Article on oil -- frequent change is bad??
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From: Heart of Dixie (Alabama)
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Pretty much right. I don't change my oil until it starts getting real black and begins to have a smell to it. That is usually about every 5-6 K miles. I see nothing wrong with topping one off and spinning a new filter on. I have worked as a mechanic for awile now and seen
something truly amazing. There is a delivery man who rides a 250 nighthawk (motorcycle) and put over 100K on it in a little over 4 years. And guess what when he comes into the shop we just top off the oil. What kills me is the bike dosen't even have an oil filter. To the nonmechinical this seems impossible but it happens everyday. Just remember lack of oil and dirt is what trashes most engines. Anything else is just operator error or a warranty issue.
something truly amazing. There is a delivery man who rides a 250 nighthawk (motorcycle) and put over 100K on it in a little over 4 years. And guess what when he comes into the shop we just top off the oil. What kills me is the bike dosen't even have an oil filter. To the nonmechinical this seems impossible but it happens everyday. Just remember lack of oil and dirt is what trashes most engines. Anything else is just operator error or a warranty issue.
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From: St. Pete Beach, FL, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 Thats total BULLSHIT!!! the reason you change the oil isn't just for engine wear protection you change it because oil becomes contaminated. You could let your car go 15,000 miles because the oil still holds its viscosity, but the oil is fouled with all sorts of contamination, thats why old oil turns a dark color.
Plus that article was based on Mobil 1 synthetic oil, not regular "dino" oil. Its your car, so do what you want but, I have a 1989 Ford E-150 Van in my garage that has close to 250,000 miles on the stock original engine. I changed the oil on that Van every 3,000 miles since I bought it new. The engine still runs great and is quiet and doesn't burn oil, and I drive it very hard. So I think that says something about regular oil changes.
Plus that article was based on Mobil 1 synthetic oil, not regular "dino" oil. Its your car, so do what you want but, I have a 1989 Ford E-150 Van in my garage that has close to 250,000 miles on the stock original engine. I changed the oil on that Van every 3,000 miles since I bought it new. The engine still runs great and is quiet and doesn't burn oil, and I drive it very hard. So I think that says something about regular oil changes.
I'm curious to see the AMSOIL results when they are done. Probably similar. And, the point of the experiment was to see just how long the oil would last, not to recommend oil changes at 17k or whatever it was. I'll keep changing my Mobil 1 every 5k or so like usual, but good read.
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From: Heart of Dixie (Alabama)
Rep Power: 0 More or less. Just keep an eye on you oil color and smell. The darker color along with a gas like burnt smell is a indicator it is time to change the oil.
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From: Washington DC
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Mobil 1, any synthetic for that matter will last longer.
1. its not carbon based, so it won't break down under heat very fast.
2. Some chemical nerd sat in a lab with the specific purpose of making it last and protect at the same time.
3. Synthetic is designed to hold dirt and contaminants in suspension, not let them settle on the engine parts.
6-8000 mile changes on Synthetic are perfectly fine. Mercedes recommends 7500 mile changes, BMW recommends 12K (which I don't believe, but say what they like), and most people now are saying every 5K for conventional crap.
Hell, Semi trucks change it every 60K... Go look into Delvac 1 (Mobil's HD synthetic)... you can go an easy 20K on that **** in your car with no problem (you'll probably have to swap a filter at some point, but the oil will still be good).
1. its not carbon based, so it won't break down under heat very fast.
2. Some chemical nerd sat in a lab with the specific purpose of making it last and protect at the same time.
3. Synthetic is designed to hold dirt and contaminants in suspension, not let them settle on the engine parts.
6-8000 mile changes on Synthetic are perfectly fine. Mercedes recommends 7500 mile changes, BMW recommends 12K (which I don't believe, but say what they like), and most people now are saying every 5K for conventional crap.
Hell, Semi trucks change it every 60K... Go look into Delvac 1 (Mobil's HD synthetic)... you can go an easy 20K on that **** in your car with no problem (you'll probably have to swap a filter at some point, but the oil will still be good).
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From: WI NewBerlin
Rep Power: 0 i actualy just payed 53 bucks to have my oil changed today i always use mobil one. i get it changed every 6 months thow due to i never make it to 6,000 miles. Infact this time it was 6 months and i put less then 2,500 miles on my car
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From: Washington DC
Rep Power: 425 Originally posted by INCivic
when is a good time to switch to synthetic?
when is a good time to switch to synthetic?
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I also heard, on a new car, its best to change the oil within 1,000 miles due to the unsettled tolerances & rubbing/scraping of internals causing metal shavings to be let loose in the oil. No?
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From: Maryland
Rep Power: 0 wtf you payed $53 dollars to have your oil changed???? where did you get it changed "RIP YOU OFF OIL" dude you really should change it yourself it cost me $25 dollars for four bottles of mobil 1 super syn with a Fram Oil filter.
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From: WI NewBerlin
Rep Power: 0 many reasons.
1. im in college so i dont have time to do it.
2. i dont have a jack or jack stands at my house or my dorm
3. if i did have them at my dorm i cant just change it in the parking lot.
4. im fat 300pounds even with a crawler to get under the car when its jacked up and on stands i dont fit.
5. i also hate doing it i help change my friends oil all the time and the only reason is its something to do when its warm out.
so for me 53 bucks every 6 months is worth it
i have more reasons why i dont if you would like them
1. im in college so i dont have time to do it.
2. i dont have a jack or jack stands at my house or my dorm
3. if i did have them at my dorm i cant just change it in the parking lot.
4. im fat 300pounds even with a crawler to get under the car when its jacked up and on stands i dont fit.
5. i also hate doing it i help change my friends oil all the time and the only reason is its something to do when its warm out.
so for me 53 bucks every 6 months is worth it
i have more reasons why i dont if you would like them
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From: home of the sugarbowl Champs
Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by Novaz3
and keep changing your oil every 10000 like the manual says and you wont have your car running as well down the long run.
and keep changing your oil every 10000 like the manual says and you wont have your car running as well down the long run.
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From: Rockville, MD
Rep Power: 344 Originally posted by Boilermaker1
Mixed opinions on this. Leave the original oil in for 5000 miles. The assembly lube has high molybendium content, which helps the engine break in and seal up well. Since it gets run up in the oil, leave the oil. At 5K you can switch to synthetic or run another dose of dynojuice through it. The 2nd change (3rd batch of oil) you can go to synthetic between 8 and 10K. Once you go synthetic, don't go back.... synthetic flushes the carbon out, and reconditions the engine. Putting carbon based oil back in messes things up.
Mixed opinions on this. Leave the original oil in for 5000 miles. The assembly lube has high molybendium content, which helps the engine break in and seal up well. Since it gets run up in the oil, leave the oil. At 5K you can switch to synthetic or run another dose of dynojuice through it. The 2nd change (3rd batch of oil) you can go to synthetic between 8 and 10K. Once you go synthetic, don't go back.... synthetic flushes the carbon out, and reconditions the engine. Putting carbon based oil back in messes things up.
So if I put synthetic in at around 13k miles and then had the dealer do a checkup on my car at 18k miles and at that time they put normal oil back in.... what happens?
You know they are only saying your just wasting your money changing oil every 3k miles....well so what...ill continue to waste my money.
But in reality i forget to buy oil(i order online) and i end up changing oil every 4-5k
But in reality i forget to buy oil(i order online) and i end up changing oil every 4-5k
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From: The Subconscious
Rep Power: 340 Originally posted by Boilermaker1
Hell, Semi trucks change it every 60K... Go look into Delvac 1 (Mobil's HD synthetic)... you can go an easy 20K on that **** in your car with no problem (you'll probably have to swap a filter at some point, but the oil will still be good).
Hell, Semi trucks change it every 60K... Go look into Delvac 1 (Mobil's HD synthetic)... you can go an easy 20K on that **** in your car with no problem (you'll probably have to swap a filter at some point, but the oil will still be good).
the life of semi can have over 2 millions miles on it i am sure. I have heard this time and time before. Semi's are FAR different from suv's and regular cars.
JDM-Jonathan David Martin- I own everybody
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From: Glendale, AZ
Rep Power: 0 I change my oil every 3kbecause I like to run my car hard I change it every so often so it stays running good, if you drive your car a lot you should change it every 3k but if you hardly drive and use your car to work and home and going to eat then I would suggest 5k!
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Rep Power: 0 The oil you buy today is far better than what was available 5-10 years ago. You really don't need to change it every 3k.
Iffy Lube wants to pound it in your noggin that it's every 3k or your car will die. It's a big marketing gimmick. Hooey. Just anothe way to have you part with some of your hard earned money.
Years ago 3k was a good idea because oil didn't have the same additive/detergent packages it does now and filter technology wasn't nearly as good as it is now.
You can take advantage of this new technology, at no cost to you, by simply letting the technology work! That means leaving it in for 5k!
If the oil is black that means it is doing what all the high tech ingredients are supposed to do - hold all the bad stuff in suspension. If it wasn't dark then you should be worried.
A high quality oil will go 5k and there will be no loss of protection. You can spend your money on oil every 3k and waste it thinking that you're doing your engine some greater good that really can't be measured or you can spend the money on beer and pizza.
This really isn't about consuming calories; it's about making good maintenance decisions about your car. Using the "more frequently is better" line of reasoning, you could change it every 100 miles but that's sounds kinda dumb, doesn't it? The same reasons that 100 mile changes are wasteful are very compelling reasons to wait until 5k.
5k isn't the upper limit either. If you commute every day on the freeway you could very comfortably go 6-7.5k without causing any harm to you engine. For you skeptics out there, European cars are going to very long drain intervals, with the car manufaturers blessing. You can buy these same oils here. Your oil will last beyond 3k but while you're at Iffy Lube waiting to see if they put in the right amount of the correct oil, strip out your oil pan, fail to put on the crush washer or try and sell things you don't want or need, I'll be having a double pepperoni pie.
Iffy Lube wants to pound it in your noggin that it's every 3k or your car will die. It's a big marketing gimmick. Hooey. Just anothe way to have you part with some of your hard earned money.
Years ago 3k was a good idea because oil didn't have the same additive/detergent packages it does now and filter technology wasn't nearly as good as it is now.
You can take advantage of this new technology, at no cost to you, by simply letting the technology work! That means leaving it in for 5k!
If the oil is black that means it is doing what all the high tech ingredients are supposed to do - hold all the bad stuff in suspension. If it wasn't dark then you should be worried.
A high quality oil will go 5k and there will be no loss of protection. You can spend your money on oil every 3k and waste it thinking that you're doing your engine some greater good that really can't be measured or you can spend the money on beer and pizza.
This really isn't about consuming calories; it's about making good maintenance decisions about your car. Using the "more frequently is better" line of reasoning, you could change it every 100 miles but that's sounds kinda dumb, doesn't it? The same reasons that 100 mile changes are wasteful are very compelling reasons to wait until 5k.
5k isn't the upper limit either. If you commute every day on the freeway you could very comfortably go 6-7.5k without causing any harm to you engine. For you skeptics out there, European cars are going to very long drain intervals, with the car manufaturers blessing. You can buy these same oils here. Your oil will last beyond 3k but while you're at Iffy Lube waiting to see if they put in the right amount of the correct oil, strip out your oil pan, fail to put on the crush washer or try and sell things you don't want or need, I'll be having a double pepperoni pie.
