When I first switched to Syn 3 at the dealer I was told that once I go synthetic I can not go back. Can anybody back this up. Thank you

 

Your dealer is simply wrong or blatantly lied.

 

Some of the first synthetics offered were formulated with high levels of ester that were incompatible with conventional oils. Today's modern synthetics are designed to be compatible with these conventional mineral oils. So, if you have synthetic oil in your car and would like to top-off with conventional oil, that's okay.

Most of the hype about switching to synthetics with mileage is that it cleans so well, that it may remove some of the sludge or buildup holding certain seals together, thus causing a leak.

 

The dealer doesn't want you to go back because they want to continue to sell you the overpriced Syn3.

The "not going back" is a long-standing myth that has been debunked many, many times. To the extent there is any truth in the myth, it stems from the very early days of synthetic lubricants when there were some oils made from esters that were not compatible with mineral oil. Also, some early ester based oils (like Amsoil's first synthetic) would severely swell the seals and if you switched back to conventional oils the engine would leak like a sieve.

But any modern over the counter synthetic motor oil is fully compatible with conventional oil and switching back and forth presents no more problems than switching between different brands of oil.

 

Not true.

 

nope, my dealer said and did the opposite in the pri, and trans

 

However I think it is good practice to stick with one brand and dont change brands at every oil change .. I'm sticking with Mobil 1 FS VTwin , my friend who is an Amsoil distributor ( one of the very first ones ) has turned me off from ever trying Amsoil , with his attitude of " everything else is junk , come by the house and let me show you the data " ..

If you use Amsoil , I'm not knocking it , but I dont think thats the approach to new customers ...

 

Exactly why I'll NEVER use Amsoil......I hate the way it's marketed.

 

My husband said that you can switch back any time. Just do yourself a BIG favor, DONT use the crappy Harley Syn-3. NO good for your engine. Check out all the oil test's on the web and you'll see what everyone is finding out. Big time crap.
Dynacycle oil, Mobil 1 or Amsoil is your best bet.

 

Please no offence meant but there is nothing wrong with SYN-3, it may not be the best but it sure ain't the worst by far. All the SYN-3 haters out there are entitled to there opinions but that does not mean they are right. Harley Davidson would not sell extended warrantys and then recommend a product that would cause damage to there engines so they can repair them under warranty, that would not be profitable or good business.

The key thing is proper maintenance with any good suitable product that meets spec, synthetics hold up better in high temp applications but again in the long run proper maintenance will be your best bet.



Figure 9. A comparison of TBN ratings of motor oils.
(1) Note. From Motorcycle Consumer News, Oil Investigation Update. 2003
(2) Note. Note. From Blackstone Labs, solicited testing. 2004
So, what is Harley-Davidson® oil? It seems H-D oil is a pretty well formulated oil for
your engine. It does test on the upper end of the viscosity scale for it’s rating with the SYN3
slightly thicker than the mineral-based H-D oils; it was actually the highest viscosity tested. The
TBN is among the highest tested and it contains no molybdenum. All in all it’s everything we all
say we want in an oil. The heat stability tests we ran, despite some inconsistencies in some
samples, seem to indicate a fair level of resistance to heat aging (Fig. 7).

Take Care & Ride Safe,
Bill G