My comment regarding cold temperatures dealt specifically with an occurance
last year when the temperatures in my region were consistantly below zero
for over a week. On the coldest morning of the lot, early, I tried to start
my bus to no avail. My battery and all systems were in great shape, but the
motor oil had turned so thick that the engine would BARELY turn. The
solution involved draining the motor oil and replacing it for the remainder
of that winter with a thinner oil.
20W50 is quite thick at or below 0*F.
Put a bit of it in the freezer sometime (even at 32*F) and watch just how
smoothly it pours.

-Craig

On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 8:34 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:

> My comment concerning warranty was meant to convey the maker's attitude,
> not to suggest that we are trying to maintain the long expired warranty on
> our VWs.  I change oil myself, have been doing so for a series of vehicles
> for about 50 years, and have managed to drive all of them for around 200k or
> more miles.  My change interval seems economic to me. Oil is cheap.  Engines
> are expensive.
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 6:02 PM, Allan Streib wrote:
>
>  Synthetic will flow better than conventional when cold.
>>
>> None of our Vanagons are under warranty anymore.  Oil analysis can be
>> used to determine if your oil is still "good" and over time you can
>> establish a reasonable, economic change interval.
>>
>> Allan
>>
>> Dave Mcneely  writes:
>>
>>
>>  I use Castrol 20W50, petroleum based (nonsynthetic).  I change the oil
>>> every 3000 miles, just as I always have for all my vehicles.  I can't
>>> imagine how synthetic could improve on that.  I notice that most
>>> manufacturers specify that oil should be changed at the recommended
>>> interval, and that less often than that voids the warranty, whether
>>> the oil used is synthetic or not.  David McNeely
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Stephen Cebula wrote:
>>>
>>>  What motor oils you you all use out there?  A friend of mine keeps
>>>> pushing synthetic oil.  He's a Ford man, and not familiar with
>>>> Vanagons.  What's the rap on that?
>>>> Steve
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>> --
>> 1991 Vanagon GL
>>
>