Oil Changes . . . How often?

No additives.
Follow Dodge's recommendations in the manual. They built it and they warranty it.

You could use the "severe service" guidelines because you are mostly towing.

Unless your vehicle requires any additives, I wouldn't waste money on adding them. Your best bet is to read the manual and lean towards the "severe service" maintenance page. With modern oils and a new engine, 5,000 mile intervals is probably okay. Oil is cheap, I usually try to change my oil every 4,000 miles. My oil is still pretty clean when I change it, so I know that my interval is okay. As long as the oil isn't filthy when you change it, the filter gets changed every time and you aren't using oil you should be fine.

downtheroad wrote:
No additives.
Follow Dodge's recommendations in the manual. They built it and they warranty it.

You could use the "severe service" guidelines because you are mostly towing.

X2

Use the oil grade recommended.

Your Dodge will tell you when it's time to change the oil, changing it prior is likely a waste. It takes into consideration the time spent on tow/haul mode, kms yadda yadda.. That is what the dealer told me. It's not always at standard intervals.

....and I pour in full synthetic. Big debate for another time, but it makes me feel better.

I think use of full synthetic like mobile one, is good for towing applications due to its ability to hold up in high temperature situations. IMHO 5,000 mile intervals is fine. I've done this with my truck since new and have 146,000 trouble free miles.

One of the tricks of the trade is to know when the manufacturer gets it wrong.

That happens more frequently than you think, and often, it takes a rash of engine failures to have the engine makers and oil industry do a collective "opps" and revise a standard.

Many of these cars mentioned in the article below followed the manufacturer recommendations, and still had problems.

Chrysler has a serious sludge problem with the 2.7-liter V-6 engine used on some of its Concordes and Sebrings and also on some Dodge Intrepids and Stratus in the 1998-2002 model years

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/04/automobiles/04SLUDGE.html?pagewanted=all

So did...

Dodge, Toyota, Lexus, Volkswagen, Audi and Saab. In fact, every manufacturer had a problem if we went back far enough.


So while the manual, especially the severe duty part, should be followed to the letter, occasionally, one need to exceed the manual recommendations.

The most foolish thing is to blindly rely on a computer engine monitor that tries to either use a basic sensor (mostly optical) or computer derived guesses from operating conditions and history when it is right to change oil.

Now, if extending the interval is backed with oil analysis from a top quality lab, that is another issue.

If the computer tells you it is not necessary, and you are at the owners manual severe service recommended interval, it would be prudent to change it at that point.... just in case some freckle face kid who wrote the code got the software written wrong, or misplaced a decimal.

Software errors happen very frequently.

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I recommend a very different oil change regime from the manual for new vehicles:

Change oil and filter (use mineral to save costs) at these intervals:

250 miles
500
1000
2500
5000

Then follow manufacturer recommended.

This routine will only make money for you if you keep a vehicle past 100,000 miles --- but will greatly extend engine life.


If money doesn't matter, synthetics that are name brand are inherently better than mineral, especially for cold starts.


Now onto oils.

Oils are graded voluntarily by the distributor. Just because it says API-SN doesn't mean anyone have actually tested it independently and your batch is any good.

Hence, relying on a name brand is prudent. Do you really trust a no name brand with an engine that can cost $5,000 or $15,000 to repair?

Always use the latest available API grade.

For those who remember, API started with SA and is now on SN.

Each iteration were meant to solve different problems that were not obvious --- and many of them were done because of "opps".

Looking retroactively back at the standards tells you a lot about how oils are better or worse.

Oils are backward compatible -- but only to a point.

Hence, always use what the manual recommends or better.

ib516 wrote:

downtheroad wrote:
No additives.
Follow Dodge's recommendations in the manual. They built it and they warranty it.

You could use the "severe service" guidelines because you are mostly towing.

X2

Use the oil grade recommended.

X3

In regards to the not depending on the service light. Dodge owners manual for my 09 RAM recomended it be changed at 6K miles and I would have likely done that however the light came on around 3K so it was done then. Only once did I ever see the light stay out for near 6k miles or 10K kms. I'd say based on my experience that the light is more cautious than the recomended service intervals outlined in the book. BTW.. When it comes to grade of oil, especially with the HEMI make sure you use the recomended weight. If you use a more heavy you will have troubles. Something to do with a small hole the oil needs to flow through? Something to do with timing maybe? Can't recall exactly but it's all related to ticking in the engine. (which I had but it was the header bolt not the known "Hemi Tick").

Follow the glove box manual and use the HD or severe duty schedule

Use the best your budget will allow or what you wish to use. I use the full synthetic
on most of my vehicles and some times blend synthetic with regular. WIX (NAPA) or
PureOne filters

Then get to know your vehicle and your driving style vs how the engine oil lasts
or not.

If not towing or driving aggressively, then the manual schedule. If aggressively
then sooner than what the manual says. Mainly when it starts to consume and/or
the PSI gauge either fluctuates and/or drops in PSI

I've changed out a fresh charge of Mobil 1 engine oil, ATF and diff fluid after
about 500 miles towing HARD from sea level up to Lake Tahoe (+8K feet) and back

The one size fits all in the manual schedules (regular and HD) are
for the 'regular' or 'normal' driver. If you drive like my ex, then
you can go a whole year or more before needing a change. If like
me when the boy racer kicks in, then down to several hundred miles
for a change and every thing in-between

NOTE that towing heavy is one of the hardest things for any ICE fluid