Oil Change Interval
I own a 2015 Toyota Sienna van. The warranty is almost up. My question has to do with the oil change interval shown in the maintenance manual. It stipulates a 6 month/5k miles interval between changes...
Forum Discussion
Tvov wrote:
I always figured the biggest issue with extending oil change intervals was the oil filter getting dirty / clogged. Oil by itself, dino or synthetic, can last much longer than most "recommendations", but the filter gets dirty. If you are going to change the oil filter, you may as well change the oil.
This depends upon the vehicle and its use. I had a Ford Van, 5.4, that I ran 20,000 mile drain, 5,000 mile filter intervals on, and I got rid of it when the rear axle began blowing seals and chewing shafts. Once you are beyond 300,000 miles, it doesn't take much for a repair to become more than a vehicle is worth.
My current work van, a Dodge (Mercedes) Sprinter, runs the same interval. This one is even simpler, as the oil filter cartridge is on the top driver's side of the engine. Open the housing, lift out the cap with filter, change filter in cap, and replace... no oil lost (compared to a quart with the Ford).
The economy of this is especially apparent when the Mercedes engine uses special oil... and 9.5 quarts of it per change. I can get filters online for $2-3 each, so I change them basically monthly, with an oil change about every 4 months, depending upon how busy business has been.
BTW: The Van currently sits at around 369,000 miles, and will be getting an oil change on Sunday when it returns from this trip. It will be about 1,000 miles overdue when it gets back.
