In a message dated 29/04/2009 6:48:03 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:

            This  has been my experience.  New synthetics do not cause oil
leaks from  softening old seals or gaskets.  That is a thing of the past.
Your  other concern is not a concern at all with Synthetics.  That's one of
the  benefits.  The first number is for start-up so the lower the better if
you  in cold climates.  It's the second number which is IMPORTANT,  50
weight should be in every VW waterboxer engine in North America !  I'm  using
Mobil 1 exclusively in my engine and my customers engines for a number of
reasons.  It is readily available everywhere in Canada, US and Mexico,
important for travellers and it shows consistently higher oil pressures  compared to
other readily available Synthetic oils.  There may be other  BETTER oils
but they are not readily available as Mobil 1.  So what grade  ? -  5w50 or
15w50 is what I find on the shelves.  There is some  story circulating that
Mobil 1 is no loner being made in 15w50.  Well, it  that's true then there's a
lot of old stock on shelves throughout Canada, US and  Mexico.  Trust me I
have looked in a lot of stores over the last five  months of travelling
around, see the _BacalarBlog_ (http://poolio.net/bacalarblog/) .   For me the 5w
 or 15w is of no consequence.  Maybe if I stayed home and the temperature
dropped to -30 Celsius and I had the 15w in the crankcase it would not be as
 good as having the 5w in there.  But lately I tend to spend my winters in
MEXICO !

>>>>>>I have read that the perception that a  synthetic oil has detergents,
which damage seals is an artifact from the  synthetic oils of 15 years
ago.  Most articles seem to say that  current synthetics won't degrade
your seals.  I would be curious to  hear if there are people who have
experienced leaks in the last 5 years  that strongly correspond to
switching to synthetic oil.

Its also  really useful when people include the temperatures that their
vehicles  operate when giving oil suggestions as this helps put the
recommendation in  perspective.

My goal is to find a synthetic oil that is the best weight  for Seattle
(Summer highs of 90 and lows of 50 and winter highs of 55 and  lows of
25) that also includes some sort of zinc content.  Any
suggestions?<<<<<<<<<<<

Please note  that I will be away from my business travelling in Mexico from
November 24, 2008  until April 30, 2009.  Parts orders will be processed
although not as  quickly as usual.  I will always be available for contact by
E-mail.  If you phone your call will be addressed by Greg T. Brown here and
he will  either call you back or advise you to contact me directly by
E-mail.  Details of this adventure are at _Buses in Bacalar_
(http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/busesinbacalar/) . A  Travel Blog is at: _Bacalar Blog_
(http://poolio.net/bacalarblog/)

Cheers,

Frank  Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
(http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm) )
_Frank Condelli &  Associates_ (http://frankcondelli.com/busindex.html)  -
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
_Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust  Systems_
(http://frankcondelli.com/exhaust.htm)
_BusFusion_ (http://www.busfusion.com/bfhome.htm)  a  VW Camper camping
event, Almonte, ON, June 11 ~ 14,  2009