Originally Posted By: Bighank
My wife just got a new 2010 Subaru Forester. Now on the
Forester forum,s,she reads about head gasket problems. Her
2010 has the 2.5 NA engine. On the forum they are saying that
using synthetic oil adds to the problem. This does not sound
right to me. Any thoughts on this?
The head gasket problems were more prevalent in the late 90's and early 2000s. Their engines now have upgraded gaskets and lots of other improvements. They're solid engines.
Moreover, my 1995 2.2L Subaru Legacy L went 430,000+ miles on conventional oil and no head gasket issues. My better half has a 2008 Subaru Forester 2.5 that we purchased used with 14,000 miles. It has 76,000 miles on it now and it's never had any problems. I've used nothing but Chevron Supreme 5W-30 conventional oil in it since we bought it. With the coupons Costco puts out you can buy Chevron Supreme by the case at about $1.60/quart.
Take a look at this Q & A FAQ from Blackstone Labs:
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/faq.php
What's the best oil to use?
Ah, the million dollar question. We are an independent lab, so we don't make recommendations. It has been our experience that oil is oil, and either petroleum or synthetic-based oil will work well for just about any engine.
Come on, you're holding out on me. I should use synthetic, right?
Buddy, you should use whatever you want. Synthetic oil won't guarantee a longer engine life any more than my eating organic food will guarantee I'll live until I'm 90. We here at Blackstone generally use regular petroleum-based oil because honestly, it works just as well for us.