oil change question

Willow

We bought the car used in Sept '10. Since the we had an oil change done. We received a call saying it is due for another oil change. It has only been driven maybe 700kms since the last oil change. Does it really need another right now? It's not the 30$ it costs for the change/service, just not sure if it warrents another change right now. It's our second car and it sits in the garage most of the time. Since Sept we put about 1100kms on it.

Knucklehead

I just go by the mileage unless your driving in dusty dirty environments.

steveinaz

Oil change recommendations are way too frequent. With todays motor oil technology, changing oil every 3,500 miles is just pouring money down the drain--especially if you run synthetic's.

I've run Mobil 1 for over 20 years in all my vehicles, and do an 8,000 mile interval on changes--though Mobil 1 has proven to maintain viscosity for well beyond 20,000 miles. Not only do I end up saving in the long run (vs dino oils and 3,500 mile intervals), my engine is much better for it running synthetic.

Jstas

Well, oil breaks down whether it's used or not. If the car was sitting outside, I'd say do the oil change. But if it's been in a garage that I am assuming is heated, it's at least out of the weather and not freezing. You can probably slide on the oil change for a couple of months.

Most places schedule the oil changes on what an average mileage per month for a typical driver is and then push your scheduled date out to cover the mileage/service hours that would be in that time frame.

Like, if you drive 1,000 miles in a month and they say to change the oil every 3K miles, at your last oil change, they wrote down in the calender to send you a reminder in 90 days. Nobody is necessarily keeping tabs on your car specifically, just following a general schedule.

But even if the car is sitting and hasn't been run for a while, you should change the oil because it does break down and degrade. If the car has been sitting with minimal usage for 6 months or more, I would change the oil because it probably has a bunch of moisture in it and the paraffin has likely broken down and it'll sludge up pretty good and damage stuff. But if it's only been 3 months and you've been using it semi-regularly, you can probably go another couple months without the oil change.

VR3

I think John always suggests it's not the oil but the filter.

I change mine my oil every 3000 miles and all other fluids every 30000 miles

Jstas

steveinaz wrote: »

Oil change recommendations are way too frequent. With todays motor oil technology, changing oil every 3,500 miles is just pouring money down the drain--especially if you run synthetic's.

I've run Mobil 1 for over 20 years in all my vehicles, and do an 8,000 mile interval on changes--though Mobil 1 has proven to maintain viscosity for well beyond 20,000 miles. Not only do I end up saving in the long run (vs dino oils and 3,500 mile intervals), my engine is much better for it running synthetic.

It's got nothing to do with the oil. Filters only last so long and once they clog up, the bypass opens and the filter doesn't filter anything. That causes lots of damage that requires the engine to be disassembled and all the small scrapes and scores to be machined out. You can change your oil every 3,000 miles for $30 an oil change and you'll probably unload your car and get a new one before you get anywhere close to the cost of replacing an engine from poor maintenance practices.

ohskigod

My Mustang gets no use in the winter and not to much in the summer (3000 miles a year or so). I do every 6 months mileage be damned

thuffman03

I always refer to the owners manual for maintenance. Those guys who design these cars should know best on how to maintain them.

steveinaz

Jstas wrote: »

It's got nothing to do with the oil. Filters only last so long and once they clog up, the bypass opens and the filter doesn't filter anything. That causes lots of damage the requires the engine to be disassembled and all the small scrapes and scores to be machined out. You can change your oil every 3,000 miles for $30 an oil change and you'll probably unload you car and get a new one before you get anywhere close to the cost of replacing an engine from poor maintenance practices.

I always do a filter change as well. In my 32yrs of car ownership, not a single engine rebuild. Same with my motorcycles/ATV's. Synthetic is the way to go, IMO. You can change your oil every 500 miles too, but is it cost effective, and necessary? No.

Jstas

I gotta add that some new cars monitor oil quality and can monitor the pressure build up in the oil filter. This lets the car's management computer manage the oil quality. If the pressure level in the filter gets too high, it knows it's clogged and tells you that you need to do something about it. If can give you an estimate because it measure pressure build up over times, takes an average for a certain amount of time and extrapolates that average out to give a good guess as to how long you have left before you need to take the vehicle in for it's next service interval.

It's nice because it saves money by not doing unnecessary service and getting the most out of the lubricants. However, the vast majority of cars on the road and in showrooms right now do not have that luxury. Since a variety of factors affect the oil quality and performance, without complex monitoring systems to measure conditions and determine if they are in spec or not, it's virtually impossible for a person to judge the condition of the oil without testing and for that you have to change it anyway. Might as well just finish the job instead of going half way.

BTW, recycle your used engine oil.

Cayuga

Lower mileage cars need oil changes more than high mileage, the hardest thing on a car is city or around town driving.

Jstas

thuffman03 wrote: »

I always refer to the owners manual for maintenance. Those guys who design these cars should know best on how to maintain them.

That's the best answer right there.

Jstas

steveinaz wrote: »

I always do a filter change as well. In my 32yrs of car ownership, not a single engine rebuild. Same with my motorcycles/ATV's. Synthetic is the way to go, IMO.

Have you owned the same car for 32 years?

If not, what's your average ownership length? 'Cause it's likely short enough that you wouldn't notice the damage and what ever person who got the car after you unloaded it is the one dealing with any problems that might arise.

Timothy Smith

On all my cars I just change the oil and filter every 5000 miles so it is easy to keep track of.

My 2000 Ford Focus (before someone crashed into me and totaled it) had 239,000 miles, never had an engine problem, and was running like a champ when I almost got killed in it.

My wife's current 2002 Ford Escape has 189,000, never an engine problem, running great.

My son's 1998 Ford Ranger has 170,000 miles, same story.

My current 2007 Ford Fusion only has 50,000 miles but I would expect it to run a long time as long as I change the oil and filter regularly, and no one runs into me.

I change the oil myself (I have never paid someone elso to change oil in 35+ years). I use whatever oil is on sale, and an inexpensive filter, except for the Fusion where I use semi-synthetic oil as recommended.

I think the most important thing is to never let the oil get low.

Tim (King of the cheap Fords) Smith

Knucklehead

Jstas wrote: »

I gotta add that some new cars monitor oil quality and can monitor the pressure build up in the oil filter. This lets the car's management computer manage the oil quality. If the pressure level in the filter gets too high, it knows it's clogged and tells you that you need to do something about it. If can give you an estimate because it measure pressure build up over times, takes an average for a certain amount of time and extrapolates that average out to give a good guess as to how long you have left before you need to take the vehicle in for it's next service interval.

It's nice because it saves money by not doing unnecessary service and getting the most out of the lubricants. However, the vast majority of cars on the road and in showrooms right now do not have that luxury. Since a variety of factors affect the oil quality and performance, without complex monitoring systems to measure conditions and determine if they are in spec or not, it's virtually impossible for a person to judge the condition of the oil without testing and for that you have to change it anyway. Might as well just finish the job instead of going half way.

BTW, recycle your used engine oil.

My Wifes Mountaineer has this feature as well, I do all of the maintenance myself and it usually reads 25 to 35% life left at 5000 to 6000 miles. Anybody remember the guy with the AMSOIL sub box?

steveinaz

I generally go to about 75,000 miles between vehicles. In my entire "driving life" I have replaced a serpentine belt in a '95 Neon, and a brake light bulb in a '92 Dodge Colt. Other than that, nothing but fluids/tires. I've used Mobil 1, generally every 7,500-8,000 miles; from Northern Germany to Southern Arizona.

OF COURSE the manufacturers recommend oil changes every 3,500 miles ("extreme" driving table). What else would you expect of the company that has to do warranty repairs on your vehicle?

muncybob

We drive our vehicles until they die. On the vehicle running synth I change the oil every 6,000 and the filter every 3,000. The one running dino gets oil & filter changed every 3,000. Seems to work for us(dino car is 260,000+ miles) so, if it ain't broke I ain't fixin' it.
I never realized in my early years that oil breaks down...but it does and that's why my truck which I only put maybe 750 miles/yr on gets oil changed every 6 months.

Jstas

steveinaz wrote: »

I generally go to about 75,000 miles between vehicles. In my entire "driving life" I have replaced a serpentine belt in a '95 Neon, and a brake light bulb in a '92 Dodge Colt. Other than that, nothing but fluids/tires. I've used Mobil 1, generally every 7,500-8,000 miles; from Northern Germany to Southern Arizona.

OF COURSE the manufacturers recommend oil changes every 3,500 miles ("extreme" driving table). What else would you expect of the company that has to do warranty repairs on your vehicle?

It's not a conspiracy, Steve. It's simple chemistry. Heat and pressure during the use of the vehicle change the properties of the oil. The oil is engineered to withstand those conditions as long as it can but lubrication is a mechanical process and it wears down the oil just like any other part of the vehicle.

Just because the OIL is good for 7500+ miles doesn't mean the FILTER is good. Next time you change your oil, hold on to the filter and cut it open. Take a look what's inside. Then, change your oil at a 3,000-5,000 mile mark and do the same thing with the filter.

Personally, I'd rather spend the money on an oil change than have to make a warranty claim or pay for a major repair out of pocket. Just because a vehicle has a warranty doesn't mean you have to use it.

BTW, my Lightning runs me about $70 an oil change. I've changed the oil, on average, 5K miles for 122,810.8 miles. That's roughly 25 oil changes over 10 years. That comes out to about $1,720 over 10 years. A new engine, even if it's remanufactured, costs between $3500 and $8500. Depends on whether I need to replace cylinder heads and the intake manifold which has a supercharger in it. I can do another 25 oil changes over the next 10 years and still not cover the cost of the engine. Comes close though, within $200.

If your owner's manual says you can let the oil changes go, for a normal driving duty, for 7500 miles then do that. Most owners do not subject their vehicles to a heavy duty cycle anyway. Synthetics will help with that as well. But bottom line, it all wears out. Oil, filter, everything. Consistent maintenance is important and needs to be kept up with to maintain performance, efficiency and reliability.

WilliamM2

My Mazda calls for an oil change every 6,000 to 7,500 miles, and to change the filter every other time. I change the filter every time anyways.

Check the manual.

newrival

I used to always change the oil every 3.5k miles in my Volkswagen. Ran great for the 180k mile I put on it with only $600 in repairs since I'd bought it new in 2000. Bt I think it was probably too frequently changed. The Northstar in my older Caddy has an oil life monitor and Cadillac recommends strictly abiding by that. I end up changing oil every 7k miles. non-synthetic. I've got 70k miles on it with no problems. Now keeping all the fluids in without them leaking out somewhere is another story but theyre notorious for that.

tonyb

steveinaz wrote: »

Oil change recommendations are way too frequent. With todays motor oil technology, changing oil every 3,500 miles is just pouring money down the drain--especially if you run synthetic's.

I've run Mobil 1 for over 20 years in all my vehicles, and do an 8,000 mile interval on changes--though Mobil 1 has proven to maintain viscosity for well beyond 20,000 miles. Not only do I end up saving in the long run (vs dino oils and 3,500 mile intervals), my engine is much better for it running synthetic.

Mobil 1 fanboy too. Always use it,always change the filter,about every 7000 miles. Never a problem, nor a hint of one. Learned the hard way as a youngster the importance of oil changes.

billbillw

Willow, ignore the call. The service department has no idea how many miles you drive or how you care for you vehicle. Just follow the recommended service in your manual.

BTW, I haven't changed my oil every 3k miles since the mid 90s. I went 5k with my SVT on synthetic, 5k on my Passat with dino. 5k with synthetic in my Mazdaspeed, and now my Benz recommends every 13k or 1 year as long as you use full synth w/ a fleece filter. I will probably just stick to 10k intervals based on principles.

billbillw

steveinaz wrote: »

I generally go to about 75,000 miles between vehicles. In my entire "driving life" I have replaced a serpentine belt in a '95 Neon, and a brake light bulb in a '92 Dodge Colt. Other than that, nothing but fluids/tires. I've used Mobil 1, generally every 7,500-8,000 miles; from Northern Germany to Southern Arizona.

OF COURSE the manufacturers recommend oil changes every 3,500 miles ("extreme" driving table). What else would you expect of the company that has to do warranty repairs on your vehicle?

Steve,
It is likely that you could run those cars and only change the oil every 20k miles and you wouldn't see any internal engine problems at 75000 miles. Its not until you get well over 100k miles that poor maintenance will show its effects.

That said, I wouldn't consider 7500 miles on Mobil 1 neglectful as long as you were using quality filters.

My point was, most people can say 'my car never had any engine problems' if they only drove it from new to 75,000 miles.

tonyb

Mine has 175,000 on mobil 1, does that count ?
I do however get your point, 75,000 is only half life for most cars. Kinda like our own bodies, we don't realize the damage we did in our youth until we get older.

steveinaz

I'm confident that any of my past cars would have lasted well beyond 125,000 as they were in excellent mechanical condition when traded in.

Do what you want, I'll stick with Mobil 1 every 7500-8000 miles.

Willow

Thanks guys, I will probably wait another month. The manual does not state that if your car is only driven 1000kms in 5 months do not worry, it's the XXXkms/miles or XX months which ever comes first. I'm not trying to be cheap just want to avoid work work right now if It does not need it.
It does sit in an insulated garage (door as well), during the winter it is about 6-10C in there.

blueboxer

Those calls are based on estimates they extrapolate from your history, they are best guesses at best and are usually done by a telemarketing company hired by the dealerships. A lot of new vehicles need to have the oil change light reset after an oil change otherwise they will pop right back up as well. Just monitor your mileage or every six months.

nguyendot

I'm at 18,600 miles on my 09 CTS 3.6DI and have only had 1 oil change. I'm about 43% of oil life left before the next one... I go when it pops up and tells me to, even then I have 9% left.

zumbo

I go once a year, or every 10k, whichever comes first.

I change the filter ever 5k.

I run Amsoil in one Taco, and Mobile 1 in the other.

About to pull the plug on Amsoil. Price is just getting too high. I will continue to run Amsoil in my bikes, and lawn equipment.

Wife got a new Accord. Will be using the dealer for 30 bucks whenever the car displays it's time. Car came with a lifetime power-train warranty, and I am tired of doing my own service.