Oil Change Frequency

In the old days, 3k miles was the rule for oil/filter changes. New Car manufacture recommends 3,750 for short trips, city driving or dirty/dusty conditions, and 7,500 miles for mostly highway driving. Also say no need to change oil for the first time before this interval since they use a high quality motor oil from the factory. Any truth to this? Years ago we would worry about small metal grindings from a new engine mixing in the oil necessitating frequent changes in the early miles (say 1000 miles). Again, any truth to this?

 

Many automotive authorities still recommend an initial oil change at about 1000 miles. Guess the makers figure their products/manufacturing methods have improved enuf not to need it. I would say $25 well spent for a little peace of mind.

 

Run for your lives, it's another oil change discussion!!!

I agree with Gunguy; change it after 1000 miles or so on the intial change. FWIW I use 5000 mile interval on all my vehicles. That's often enough to protect the engine without being obsessive about it, plus the change on even 5's & 10's is easy to remember (my memory not being what is used to be ). So on a NEW vehicle I would do it at 1000 & then at 5000 and every 5000 miles after that.

 

Most manufacturers today put additives in the oil that is in your engine when you buy a new car that help break in the engine. Often times this is referred to as break in oil. In many cases one can void the warranty if the "break in" oil is changed too soon. Most dealers will not change the oil before the recommended interval the first time. The manufacturing and cleaning processes that occur as an engine is assembled is truly state of the art and it is very unlikely that metal deposits will be present in a new engine.

As for the increased intervals between oil changes there are a number of reasons for this. Manufacturers are all competing to make cars that require less regular maintenance. The technology incorporated into the manufacture and assembly of engines is much improved. The efficiency of the combustion process is much improved and the science behind the combustion process is much better understood. All of this leads to a much cleaner engine with the end result being the need for less frequent oil changes.

That being said I know of at least one manufacturer that recommends oil changes at 7500 miles and oil filter replacement EVERY OTHER OIL CHANGE!!! I know of another manufacturer that is working on an engine that only needs an oil change every 30,000 miles. I personally believe these are a bit extreme. I believe designed obsolescence is also factored into the manufacturers recommendations.

Probably the most important thing to remember is to use the correct oil. Most manufacturers have specific requirements for the oil used in their engines. It is no longer OK to chose only the correct weight. Always check your owners manual to ensure you are using the correct motor oil.

 

Same thing I do to all 5 of mine. 2 get syn blend the other 3 are on a dino oil diet.

 

MOST manufacturers put additivies in their oil to help break in an engine?!? Exactly who does this and where did you get this information? Who tells their new owners not to drain the "break-in" oil early because you will void the warranty? Inquiring minds want to know! Break-in of todays engines is almost non existant because of the precision manufacturing and assembly that occurs today. Generally you are advised to limit certain types of driving and towing a load for a limited number of miles.
On all of my vehicles I drain the factory dino oil as soon as I get home (around 100 miles) and put in Mobil 1 synthetic. On one of my vehicles with the Mobil 1 extended performance oil I change the oil at a 10,000 mile interval, this vehicle pretty much is used in the ideal style of driving, (no short trips, etc,) so I believe the drain interval will work just fine. My other vehicle is a 2005 that has only 4000 miles on it and I change that oil once a year even though the oil life system says there is alot of life left in the oil. The oil probably doesn't need to be changed but I do it anyway mostly because the maintenance schedule says once a year regardless of what the oil life indicator says. The truck is still under warranty so I will keep that schedule until it is out of warranty for sure.

 

Regarding correct oil, manufacture recommends 5W30, however, I recently bought 2 cases of 10W30. Can 10W be substituted for 5W?

From what I understand, the only difference is the 5W is thinner and will flow quicker during cold startup. Is this correct?

 

Double check your manual if you can use it, should be fine. I've always done it living here in Canada. The difference between the two is that the 5W30 flows better when cold, so if you live in a cold climate or operate your vehicle in a cold climate during the winter months, you should use 5W30 if it is the preferred oil for your vehicle. If you live in a sub-tropical climate and don't operate your vehicle in cold climates, then 10W30 is acceptable as long as the manufacturer specifies that it is permissible to use it.

My new 08 Mitsubishi Outlander calls for 5W20. Many newer models are calling for 5W20 now.

http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm#5W30%20versus%2010W30

 

Good info in that link, n0.

 

I have a 1999 jimmy (4.3l) that I bought in 2002 with 20,000 miles on it. It was owned by GM in Detroit, and from what I can tell, ir has always had 5W synthetic in it.

It now has 120,000 miles on it and the oil level has never dropped a bit and the engine has run flawlessly, but I did just change the plugs, wires, rotor and cap as a matter of comon sense. I usually changed the oil at about 7,500 miles, but have stretched it a bit to 10,000 on a long trip. Most miles were in town freeway (ramp is one mile away) or stop and go. It gets cold here and the garage is not heated.

FIW - the Formula 1 cars supposedly run 0W synthetic oil, but they are only required to put 2 races on a small 225# engine (800-900hp) that has a governor at set 19,000 rpm.

I think the tolerences on new engines and Formula 1 are better than when they had the old 1000 or 3000 mile recommendations with the older oils and older engine tolerences.

 

Yeah another oil discussion ha ha

Sorry no , newer engines do not need an elaborate break in they're already broken in when they leave the factory, the only brake in my last two new trucks have required it is for the brake lining, which is no hard braking or towing for the first 500 miles...that's it
I've said it before here but people have to help reduce oil waste, it is not good for the environment , follow your manufacturer's recs and forget about the 3k mile rule it is for older cars not today's modern engines , change oil when computer ask you to if equipped ....

 

Perhaps most was not the proper word. I worked in the Automotive Profession for over 20 years for Honda, Hyundai, Kia, and Volkswagen. I was instructed when working for each of these manufacturers that the original oil should remain in the engine for 3,000 miles. I was instructed that additives were added to the "break in" oil that were designed to help protect the engine.

I no longer have access to the resources I used too so I can not site any specific links supporting my position. Perhaps the dealers I worked for were simply trying to avoid performing service on new cars. What I know is that I could have a very nice nest egg if I had a nickel for each time I was instructed to tell a new car owner that it was too soon to change the oil in their new car.

My 99 CRV has 170,000 miles on it. I change the oil every 5,000 miles with Pennzoil 5W30 and it is still going strong. My wife's Tahoe has 200,000 miles on it and it gets Valvoline 10W30 every 5,000 miles and is still going strong. Both of these vehicles get worked hard and operate in the harsh conditions of Nebraska. I suspect I could get another 100K from each if my 14 year old doesn't destroy them first.

 

Hey sorry Brents I didn't fully read your first post on this thread... yeah I'm totally for not changing oil too soon unlike most car enthusiasts who obsess about this...my diesel truck asks for oil changes every 7K miles and thats pulling a loaded trailer all the time , I know a guy on another forum who has a semi-tractor trailer and changes the oil every 10k miles because of the advanced filtration system on those, engine has 1,070,000 miles on it and still going strong...
This would be a topic for another thread but a little oil consumption/ evaporation between changes is also normal nothing to worry too much about it....thats why owner's manuals cover this ( see " adding oil " ) item too, even on new vehicles , not the norm but it happens ( it has happened to me on the work trucks )

 

Diesels are a different animal, as stated. When I bought mine, used, I wasn't sure how well the PO had take care of it, so I had the oil changed at 3k twice. After the second one, my oil change guy said it was almost as clean as when he put it in, so I am back to a 5k change. Dodge 24v 5.9 with 349k on it, and running fine. BUT, my rule of thumb is, when you check it (at every fill up, right?) and it is dirty, change it, no matter how many miles you have on it. Driving habits, conditions change which can have a profound effect on the oil.

 

Never saw anyone wear out an oil pan plug from changing oil too much!

 

Alas, that has happened to me! The threads on my aluminum oil pan finally stripped out at 240,000 miles, requiring a $600 oil pan replacement. This equated to 80 oil changes at 3000 mile intervals. Since that episode, I have gone to a 5000 mile interval.

 

indeed, it is one of those questions that never die. and indeed, there's no answer to them.
it all depends. depends on the family you grew in (grampa and daddy changed that oil every 2 000 miles, i feel naked if i don't follow the suite). how succeptible are you to media influences, dealership influences, other people influences, quick lube influences, etc., etc.
or, it depends on how uninhbited are you and and how well educated on the issue.
and, of course, how bad is your vehicle. sometimes, you have no choice but to change it every so often, so quickly it burns out due to blowbuy.
so, on a personal note: 10 000 miles on royal purple. 12 to 15 000 miles on amsoil, depends on a vehicle, with lexus rx300 leading. i do not use synth oils on any car that takes oil for whatever reasons, like my son's eclipse that has minor drippage, as it is not cost efficient. otherwise, even with flushoil chages, i still beat the buck of a regular oil change place at regular intervals. of course, i do changes myself, no one touches that drain plug with airgun!
matter of fact, i was forced to look into quality oils as i was, at some point, driving so much, that i had to change oils, at 3000 miles mentality, every 3 weeks. this was when i went through virtually every single oil sold on the market, until i discovered royal purple. from that point on, it's either RP or amsoil, and quaker state for "takers" and Mobil1 filter only. it's a law.
i believe, all one needs to do is to shag what THEY tell you and read owner's manual. there are no more cars that tell you to do changes every 3K. new mercedes does 64K. 94 corolla manual said "once a year" disregarding mileage. it's 1994, mind you.

so, my fair suggestion is: educate yourself. read your car manual - if you can make sense out of it, of course, i can't for my truck. if you want someone else to have it figured for you - read this:
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html
and come to your OWN confortable conclusion.
if you want in depth point of view, right or wrong, read this book:
http://www.motoroilbible.com/
and come to your own conclusion. all i know, though he leans towards amsoil heavily, i had better success with RP on some vehicles, and amsoil on others.
whatever you decide to do - it must be comfortable decision, otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy expecting engine failure any moment soon.

 

bringing back the dead.....