Mixing and Matching Motor Oil

[ihgrad]

I recently bought a used 2004 Camry with 98k miles. I am ready to do my first oil change, but I got to thinking: what if the previous owner was using fully synthetic oil? I usually use a synthetic blend (Valv MaxLife), but I have read many times that you can switch up from conventional to synthetic, but not backward. Anyone foresee an issue using my high-mileage synthetic blend if the previous owner was using fully synthetic?

[mechanic1980]

it wont hurt it to use syn blend even if the previous owner used full syn however going from conventional oil to synthetic is going to show you your leaks the synthetic has better cleansing agents so it cleans out the cracks

[Brian R.]

There should be no problem with any change in any direction. Just don't mix large amounts of each in the engine as a regular mixture. Keep with all synthetic, blend or dino oil for normal use. Don't mix brands (Pennzoil and Mobil) in a normal oil change. Anything is ok for a short term emergency.