Oil recommendation for 2003 Buick LeSabre ...

[AshleyQuick]

1. What kind of vehicle you have

2003 Buick LeSabre

2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well

From manual: SAE 1OW-30 (every 3,000) is the viscosity grade recommended for
your vehicle. However, you can use SAE 5W-30 if it's
going to be colder than 60°F (1 6°C) before your next oil
change.

3. Where you live

SW Virginia

4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)

Easy, slow

5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)

Short trips, city

6. Whether your car has any known problems

No known problems

I believe we prefer synthetic to increase the time between changes but defer to your expertise.

 

[nwjones18]

My mom has an 05 Grand prix with the 3800 and I run Mobil 1 5w-30 in it with no problems. Dad has a 95 LeSabre and he runs Mobil 1 10w-30 in it. Both get changed once a year which is about 10k miles. Both cars seem very happy. Dad's car is all highway and Mom's is all city.

 

[Bgallagher]

Pennzoil yellow bottle and a AC-Delco filter for 5-6k. Those engines were easy on oil and besides the issues with the LIM and headgaskets they generally run for a long, long time.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I ran 5W-30 in my '03 Buick Park Avenue, not the supercharged model, and later shifted to 10W-30. I got the same amazing-for-the-car's-size mileage on both. The 5W-30 was consumed a bit faster.

Brands: Chevron Supreme, PP, Castrol Edge (a disaster -- oil consumption doubled), and then QS Defy (consumption went back to normal).

The Buicks with the 3800 engine are solid cars.

 

[mjoekingz28]

5w-30 for your winters
10w-30 for tour summers

7.5w-30 if you only change annually. Just kidding around.

As far as brand, why not take a look at the different oils at the parts house of your liking, location, cost or whatever. Read the wording front and back and maybe choose which seems more honest? I dont know, but I think sticking with one oil dor a while to be better than switching every time you changeoil.

 

[901Memphis]

Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 or Pennzoil Platinum high mileage 5w30

 

[lubricatosaurus]

I like the High Mileage synthetic oil recommendations. If a leak is about to start this makes the seals snugger.
HM synthetic blends good too. Get some Valvoline MaxLife HM oil. Valv was the first to come up with HM oils. If that makes them better or at least just as good.

 

[Merkava_4]

SuperTech full synthetic 10W-30. FRAM XG3387A.

 

[fdcg27]

These are very durable engines.
I doubt that it'll matter much which grade you use.
How about any name brand 10W-30 changed every six months with a mid-tier filter?
This engine will last a long time with whatever you decide to put in it on whatever OCI you decide to use.

 

[MrJhynx]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
SuperTech full synthetic 10W-30. FRAM XG3387A.



What this guy said.

 

[camrydriver111]

Originally Posted By: MrJhynx
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
SuperTech full synthetic 10W-30. FRAM XG3387A.



What this guy said.

 

[Branson304]

I'd use Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic Blend in 5W-30. I choose the 5W-30 because I know winters in your area can be cold & the 5W will be much better for cold flow than the 10W, as I'm sure you know. I'd couple it with a Fram Tough Guard & change every 4,000-5,000 since you short trip.

If you'd like to go full synthetic, I'd recommend Mobil 1 High Mileage at 6,000-7,000 mile intervals. Super Tech synthetic would also be good for 5,000-6,000 with the short trips.

I'd personally go with something high mileage though.

 

[NH73]

You didn't mention if your vehicle has a Oil Life System. Your 03 Buick LaSabre may have one. if it does, I would go by that and use a conventional 10w30 as the manual prefers. You can use that down to 0 degrees F.

If you like to go the synthetic route, I would consider the 5w30 and you may be able to go to 7500 miles if not more. My guess is the oil life system is designed using conventional oil.

 

[barkingspider]

Use what ever 5w30 or 10w30 on sale. Same with the oil filter

 

[Merkava_4]

You can't go by the oil life monitor entirely; just use it as a guide along with other factors. The oil life monitor doesn't know how much dirt and combustion byproducts are in the oil. By the time my '00 LeSabre gets down to 48% oil life, the oil is too dark for me to tolerate.

 

[53' Stude]

AshleyQuick: I use QSGB in my girls. Nothing wrong with 5w30 also and at my work when we had these exact same vehicles we never, ever used a 10W30 also. I hear GM doesn't recommend the use of 10w30 in newer GM stuff by the way. A GM mechanic I work with told me this Friday. QS, PYB, VWB are all fine as is a WIX or Tough Guard filter at 6,500 OCI

 

[virginoil]

Shell Helix Ultra 5w-40 (or Shell 5w-30 HX8 pending climate) in Australia or Pennzoil equivalents if Shell brand is not available.

 

[snake123]

my 2003 lesabre V6 has 45,000 miles and I purchased it used and its very clean so I dont know what type oil had been used in the engine a 10w30 conventional or a synthetic, I wanted to know if I used the best Mobile 1 fully synthetic , will it cause me leak problems with the gaskets and seals?

 

[jongies3]

One of my favorite cars to change oil on, filter's in an easy, accessible spot next to the drain plug at a angle so it doesn't make a mess all over you spinning it off. If there was a career field where you could change oil on those cars for a living, I'd be the first in line! I could work on a LeSabre all day long with a big grin on my face! Rock solid engine to boot, those old 3800's were probably the best GM engine of all time in terms of durability and reliability.

Those engines aren't particularly picky about what you run in them. You could easily run a 5w-30 conventional or synthetic oil year round without issues. I would go with synthetic myself because it makes me feel good knowing my car has the best, and it's better at bonding to metal surfaces and preventing harmful acids from building up in the engine that eventually lead to varnish and sludge over a period time. Conventional does a good job, but synthetic does it better and more efficiently over the long run. Pennzoil synthetics are hard to beat, and they have a full lineup of regular and high mileage options to choose from. I don't buy into the high mileage oil hype, I have two high mileage engines running just fine on regular synthetic with no leaks, burning, etc and have never had the need to spend the extra $$ on HM oil for no gain.

 

[JGmazda]

I have a 2001 (44k miles) that has used nothing but Chevron Supreme 10W-30. (Really a great oil for the $$$.) Like an above poster mentioned, these engines are easy on oil. I don't plan on using a synthetic for the future. I'd stick with a conventional. SuperTech is another good choice, but I'm partial to the Chevron product.