I am *definately* with the Chewbacca defense on this one.

I believe (not based on any reasearch, so take my opinion for what it is: an opinion) that it is probably a big load of BS, and the best protection is probably afforded to the engine by multigrade oils with a heavier heavy component, i.e. 5w30 or 5w40.... At the expense of fuel economy.



But, ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense!

 

The poll is incorrect. Jeep did not "change" the oil specifications in Europe like the question says. They do not sell 5w-20 in Europe so Jeep could not request them to use that oil. Perhaps the question should be:

Why is 5w-20 not available in Europe?

1. It does not protect as well and therefore is not sold by retailers
2. EPA and CAFE conspiracy theory (no EPA in Europe therefore no 5w-20)
3. Europe and other places in the world have simply not caught on yet
4. Other

 

I"m in for another poll HOMAC...................psssst, somebody on tis board say's it is available in Europe

 

The motive is pretty obvious to me! Jeep is required to make a minimum "fleet average" fuel economy in the states. If they don't, the Feds fine them. But rather than work to improve the fuel efficiency of the entire line, Jeep took the easy way out, and specified a lighter than optimum oil for our Patriots. That ekes out a tiny bit more MPG, bringing the fleet average up just enough to avoid the penalties. Of course this solution comes at the expense of Patriot owners, who will suffer premature engine failure. We wouldn't even know about this had not some nice European customer posted the service bulleting warning against the use of 5W20. (There's nothing different about the oil requirements of Jeep engines destined for Europe.)

I've had plenty of coupons for oil changes at the Jeep dealership. Instead, I'll continue to go to an independent garage and ask for 5W30. I bought my car two months before Jeep instituted the free "lifetime powertrain warranty". (Jeep wanted $1500 from me to add the coverage.) So I have to be careful.

I'll never buy another Jeep. I was deliberately scammed by the dealer, and Jeep was aware of the deception. I was inundated for months with email, ads, and commercials from Jeep and the dealer claiming 30 MPG highway, and "off road rated". When two new Patriots finally arrived at the local lot, I was walked out to the red one and shown the 28 MPG highway rating on the sticker. Then he walked me over to the black one he knew I preferred. There was no sticker. I was assured the MPG rating was the same, and the only difference in the cars was the color, and the extra low gear you could switch into off road. I confirmed all the options were present, but never thought to demand proof of the MPG figure. I later learned that my car, being off road rated, is geared lower than the other cars, and only rated 23 MPG highway. In fact, I'm getting 20 MPG on level ground with a raw egg between my foot and the accelerator. I'll end up spending at least $5000 more in fuel in the first 5 years. Getting back a single mile per gallon by using a lighter viscosity oil is not going to make a dent in my expenses. And it will put my engine at risk.

 

You should have done more research before plunking down your money. Its not jeeps fault you are not happy its yours. When I bought my patriot I knew more about it than the saleswoman did.
Let me clear this up once and for all. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH USING 5W-20 OIL IN THE PATRIOT. IT WILL NOT CAUSE PEMATURE ENGINE WEAR. ALL OILS MUST MEET CERTAIN STANDARDS. DO YOU HONESTLY THINK JEEP WITH THE LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WOULD TELL THEIR CUSTOMERS TO USE AN OIL THAT COULD DAMAGE THE ENGINE! IMAGINE THE WARRANTY CLAIMS. CHRYSLER WOULD BE OUT OF BUSINESS.
For 20 years I have always followed the manufacturers recommended oil viscosity numbers and have never had a problem.

 

Well put regarding research, metalhead. If only we could start replacing entitlement with personal responsibility. I can't comment on the oil, but I trust your opinion and Jeep's recommendation.

Simple fact is that this SUV gets good gas mileage. Of course I have a lead foot and can't get over 24 highway, but my wife averages 25 - 26 with a mix of highway/city. Driving tactics can make the difference. For example, barely pushing the gas until you hit 2k RPM, then wait a couple seconds, and after that you can push the gas pedal down more to gain speed without jacking the RPM up to 3k+. It simply drives different than every old typical auto transmission.

Peace out Patriot brothers and sisters!

 

Why wouldn't Chrysler or Mopar supply their EU dealers with 5w20 then?
Perpetuating the myths that it's better then 5w30, or the engine was designed to tighter tolerences to use 5w20, and even the better fuel economy, why not supply it at least to their dealers who can then have a monopoly on 5w20 oil changes?
To go out of their way and advise 5w30 is the recomended oil in EU, seems to negate all the benefits they lay on us here.

 

Around and around. 5w20 Mobil 1. I split the difference, using the lighter recommend viscosity, and Mobil 1 which is a GF-4 oil so there are no worries here. Most the year it is cool to cold where I live, seldom getting into the 80's. The lighter viscosity will flow faster on start up, where we all know most wear occurs. I can't utilize an engine block heater where I park so I always do what I can to maximize protection at start-up.

I started to consider using an 0w20 in the dead of winter and then I realized that that debate was as insignificant as this one. Cricky if you are using a GF-4 Synthetic it is gonna protect your engine whether is it 20 or 30 whether it is 0w or 5w. Now if I lived in a primarily warm to hot environment I would likely have a different take on it.

I wrote Chrysler and Mobil 1, Mobil 1 said use what is in the manual, and Chrysler said the vehicle was designed for 5w20 from the get go, and was not designed for 5w30 and then remarketed. You don't have to believe them but that is what they said.

As I have said on the other 4,000 oil threads. Your engine isn't going to fail prematurely because of the difference between 5w20 and 5w30 unless you are pushing some ridiculous extreme in temps of high or low and then they each have an equal advantage at each end.

5w20 full sythetic and the engine runs sounds fantastic - 14,100 miles so far.

 

I had my first oil change done just last week at 6k kms. Went to a Chrysler/Jeep dealer to do it, to make sure my warranty is not threatened in any way (cost 65 Euro/90USD ). I asked what kind of oil they use and they said - the type prescribed for your vehicle and supplied to us by Chrysler - Mopar 5W20!!! This oil is also clearly stated on the invoice. So it aparently isn`t true that european dealers have instructions to use 5W30. They didn`t even know if it`s synthetic or not! I was surprised, because I usualy used Castrol 5W40 in my other cars. And today I stumble across this thread and am really frustrated as to which type of oil is correct for the Pat and serves the engine best . Is it such a big deal to get a straight answer from Chrysler on this issue?

I would appreciate all european Pats reading this to inform here regarding what type of oil their dealerships/services use (not the oil owners use by their choice). If it shows up that the oil type isn`t the same at all Chryslers around Europe (Mopar 5W20), I`m writing an inquiry about this to Chrysler HQ

Also I found something on this subject on the Net - undoubtedly a marketing inspired move by Amsoil, but informative non the less.

http://www.smartsynthetics.com/articles/5w20oil.htm

 

Use a synthetic 5w-30 and do not worry about it. You can use 5w-20, however based on all the information posted many are going to 5w-30.

There is also all that US EPA CAFE stuff and the Chrysler TSB.