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lou’s garage

Do I have to use synthetic oil in my 2017 Equinox? -- Donald

European auto manufacturers have been in the game of stipulating oils that meet their precise guidelines for quite some time. GM followed suit generating a synthetic 5w30 oil that conforms to their own stringent specifications.

This oil is applicable for most of their passenger vehicles sold after 2011, under the ACDelco Dexos label.

GM deemed it necessary to modernize their oil program to accommodate industry design changes, with their vehicles now regularly using turbochargers and direct injection.

These new measures were put in place to protect against elevated levels of sludge and carbon deposits, increased oxidation and oil aeration within the engine.

Oil engineering will continue to play a significant role in the reduction of these negative affects for all auto manufacturers.

Dexos is not a specific manufacturing or refining process, but a licensing protocol created by GM to offer a common standard for all their products globally.

Dexos1 Gen2 is the current successor to Dexos and is fully backwards-compatible.

To keep your warranty in good standing, you are required to use oils certified by GM as Dexos-compatible.

Multiple oil manufacturers have been licensed by GM, so there should be plenty of options available to choose from.

Unfortunately, though, conventional non-synthetic oils do not satisfy these requirements.

Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing "Lou's Garage" in the subject line.

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