oil changes

No I don't bother with an oil analysis

Just what I thought. You have no idea what shape your oil is in.

And why 3 to 4K? Who picked that number? Ouija board? Tarot cards? Coin flip? Why not 1000 miles or even 500 miles? After all, you can never be too careful. :R

I change my oil right around 10K. Why? Because that is what the OLM says to do. You know, the people that engineered and build my engine also designed the OLM system. And then it was backed up with lab analysis. Know what the lab said at 10K? "Your close, but you still have a little time on your oil." So even the OLM system is conservative.

BTW, I'm not suggesting you change your schedule. The economy is still bad in the US and people with your oil change schedule keep the economy going. :B Thank you for your contribution!

Wow! You guys must own an oil analysis company. No I don't bother with an oil analysis because I maintain my vehicles on a regular basis. It takes 10 minutes and $15-50 (depending on amount and brand). Well worth it to know my vehicles will last a very long time!

And unless you see first hand what an extended oil change interval can do you don't know! I've seen failures from Hondas to Mercedes Benzes because of people that think 7k and up miles oil changes are all that is required! If you go by the schedule/OLM or even an oil analysis you're playing with fire and it's only a matter of time before you have issues. Sometimes you get lucky!

dodge guy wrote:
3-4k mile oil change intetvals are the best preventative maintanance! I would never recomend 7k+ mile oil changes to anyone, regardless of what an oil analysis says! I've seen far to many engine problems related to extended oil changes or following what the manuf. recomends or what a programmed oil life monitor tells you! It's cheap insurance to change the oil and the life of the motor is extended far beyond what the manuf. expects out of one following there schedule. The manuf. likes to sell you a car that requires minimal to zero maint to make ownership look less costly. All they care about is getting the vehicle through the warranty period, after that any repairs are on the owner!

Have you ever done an oil analysis in your life? If not, how do you know how good your oil is?

dodge guy wrote:
3-4k mile oil change intetvals are the best preventative maintanance! I would never recomend 7k+ mile oil changes to anyone, regardless of what an oil analysis says! I've seen far to many engine problems related to extended oil changes or following what the manuf. recomends or what a programmed oil life monitor tells you! It's cheap insurance to change the oil and the life of the motor is extended far beyond what the manuf. expects out of one following there schedule. The manuf. likes to sell you a car that requires minimal to zero maint to make ownership look less costly. All they care about is getting the vehicle through the warranty period, after that any repairs are on the owner!

Ok-I get it.......the oil is fine-but change it anyway. You must have a very special garage. Because statistically speaking a motor hardly ever fails due to an oil related failure-you should know that.

There is plenty of info here to debunk what you just stated-

real oil facts

UOAs-
UOAs here

3000 miles was the big sell in the 1950s with new oil instead of the previous 1000 mile changes.

Now 60 years later 5,000 is about minimum and I recommend 10,000 miles. Ignore the calendar as long as you put it away hot.

Otherwise go by the book.

3-4k mile oil change intetvals are the best preventative maintanance! I would never recomend 7k+ mile oil changes to anyone, regardless of what an oil analysis says! I've seen far to many engine problems related to extended oil changes or following what the manuf. recomends or what a programmed oil life monitor tells you! It's cheap insurance to change the oil and the life of the motor is extended far beyond what the manuf. expects out of one following there schedule. The manuf. likes to sell you a car that requires minimal to zero maint to make ownership look less costly. All they care about is getting the vehicle through the warranty period, after that any repairs are on the owner!

There are plenty of UOAs (used oil analysis) over at bobistheoilguy.com
that prove beyond a shadow of doubt that your throwing money away,that your motor won't last longer,etc.,etc., changing your oil every 3,000 miles.


Complete WASTE OF MONEY!


I know....I have been doing it this way for forty years....even though vehicles, oils, gasoline, etc., are not even close to what they were 10 or 20 years ago...

Mike LeClair wrote:
I gotta go with the theory of following the manufacturer recommendations with the caveat that you only use, and stick to, the severe service maintenance schedule. For my wonderful old 2nd generation 5.9l diesel RAM that means every 6,000kms (3,600mi. I run a Rotella T6 synthetic 5W-40 oil. It also tells me to change the fuel filter every other oil change and I know that some members on the diesel forums go 50 or 60 thousand miles on a fuel filter. Regardless of the myriad of opinions out there, of which there is NO END, I feel that regular and frequent oil and filter changes is cheap insurance and peace of mind. As always, YMMV.

Cheers!

Mike

I know you are trying to do the right thing but why go with a synthetic that has a service life of 20,000 km and change it at 6,000?
Might as well use a mineral oil and not waste your money. All API approved base stocks are equally good, regardless of whether they are mineral or synthetic. It is the additives that make the difference.

With a diesel there is soot buildup in the crankcase and the oil needs to be changed more often so again it makes sense to do what all the fleet operators do and use mineral or dino motor oil.

3,000 miles has stuck in people's heads from what their dad did a half century ago. Does anyone think that changing the oil every 1,000 miles is going to prolong the life of the engine? All I really care is that I get the engine to last for 150,000 miles as after that it will belong to someone else.

According to the manufacturer the change interval should be every 15,000 miles and that is with either mineral or synthetic motor oils. Unlike the trans fluid were different fluids have longer service intervals it makes no difference for the engine. There is also a problem with 5W40 motor oils in general and a phenomenon known as polymer shear. The multi weight motor oil separates when it goes through very small openings and the 5W40 becomes a 5W and does not provide any real protection for the engine's bearings. For temperatures above 0F degrees the engine manufacturers recommend a 10W30 or 15W40 motor oil depending upon the engine.

Used to change every 5000 but now doing it every 3000 or so. Tranny gets changed once a year, no matter the milage. Diff gets changed once a year, no matter the milage. Always use better than average filter. Always use Synthetic oil.

Fresh oil & filters in a diesel is mechanic repellant.

dodge guy wrote:
How many here feel it's ok to run right up to the manuf. recommendations of everything?! Even weight ratings. Afterall they know what they're talking about! Right?

I think it's ok, the maufacturer's recommendations are on the conservative side so why not? As for me, every 5,000 miles.