Our next item in the “wait, what?” awards category is this special from an auto parts retailer. Buy just the oil, pay $23.99. Buy the oil and a filter, pay $17.99, total. The filter costs $6.49 if bought separately, or -$6.00 if bought with the oil.
I’ve been putting Castrol GTX in my car since I picked it up off the dealer lot, new, in 1997. They recommended it, the recommendation was emphatically seconded by a mechanic I knew and trusted, and that was that. Many of the dealers around here, however, use other oil, and instead of taking what they give me I either make them get some Castrol from their parts suppliers or I pick some up on the way. I never bother to buy a filter, though, since the Honda filters have come recommended.
My car seemed to make it about 120K miles before it started burning oil, but it definitely consumes oil now. I’m trying the “high mileage” stuff to see if it changes anything, but if it doesn’t I’ll go back to the plain GTX.
