oil. How can you blame Auto Zone because you ran your engine without oil? Question: What grade of oil did you buy? Please let us know.