Negative side effects of switching to synthetic?

[uscharalph]

Read here: http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/48/0c035c48.asp

or go to http://www.liqui-moly.de and choose English then Products -> Catalogue -> Additives -> Oil Additives.

It restored my compression, reduced engine noise and helped with the noisy/leaking hydraulic valve lifters. The procedure should be repeated every 50k km. Oh yeah, it improved my gas mileage and performance.

"CERA TEC is a high-tech ceramic wear protection product for all motor oils. CERA TEC reduces friction and wear due to ceramic compounds that withstand extremely high chemical and thermal loads. Prevents direct metal-to-metal contact, thus increasing the engine service life. The low-friction effect reduces fuel consumption in gasoline and diesel engines. Sufficient for 5 liters of motor oil. Operational area: CERA TEC is added to motor oil and is self-mixing. CERA TEC provides extreme wear protection for all moving parts and friction surfaces in the engine."

So you're saying this stuff also stopped oil leaks?

[uscharalph]

bought my car with 90k or so on it. put mobil1 in there, it leaked for about 15-20k, then the seals and rings were conditioned and it stopped. No leaks or any other problems when i sold the car at 218k

When it leaked, how much and where did it leak?

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Oh ****, I was think of something else.

I run Mobil 1 Euro, and I have had no leaks.

My thoughts are that if you do spring leaks, they were there before and you should just fix them as they come rather than just allow the engine choking sluge to hide them.

[Interceptor]

So you're saying this stuff also stopped oil leaks?

Yes. It apparently creates a layer of ceramic coating that stops oil from leaking past the piston rings.

[Anton CH.]

It's true it will unclog your engine. I already had oil leaks and synthetic made it worse. Not sure if its because I unclogged leaks or just because the molecules are smaller. I just learned to deal with it and slowly chasing after each oil leak: vc, oil pan gasket and soon I'll do front crank nut seal.

P.S. I'd never put that additive in my engine. If you rings aren't sealing well then you have a big problem.

[nuwde]

i switched at about 120k and now i'm at 140k and no leaks. maybe i got lucky?

[Interceptor]

P.S. I'd never put that additive in my engine. If you rings aren't sealing well then you have a big problem.

I too was a sceptic before, but additives (from reputable makers like LiquiMoly or LubroMoly in the US) evolved a lot in the past few years. A lot of science is put into it, and most of the people have pleasant experiences (myself included).

If you can solve an oil leak with an additive that costs $50 rather than with a $2500 engine overhaul, why not? We will all have to do an overhaul sometimes, but better later than sooner.

[Qube]

Searching for a place to get Ceratec in Canada... coming up dry so far...

[Bill R.]

will rebuild worn rings, if the product was based in the US i'm sure the ftc would have already had filings on it. If you go to the website there are no documented tests whatsoever, Its just like slick50, lubrilon and any other number of scams out there. I have searched for any kind of lab testing and there appears to be none. If someone like this truly had a revolutionary product they would not hesitate to back up the claims with lab testing, verifiable lab testing. All of these rebuild in a can products are just designed to separate you and your dollars. I had a number of customers in the past make the same claims about slick 50 and when you show them the statements from dupont and the ftc court cases that slick had to pay out for false claims they are always quite surprised.

I too was a sceptic before, but additives (from reputable makers like LiquiMoly or LubroMoly in the US) evolved a lot in the past few years. A lot of science is put into it, and most of the people have pleasant experiences (myself included).

If you can solve an oil leak with an additive that costs $50 rather than with a $2500 engine overhaul, why not? We will all have to do an overhaul sometimes, but better later than sooner.

[Interceptor]

will rebuild worn rings, if the product was based in the US i'm sure the ftc would have already had filings on it. If you go to the website there are no documented tests whatsoever, Its just like slick50, lubrilon and any other number of scams out there. I have searched for any kind of lab testing and there appears to be none. If someone like this truly had a revolutionary product they would not hesitate to back up the claims with lab testing, verifiable lab testing. All of these rebuild in a can products are just designed to separate you and your dollars. I had a number of customers in the past make the same claims about slick 50 and when you show them the statements from dupont and the ftc court cases that slick had to pay out for false claims they are always quite surprised.

LiquiMoly is the best additive maker in Europe and their products are praised around here. After all, they're from Germany and not US, so the possibility of scam is drastically smaller. And finally, my mechanic recommended it after he tested it on several engines (he works only with BMW & Mercedes) and said that cars passed the compression test at the dealer with flying colors.

As for the FTC, German Trade Comitee has far more rigorous testing than the US one. I have yet to see one US product that is better in quality than German one.

And finally, why did the oil stop leaking after adding Ceratec?