jgevox

I know this has been discussed before but I took my evo in to have to recall work done and figured why not get an oil change while I'm there. The service guy ask what year and I told him it was a 13 and he said so it just takes standard oil then. I told him no I use mobile 1 synthetic and to put that in. So I guess just be careful out there and do not assume a dealership is going to put synthetic oil in your car.

Kendogg

Your car also came with conventional oil in it. So however long you drove your car before getting the first oil change, you were running conventional.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

^Are you sure on that? Everything I've seen still states the Evo requiring synthetic oil. My guess is Mobil One just stopped paying the fee for Mitsu to slap their sticker on the engine cover.

Kendogg

Nope, not 100% sure. I did not ask Don Herring but I went to a local dealership to me (West Loop Mitsubishi) to buy some oil filters. I asked them what oil comes in the Evo and they looked it up on their computer and said it is conventional. So this is just according to them. But when you go in for an oil change they will try to put conventional oil in. When I had my Silver X I took it to Gillman Mitsubishi to get my free oil change and I told them I want the mobile 1 synthetic. They told me Mitsu says it takes conventional and they can put in the synthetic put I had to pay the difference in cost.

As I said, I can't say I know with 100% accuracy if it is convention or synthetic. Maybe someone with a brand new Evo can send their factory oil in to be analyzed and let us know?

Iowa999

iTrader: (1)

May I just say - in public - that I'm hugely impressed by the above. We get way too much doubling down and internet BS when one person raises questions about something that someone else wrote. That you would write the above tells me to trust what you write more. What? Why trust a guy who admitted to writing something that might be wrong? Because (a) the possibility of being wrong is true for all of us and (b) I now know that when Kendogg isn't 100% sure, he'll tell us.

With that said, I'm never wrong.

TrogdorWBL

I am 100% sure. As of the 2012 model year the car no longer requires synthetic oil. We (the dealer I work at) called the manufacturer to confirm this. What we were told was that as long as the oil is SN rated oil, you can use conventional oil, and that this is what Mitsu will pay for on your first oil change.

Kendogg

But do you know what oil comes in the car from the factory? When ya'll receive the car, does it have oil in it or do ya'll put the oil in? I'm trying to find out what oil (conventional or synthetic) is in the car from the factory.

Kendogg

Yah, I can't say for sure. I am just going by what the service guy at West Loop Mitsubishi told me when I asked. The only way I could say with 100% surety is if I either physically worked at the factory and filled them up, or if I sent my factor oil in to be analyzed. I have always been curious though if the 2012+ had conventional or synthetic oil in it when bought brand new.

TrogdorWBL

No, we don't have to add oil to them. They come with SN rated conventional oil in them.

WW13X

I can personally tell you that 2012+ come with conventional from the factory. I have a 2013 and it came with conventional which i ended up using up until the 3000 mile mark.... I then proceeded to bring it in to the dealer where they changed the oil with new conventional. Needless to say, I changed my oil to synthetic the day after that. It shocks me that mitsu does this when even in the manual it says that synthetic oil is best to use.

TrogdorWBL

Best and required aren't the same thing. Yes, I know it seems a little hypocritical or that they don't have the car's best interest in mind. Sadly they probably don't. Think about the cost savings if they send every Evo out the door with oil that cost 1/3 as much as mobile 1.

thenewcraze

How were you able to verify this?

DeeezNuuuts83

I do remember reading some press release (or at least something from Mitsubishi) where they did say that synthetic was no longer required. They may have just realized that it really isn't necessary (though I'm not saying that I agree or disagree with that), as it is a fairly new engine. I don't think it's about them not caring, because frankly what you put into the car after you buy it doesn't really affect them or reflect whether they care or don't care about their products. But at the same time, what happens when they put stuff in the owners manual about only using this kind of fluid or replacing certain belts every 30k? People whine. "Oh, you don't need to change it that often." "Oh, you can use a lesser fluid." "Oh, they're just trying to generate more revenue for their dealerships by making you go in for their recommended maintenance." Which is it?

If people really feel that strongly about it, just put in synthetic oil, exactly the way that you think it should be, even if it isn't required anymore. I don't get what the big deal is or why it requires such a roundtable discussion.

As a side note, Subaru didn't indicate synthetic oil being required in the STI's motor, which is still a performance engine (even though it's no 4G63/4B11). But there are a number of STI owners who will use synthetic anyway, even if it's not required.

johnnnyjeans

iTrader: (10)

you should never trust a mitsubishi tech. you should only trust evo specific tuners, then yourself.

DonMitsu

iTrader: (1)

The factory no longer requires synthetic in the evo, but ironically the factory does recommend synthetic in all other Lancer's. It does now come with conventional, however I would still recommend the Mobil 1 for all evos regardless of factory recommendation.