#1 : Those who are able to learn, often do so by paying attention to topic drift .

I certainly do ! and I'm old and supposedly a Journeyman Mechanic yet I'm still learning and eager to do so, not whine and b*tch when I don't understand a thing .

Back to oils : I was buying oil for my Diesels yesterday and noticed that all the Diesel rated oils had CJ / CE ratings, none of the gasoline rated oils did .

DO NOT EVER use a topsider or other vacuum oil change device ! . the entire point of good quality detergent oils is to keep the wear particles in suspension so they flow out the sump when you remove the drain plug .

All you needs do is ask them to use CE/CJ rated oils and show you the empty containers, conversely you can sometimes supply the oil used, this depends on the shop in question .

Wally Mart etc. all sell Diesel rated oils in quarts, gallon and five quart jugs *much* cheaper than anyone else . they usually have a separate (smaller) shelf area for the Diesel rated oils .

As far as brands, yes some are better than others but _any_ modern Diesel rated oil is orders of magnitude better than the Dino based oils your engine was designed for 40 + years ago .

My self I prefer fully synthetic oils but then I put on more miles than do most and they're hard miles to boot . just buy some brand you know and trust, make sure is clearly says DIESEL ENGINES on the label and don't worry further .

Your willingness to stick to 3,500 mile intervals *is* worth a lot, you're betting with your wallet and over time you'll win .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better