Oil change question

Serendipity

How often do you change your oil? Service stations usually say 3,000 miles. But then the manufacturer gives different intervals and says something like "Severe service/premium/standard" and lists different mileages. For example, if not towing anything, or run in extremely hot temperatures, they say the oil should be changed every 5,000 miles.

exalted512

It also depends on the oil used. Amsoil is supposed to last a really long time.

I use Castrol Syntec and replace it religiously at 3k miles.
-Cody

Serendipity

Never knew that. Was just wondering why some get away with changing their oil every 10,000 miles...and never have any engine problems, yet others change their oil every 3,000 miles to the dot.

Toxis

My new Civic regulates it and it tells me when it needs to be changed. Last time around, I got almost 8k out of the first oil change. The second is now synthetic and it's been another 8k and still has 30% left before needing to be changed. 10k here I come.

Face

I uses Mobil 1 synthetic and usually change my oil twice a year or every 5k miles, whatever comes first.

Serendipity

So, let's say your local service station changes your oil every 3,000 miles with regular oil. If one were to switch to Synthetic oil, would you be able to get away with a 4-5,000 mile oil change?

bobman1235

exalted512 wrote: »

I use Castrol Syntec and replace it religiously at 3k miles.
-Cody

I thought "Syntec" was synthetic, so you wouldn't have to replace it so much.

Replacing synthetic oil at 3000 miles sounds like throwing money away to me.

Serendipity

bobman1235 wrote: »

I thought "Syntec" was synthetic, so you wouldn't have to replace it so much.

Replacing synthetic oil at 3000 miles sounds like throwing money away to me.

What about replacing regular oil at 3,000 miles? Is that throwing money away too?

Even if the car is not used in a way that warrants the "severe service" maint. schedule?

eloplayspolo

Toxis wrote: »

My new Civic regulates it and it tells me when it needs to be changed. Last time around, I got almost 8k out of the first oil change. The second is now synthetic and it's been another 8k and still has 30% left before needing to be changed. 10k here I come.

it doesnt actually regulate it, the dealership (or wherever u get it changed) resets it and it just goes by miles.... dealership told me.

bobman1235

appadv wrote: »

What about replacing regular oil at 3,000 miles? Is that throwing money away too?

Even if the car is not used in a way that warrants the "severe service" maint. schedule?

No need to get snippy. Regular oil typically "lasts" 3000 miles before it starts to get dirty / break down; synthetic is supposed to last longer. Isn't that the point?

I don't know anything about this stuff, so feel free to correct me. But the biggest selling feature I've heard for synthetic is that you don't have to change your oil as much.... you're paying 4x as much for the oil, you better get something out of it.

Sami

There's no reason to use anything other than fully synthetic. Some situations benefit more than others.

Mobil 1 will easily last 5-6k miles on regular car.

joeparaski

You guys are forgetting another important reason for regular oil changes at 3,000 miles. That is the time that you should "service" your car, meaning that the air filter and all other fluids are checked as well as the belts. The air in the tires is checked. The front end is checked for anything that may be worn, such as ball joints and tie rods. Tires are checked for uneven wear which should be corrected with an alignment before they get worse. Tire rotation and brake check. Torn axle boots, if caught early, will save you the price of a front axle.

You'd be surprised how a "slightly" worn tie-rod or ball joint can become "dangerous" in a very short period of time.

Oil is oil, and it WILL get dirty. Waiting 10,000 for your next oil change because you have oil that "lasts" 10,000 miles is just looking for trouble. You don't want your oil to be black as crap when you change it, that only means that the dirty crappy oil has been circulating in your engine.

Oil is the "blood" of your engine, you need to keep it clean.

Joe

mrmusicman

Non synthetic 3,000 city miles 5,000 highway miles
Full synthetic 5,000 city miles 7,500 highway miles

Thats the schedule I would change the oil on my vehicles,there is no way I could let a vehicle go 10,000 miles before a oil change...I don't care what the thingy on the dash says.This is just my .02 nothing professional:D

exalted512

bobman1235 wrote: »

I thought "Syntec" was synthetic, so you wouldn't have to replace it so much.

Replacing synthetic oil at 3000 miles sounds like throwing money away to me.

I think its supposed to last about 5000 miles. Ill gladly pay a little more to ensure the life of my vehicle.

As well as, like someone else mentioned, its a good time to check everything else as well. But I recommend checking your tire pressure more than just everything 3000 miles.
-Cody

disneyjoe7

I use 10/30 Amsoil with a Wix filter, I'm changing at about 10k once a year. The Amsoil I use states 25k miles use but I like the once a year thing, since I don't replace the filter at 5k and add a fresh quart.

bigaudiofanatic

I use mobile 1

black magic

I use Mobil 1 and aim to change it roughly every 5000-6000 KM.

Toxis

eloplayspolo wrote: »

it doesnt actually regulate it, the dealership (or wherever u get it changed) resets it and it just goes by miles.... dealership told me.

It actually has sensors to see how the oil is reacting and working within the motor. On one of the civic sites I am part of, there's a thread just about how long your oil lasts and it ranges depending on how the car is driven. Its not based on mileage.

dfranks

I change my oil at 20K intervals or 1 year whichever comes first. I take an oil sample and send it Blackstone labs for analysis at every 10K. I also use a by-pass oil filter with synthetic oil which filters down to 1 micron absolute. This is in a diesel where clean oil is ultimately more critical to engine logevity, Soot suspension oil additive-toTBN values in diesel engines over gas engines.

A good place to discuss oil change intervals and values of oil is
www.bobtheoilguy.com. You will find all the interesting arguements about oil and the intervals to change or not change at.

Most mechanics will tell you that oil will not breakdown or wear out like the oils of yesterday. They do however get dirty that is the only reason why you have to change the oil.
So for my wifes car I check the oil every second fill up (2 weeks) when the color of the oil starts to turn darker, about every 3months I change it.

heiney9

Face wrote: »

I uses Mobil 1 synthetic and usually change my oil twice a year or every 5k miles, whatever comes first.

Same here. I usually change it going into Spring and then again in the late Fall w/Mobil 1 synthetic. Probably could go longer but I'm a little anal.

H9

Kinetic

i would recomend the Liqui Moly, i really dont know if they sell them on the states, but it is way superior than the mobil 1 wich is really really good.

this oil reduces from 40 to 50% of the internal friction, and last 30,000 KM
i dont know how many miles are, but its supposed to be a lot.

its expensive, but it worth it on duration and performance.

Kinetic

here is the website:

http://www.liqui-moly.de/web/lmhomeus.nsf/pages/index_flash

if you can find a dealer, you should use 3 products...

Oil: 10W40 with MOSS
Aditives: Engine Flush, and CERATEC.

you put the "Engine flush" on the old oil with the car started, and leave it for 10 minutes.

then take out the old oil.

put some new oil 10W40 with MOSS (half)

put the CERATEC (nano ceramic treatment)

put the rest of the oil.

in less than 2 weeks you should feel a huge difference on power and engine response.

heiney9

Yeah, I don't add any type of cleaner or additives to my engine. If Mobil 1 synthetic isn't good enough then I'll peddle my bike .

Recently had to have my head gasket replaced. Opened the motor up and at 90K it looked brand spanking new. Even my mechanic remarked how clean everything looked and no visual wear at all. He sees lots of engines on a regular basis. Since I've known him for 20 years he'd tell me if I had issues based on my oil regiment.

Jstas

Ummm...it's not the oil that necessitates the 3,000-5,000 mile change intervals but rather the oil filter. The oil can be elixir from heaven itself, never breaks down and repels dirt like a magnet. But if that oil filter fills up with crap and no longer flows well enough to move enough oil to lubricate the engine properly, the pressure in the filter builds up and the by-pass valve opens. When the by-pass valve opens, the oil is not filtered at all. That means that all the crap the oil filter normally filters out is not getting filtered out. This leads to surfaces that need to be lubricated being damaged and it leads to sludge build up and such too. That kills an engine.

If anyone's mechanic has told them anything different, they are lying to you. Oils last a long time and take a ton of abuse nowadays but filter technology hasn't changed.

And yes, Joe is correct, you should be doing an entire vehicle check at every oil change. That includes all applicable filters, spark plugs, tire wear, brakes, fluids, hoses, belts, suspension greasing points and any other area your car might need to have a regular check. That includes things like car batteries, power and ground cables and even your engine grounding strap. Here's an idea, read your owner's manual. It gives a good solid outline and mileage timeline on what to check and when and even what you should be replacing.


My oil changes? Motorcraft FL-820S and 6 quarts of AMSOIL 5W-20 7500XL. I change it every 3-5,000 miles. Usually about 3-4 months worth of driving. Every oil change the whole truck gets a once over. Every other oil change the air filter is cleaned and every 3rd oil change the fuel filter is replaced. Every oil change, brakes are checked along with ball joints and wheel bearings and seals. I also check transmission fluid, coolant in both the radiator and intercooler and I make sure spark plugs are tight and not showing signs of mis-fires or fouling. I check if I have any lights out too.

Oh and additives don't do anything but lighten your wallet.

audiobliss

Does anybody purposely use CL-4 or CL-4PLUS oil in their vehicles? In the engine class I'm taking at school, it was mentioned how those two are the only oils on the market now that are somehow getting away with still having zinc in them. He said Rotella and some type of Valvoline (VR4?) both still have zinc in them.

Zinc greatly reduces engine wear. However, this class is a 'performance engines' class, so the vast majority of cars I'm sure would see no significant benefit from running oil with zinc. I also have no idea how the prices compare.

But, I was just curious.

bobman1235

heiney9 wrote: »

Yeah, I don't add any type of cleaner or additives to my engine. If Mobil 1 synthetic isn't good enough then I'll peddle my bike .

How will selling your bike help?

Kinetic

heiney9 wrote: »

Yeah, I don't add any type of cleaner or additives to my engine. If Mobil 1 synthetic isn't good enough then I'll peddle my bike .

Recently had to have my head gasket replaced. Opened the motor up and at 90K it looked brand spanking new. Even my mechanic remarked how clean everything looked and no visual wear at all. He sees lots of engines on a regular basis. Since I've known him for 20 years he'd tell me if I had issues based on my oil regiment.

Mobil 1 uses a cleaner, thats why your engine looks like new

Jstas

Kinetic wrote: »

Mobil 1 uses a cleaner, thats why your engine looks like new

ALL oils have a detergent in them, champ. They all also have anti-sludging agents.

As long as the oil sold in the U.S. meets the standards and government laws, it will do its job.

heiney9

audiobliss wrote: »

Does anybody purposely use CL-4 or CL-4PLUS oil in their vehicles? In the engine class I'm taking at school, it was mentioned how those two are the only oils on the market now that are somehow getting away with still having zinc in them. He said Rotella and some type of Valvoline (VR4?) both still have zinc in them.

Zinc greatly reduces engine wear. However, this class is a 'performance engines' class, so the vast majority of cars I'm sure would see no significant benefit from running oil with zinc. I also have no idea how the prices compare.

But, I was just curious.

Actually you should follow the recommendations by your automobile manufacturer. VW specifically states certain specs the oil should be approved for (501.0 and 502.0) comes to mind. This is a much more intelligent way to pick an oil than based on if it has certain detergents, additives, lubricants, etc.

As new engines are introduced by manufacturer's sometimes the recommended oil specs change. So a 5 year old automobile may not have the same recommended oil a new car does even though it's from the same manufacturer or even the same model car or truck.

H9

Jstas

audiobliss wrote: »

Does anybody purposely use CL-4 or CL-4PLUS oil in their vehicles? In the engine class I'm taking at school, it was mentioned how those two are the only oils on the market now that are somehow getting away with still having zinc in them. He said Rotella and some type of Valvoline (VR4?) both still have zinc in them.

Zinc greatly reduces engine wear. However, this class is a 'performance engines' class, so the vast majority of cars I'm sure would see no significant benefit from running oil with zinc. I also have no idea how the prices compare.

But, I was just curious.

Rotella gets away with it because they sell oils meant for large diesel trucks and such which are under much more abuse than the regular engines all the schmucks on the road are driving around. Also, those same large diesel engines are also installed in things like emergency power systems, portable generators for job sites and other stationary uses and off-road uses like farm tractors and bulldozers and such. Those applications are currently exempt from certain emissions standards so they can get away with using zinc in the oils. BTW, Rotella is a brand name from Shell which is a British owned oil company last I checked.

As for the Valvoline VR4 and other "performance oils", they are usually only sold as racing oils and listed for "off-road use only" because race cars are also exempt from most emissions standards. Also, some racing fuels are leaded still and they need engine oil with zinc to protect valve seats, piston ring lands and other such softer parts.

heiney9

Kinetic wrote: »

Mobil 1 uses a cleaner, thats why your engine looks like new

Well I've seen many engines that didn't use HQ oil or synthetic and were not maintained and I can tell you they looked horrible, even beyond the sludge that built up. You'd think the internals were made of brass the way they looked.

My engine looks new because I follow a strict oil regiment and use top quality oil and filters.