Engine oil IDEMITSU or OEM Subaru

Either way I have the impression that the engine has a smoother sound and feel now, can this be possibile or it's just a placebo ?

Idemitsu is responsible for the oil that powered the Mazda 787b; they know the rotary like no other. I exclusively use their synthetic 20w50 and premix.

Regarding brands, if you want to stick with factory oil without dealer price, Idemitsu is the brand to get. I emailed Mazda corporate and they said Idemitsu is the OEM for their oil.

They sell Subaru branded Idemitsu at the parts counter

I have a Sohn kit and run Idemitsu engine oil in the engine and Idemitsu premix in the Sohn. Runs lovely and smooth and the original cat is still doing the job.

We use Idemitsu for engine oil and transmission and red line for front and rear diff. Red line makes a good fluid for the transmission also.

Oil being dark is a good indicator that you have to do an oil change. However, you shouldn't wait until it changes color to do it. Clear oil doesn't necessarily mean you can keep going.

It is well established that boxer engines want their oil changed and I do not think for a second that a visual inspection is valid for determining if it is time. Highly, **highly** recommend you change the oil per the manual without hesitation and regardless of what it looks like.

id put 17 at the okay point but any lower is not good - well my subaru would do about 18-17psi at idle so im sure alls fine

I have a slow oil leak (something like a quart every 1,500 miles). Dealer quoted just under $3,000 for the fix when it was 17 years old with 110,000 miles. I'll just buy the occasional quart of oil.