Oil Change interval... [Archive]

lspencer534

04-10-2014, 5:39pm

I'm old-school (whale oil was used in the rear end back then), so I used to change my engine oil and filter at 3,000 miles. However, since my car holds 7 quarts an oil and filter change is about $55. I looked at my owner's manual, and it says 7500 miles, so I've been going 5000 miles.

I didn't want to hijack Snake's thread on his wife's 13,000-16,000 miles oil changes, so I'm asking you: What do you think is the proper interval for oil and filter changes? I know that much progress has been made in engines and transmissions (my automatic transmission is sealed), but is 7500+ miles for an oil and filter change safe?

Jeff '79

04-10-2014, 5:41pm

10k-11k using synthetics. That's how I roll.

Stangkiller

04-10-2014, 5:41pm

Somewhere around 5k miles

DAB

04-10-2014, 6:16pm

On board computer indicated 10% oil life remaining at 6850 miles. So I did it then. They put a sticker saying come back in 3000 miles. :slap:

VITE1

04-10-2014, 6:18pm

6000 miles or one year.

99 pewtercoupe

04-10-2014, 6:18pm

On the Vette I go with the OBC, other cars between 5 and 10K.

LisaJohn

04-10-2014, 6:19pm

When the little light comes on is not an option in the poll.

SnikPlosskin

04-10-2014, 6:30pm

MikeB

04-10-2014, 6:31pm

I selected 5K, but none of my vehicles are changed at that interval.
Here's when I do them:

Family truckster '04 Chrysler van; anywhere from 3k to 5k, depending on usage. (78K miles total, owned since new, regular dino oil)
The family truckster is mainly used to drive to Fl. yearly (3K round trip), then used as a grocery getter the rest of the year. 5K change when used for Fl trip, 3K rest of year.

'11 Ford Escape winter driver; 6K min, 7500 max. (23K miles total, owned for 2 years- full synthetic)
'79 Honda; every other year, < 2K miles. (48K miles total, owned for 6 years, dino oil)
'85 Vette; every other year, <2k miles. (96K miles total, owned for 13 yrs, dino oil)
'04 Harley; every other year, <2k miles (20K miles total owned 17 years, bought at 3k miles, dino 20w/50W oil)

OldSarge

04-10-2014, 6:46pm

5000 give or take.

carlton_fritz

04-10-2014, 6:49pm

3000 is a Jiffy Lube scam. Time for a change varies due to many factors.

Tire Fryer

04-10-2014, 6:56pm

6k or one year. It almost always is 1 year due to owning so many vehicles.

To the OP, "lifetime" transmission fluid is a way of marketing the car to appear less expensive to own. I guarantee the actual manufacturer of your transmission has a fluid change interval.

polarbear

04-10-2014, 7:17pm

Marquis/Sable/Taurus about 8K miles. Motorcraft synthetic blend. Marquis has 206K miles on it, Taurus and Sable are well under 100K. Will probably change Sable oil more often because of the short commute (<4 miles round trip).

Pickup: every 5K miles. About 175K on that motor.
Neither high mileage Ford uses more than a quart every 3K miles or so.
Jetta: 10k miles, with recommended VW service. Just had the 30k done.

Sneaks

04-10-2014, 7:22pm

How does whale oil feel in your rear end? :waiting:

Knooger to the white courtesy phone please..............
:leaving:

Ruffy

04-10-2014, 7:26pm

I reset my oil life to 80% when I do a change because, sometimes, I get lazy or forget. I'd guess somewhere around 8-10k miles. I didn't keep track last year.

JRD77VET

04-10-2014, 7:28pm

'01 Jeep Cherokee uses dino and get changed every 3K. That currently has 181K. It runs well and uses maybe a pint between oil changes. That was purchased with 112K and had proper maintenance.

'01 Suburban uses Mobil 1 with a bottle of Lucas Oil Treatment and gets changed every 5K. Regular driving it might get one quart between changes , towing, it will use a little more oil. That currently has 172K and was purchased with 52K.

WalkerInTN

04-10-2014, 8:30pm

Somewhere between 4000-5000. :yesnod:

JRD77VET

04-10-2014, 8:43pm

Depends on the car.

The Vette, when it says "Change oil soon". I'd guesstimate 8-10K between changes based on the current usage.

The Miata...usually 3-5K but I'm expecting that to go up when I finish the rebuild since I'll be running synthetic with a larger filter. We'll see how it does.

The Focus gets new oil at 7K.

Break in with dino or it will never properly break in. After break in is complete, then synthetic :yesnod:

Here's a break in link that some folks swear by
Break In Secrets--How To Break In New Motorcycle and Car Engines For More Power (http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm)

dwjz06

04-10-2014, 9:46pm

Larry,

the only real answer for your car is to test it. Send the oil off to blackstone labs. I use synthetics. When I had my Z06 it was fine with 8500 miles between changes. I have gone 9500 in my Accord and the oil still had life left in it. It is not the oil as much as the filters. You do not want them to go into bypass mode. So use a quality filter and send your oil sample to check it out. The results also show if coolant and other stuff is getting into your oil. :cert: happy motoring:kimblair:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Frizzle

04-10-2014, 10:24pm

I change it when the computer tells me to. Its kinda nice, if I drive more aggressively its a few miles sooner then normal. Most of the time its in the 6,500 mark

Steve Austin

04-10-2014, 11:09pm

Dino oil, every 3000 miles. My daily driver gets drag raced and sees 6000 rpm more than most cars see 4000. I know this is old school thinking but I am old. Ive been racing a long time and never had a bearing failure. It works and I see no reason to push my luck.:cert:

jaxgator

04-11-2014, 6:07am

On the Vette I go with the OBC

:iagree: I haven't really checked the milage though.

3000 is a Jiffy Lube scam.

Uh, not entirely. Back when I used dino oil, 3000 miles or 3 months was the rule of thumb.

...Whitepower...

04-11-2014, 6:43am

Wife's Sonata shoot for 3k. Usually by time I notice its closer to 4k. If I left it up to her it would be 5k+ easily. Actually this reminds me I need to do it. Synthetic.

My mustang is once a year or every 3k. Last year I put 2900 miles on it. Synthetic.

Work car is every 5k-6k. I will be doing my 3rd for the year as soon as I find time. Oil is whhat ever the dealer puts in. I don't pay attention to that one..lol

GS Ragtop

04-11-2014, 6:51am

Dino: 3,000 miles
Synthetic: 7,500 miles

6spdC6

04-11-2014, 8:31am

Once a year just as I put it to sleep for our long winter on my 07 Z06 (about 5,000 Miles) Once a year on my 10 tundra 4x4 about (6,000 miles.) My wife’s SUV she does it at about 7,000 with the cheaper dino oil. Hey it’s her car and she pays for it. As for me I have no dino oil in the house anymore I use Mobil 1 for every 4 stroke engine I have.

onedef92

04-11-2014, 8:35am

On my Vibe, it's 5,000 using synthetic and premium quality filter. On Theresa's Odyssey, we let her OBC run it, with OIL SERVICE alerts typically appearing on the dash at 6,600 miles. I use synthetic oil and premium quality or O.E.M. filter for her minivan, too.

Dave

04-11-2014, 8:57am

onedef92

04-11-2014, 9:22am

10,000 miles
Mobil 1 oil
Mobil 1 or K&N Filter

Been doing that for 15+ years (though the brand of filter has fluctuated)
I'm surprised to see that so many people are changing it as frequently as they are.

Recycled Oil | Read About The Benefits of Using Valvoline Recycled Oil (http://nextgen.valvoline.com/nextgen_why_recycle.html)

Have you made the leap of faith yet to start using recycled oil like Valvoline NextGen? And would you put that many miles on your vehicles using recycled oil?

CropDuster

04-11-2014, 10:30am

I haven't changed the oil in my 335i since Nov 2012, but I've only put 4500 miles on it since then (3 miles to work). It has burned a Qt in that time though, not sure if it's gonna explode or not?

Dave

04-11-2014, 10:53am

Recycled Oil | Read About The Benefits of Using Valvoline Recycled Oil (http://nextgen.valvoline.com/nextgen_why_recycle.html)

Have you made the leap of faith yet to start using recycled oil like Valvoline NextGen? And would you put that many miles on your vehicles using recycled oil?

Sure. If it was shown to be as long-lasting as Mobil 1. Why not!

snide

04-11-2014, 10:55am

On board computer indicated 10% oil life remaining at 6850 miles. So I did it then. They put a sticker saying come back in 3000 miles. :slap:

That sticker comes off before I leave the lot.

Yerf Dog

04-11-2014, 11:02am

The MS3 manual says 7500, so that's what I do. 6qt of dino.

The C5 gets it done yearly since I put less miles on it.

I haven't check Barb's Elantra manual yet.

onedef92

04-11-2014, 11:07am

Sure. If it was shown to be as long-lasting as Mobil 1. Why not!

But that's not currently the case, is it? I haven't seen any such studies, have you? :confused5:

lspencer534

04-11-2014, 12:33pm

But that's not currently the case, is it? I haven't seen any such studies, have you? :confused5:

Recycled oil has been around a long, long time. It has always been regarded as crap. I understand the theory behind it--oil doesn't wear out, it just gets dirty--but I don't buy into it. Yes, oil gets dirty. It also gets overheated.

onedef92

04-11-2014, 1:19pm

Recycled oil has been around a long, long time. It has always been regarded as crap. I understand the theory behind it--oil doesn't wear out, it just gets dirty--but I don't buy into it. Yes, oil gets dirty. It also gets overheated.

I'm having a hard time accepting its merits, too. But as more and more companies are maneuvered into environmental compliance by the government, I fear we're all going to end up switching to it before all's said and done.

Black94lt1

04-11-2014, 1:46pm

Daily drivers 3k, but they see a lot of ~10 mile trips, oil life is often approximately 50% at that point. Vettes and mustang, once a year which is usually about 3k miles also

carlton_fritz

04-11-2014, 3:46pm

:iagree: I haven't really checked the milage though.

Uh, not entirely. Back when I used dino oil, 3000 miles or 3 months was the rule of thumb.
oil change at 3000 miles origin - Yahoo Search Results (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=oil+change+at+3000+miles+origin&fr=chrf-devicevm&type=BST)

09CTSV

04-11-2014, 3:52pm

Recycled oil has been around a long, long time. It has always been regarded as crap. I understand the theory behind it--oil doesn't wear out, it just gets dirty--but I don't buy into it. Yes, oil gets dirty. It also gets overheated.

I believe in recycled oil if it is done properly. Oil does not wear out, the additives do but not the oil. Oil is a cleaning agent, take some clean oil and rub it on your dirty hands and see how well they clean up. If oil is properly filtered and the additives are put back in then the oil is good.

Speaking of synthetic oil, what is it made of?? Try Natural gas as part of the base..

We never changed out oil in the military until it showed on the oil analysis it was no longer any good. I had turbines with synthetic oil running 340 degrees on the scavenge temps. The oil passed analysis. We had over 9,000 hours on the engines when I left my first ship and we were still on the original oil except for one turbine we lunched an oil pump on and had to flush the system.

On my car I change the oil when the service light comes on or once a year. BMW "M" cars usually recommend changing the oil around 12,000 miles. I took a sample when they changed my oil and sent it off. It still passed at 12,000 gingerly driven miles.

lspencer534

04-11-2014, 4:12pm

I believe in recycled oil if it is done properly. Oil does not wear out, the additives do but not the oil. Oil is a cleaning agent, take some clean oil and rub it on your dirty hands and see how well they clean up. If oil is properly filtered and the additives are put back in then the oil is good.

Speaking of synthetic oil, what is it made of?? Try Natural gas as part of the base..

We never changed out oil in the military until it showed on the oil analysis it was no longer any good. I had turbines with synthetic oil running 340 degrees on the scavenge temps. The oil passed analysis. We had over 9,000 hours on the engines when I left my first ship and we were still on the original oil except for one turbine we lunched an oil pump on and had to flush the system.

On my car I change the oil when the service light comes on or once a year. BMW "M" cars usually recommend changing the oil around 12,000 miles. I took a sample when they changed my oil and sent it off. It still passed at 12,000 gingerly driven miles.

I've never used engine oil to clean my hands, but I have used automatic transmission oil. Best "soap I ever used!

09CTSV

04-12-2014, 6:46am

Any oil is a cleaner. My old shop teacher showed us this back in High School. I thought it was pretty cool. If I got real grungy working on the cars, I'd use a little oil to clean up before using the Go-Jo. Worked well and kept the evil step mother from Bitching too much.