Interesting opinion on oil change intervals.

[Ericthejet]

This article is not bike related but still a good read.

http://skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/

[DucDave]

Read enough to get the gist....and agree completely. We are NUTS about oil changes. And not just cars...bikes too.

[Pittenger5]

Wow, so when I only got the oil changed after 7000 miles, I wasnt lazy, I was a visionary!

[BMFR6]

my silverado has an "engine oil life" indicator in the driver info center. i just had my oil changed and reset a trip meter, going to see how many miles that gives me.

[Cerberus]

agreed.
the 3000 mile margin these days just gets the car back into the shop sooner so the techs can look for other work to sell you.

trust me on this..

[richw]

I change oil usually MObil1 every 6 months in 1 day fleet maintenance all 3 cars. This is as low as 3000 but as muc as 18000

I did valves on a toyots after 140K of this abuse and tooling marks were still evident on the cam shaft.

I might try Castrol Edge next maybe hype but for some reason I am not sure today Mobil 1 is as good as older MObil 1...just a feeling.

I had a weasel friend who leased a Tacoma and at the end of 60000 miles he had never opened the hood. I checked the oil it was only a quart low smelled and was black but the truck seemed 100%. Also made me shudder about lease program cars.

[mycirus]

The Nissan dealer down the Cape does the oil change for 25 bucks, washes your car, puts that wax that the dealers use when you buy a new car where its all shiny, and they vaccume the interior and wipe the dash. Needless to say I cant wait for 3000 miles to come just to get the cleaning. Fitzys in Grafton charges 30 bucks just for the interior and exterior wash.

[keeena]

I thought most car manuals state something like 7k miles or 6 months (whichever comes first) for oil changes? The service light in my Honda Accord is around 7k miles.

[seth399]

I use Amsoil synthetic and filters in my truck and change at around 10K miles.

[Kham]

good read. i have been changing oil on my civic at 5k to 6k. it loses oil little bit. i notice it runs little better after oil change.

what does bike manual recommend? more than 3k i think. once per season was enough the past couple yrs.

[DucDave]

The Nissan dealer down the Cape does the oil change for 25 bucks, washes your car, puts that wax that the dealers use when you buy a new car where its all shiny, and they vaccume the interior and wipe the dash. Needless to say I cant wait for 3000 miles to come just to get the cleaning. Fitzys in Grafton charges 30 bucks just for the interior and exterior wash.

Dude...the Acura dealer I use in Nashua does the same thing. Just got the MDX back from the 75000 service and the freekin thing looks like it was detailed. Inside and out! (At least until I got home...freekin slush!)

Now...there's a good reason to change your oil more often.

[richw]

I think also filter change frequency should be considered

Now adays with ECU's there isn't hardly any gas being flushed into the crank case along with dirt and additives.

[Stoneman]

my silverado has an "engine oil life" indicator in the driver info center. i just had my oil changed and reset a trip meter, going to see how many miles that gives me.

Those indicators also take into account the style, speed, etc., you drive. The Silverado I picked up in October went almost 8500 miles before it said I needed a change. At about 2000 miles since that change, it's saying I'm still at like, 85% life. I brought it to my friend's shop for the service 'cuz I don't trust anyone else. Said the oil that came out looked like it was just put in there...

While it makes him easy money, he laughs at the intervals people are changing oil on newer vehicles these days. He agrees that with today's engines & the advances in both synth & dino oil, vehicles can go 7000, 8000 even 10,000 miles between changes...

[BMFR6]

with my commute, worcester to boston on the pike, 5 days a week, i drop about 2% every day

[RyanNicholson]

makes me feel a little bit better about being kinda lazy about it. I've been doing it every 7500ish miles... mostly because approaching 9k and going "3 times longer than I should" gave me incentive to get around to it haha.

[Cerberus]

i use the mobil 1 extended life (quoted to be good for 15,000 miles)
in the course of those 15,000 miles, i have to add two quarts due to leaks which helps extend the life a bit..
saves a lot of time and money that way

[DucDave]

i use the mobil 1 extended life (quoted to be good for 15,000 miles)
in the course of those 15,000 miles, i have to add two quarts due to leaks which helps extend the life a bit..
saves a lot of time and money that way

hmmm....maybe you should create a bigger leak? then you'd never have to change it...!

[Ericthejet]

I once worked at a busy parts counter that was subjected to a rather unusual request.
A customer came in looking for the correct oil filter for a 1973 Toyota Corolla.
We had one in stock and as I handed it over to him I mentioned the oil we had on sale.
He thanked me just the same and pointed out his only reason for needing a replacement filter was that the original had rusted away.

This was 1995, and I believed him.

[banzairx7]

Best oil change monitor I ever found is cars with poorly designed hydraulic lifters. As soon as the oil starts to go down hill the valves will clatter away at start up. Change the oil and you were good for another 7,000 or so miles. Maybe it wasnt a poor design after all....

[schleppy]

As mentioned, driving habits can make a huge difference. My dad stuck with the 10k change intervals on his Cooper S (he does A LOT of driving, traffic driving too) and I told him he was nuts to go that long. Well, at 120,000 miles the car burns oil like it is its job, though it runs reasonably well. I think they're crazy to tell people that drive often that 10k is reasonable. And that was using castrol syntec 5w30 (factory recommended).

With that being said, I change the oil in my 07 Ranger ever 4-5k and it's fine every time I drain it. Looks clean, and doesn't burn any. I'm sure I could go longer too.

[stoinkythepig]

I always laugh at the "cheap insurance" argument. At 200,000 miles and $25 per change, 3,000 mile change intervals will have cost $1667. Change every 10,000 miles and you'll have spent $500. $1167 is not cheap.

[banzairx7]

The other thing is who keeps a car for 100,000 miles+. I keep a car for around two years and move onto the next. I might put 50k on a car while own it.

[mzdagrl]

I usually start thinking about a change at 5K, get around to it whenever I feel up to it after that (between 6 and 7, usually).

My last car went a while with a crimped valve cover gasket and burned through oil fast enough that I didn't ever need to get it changed. I did buy in bulk from Sam's though to help keep costs down. Once the crimp was taken care of, suddenly I had to start thinking about oil changes again....

[mzdagrl]

The other thing is who keeps a car for 100,000 miles+. I keep a car for around two years and move onto the next. I might put 50k on a car while own it.

My parents start car shopping when their brand-new vehicles hit 100K. But they drive a lot....

[brewmaster]

The other thing is who keeps a car for 100,000 miles+. I keep a car for around two years and move onto the next. I might put 50k on a car while own it.

I do and I haven't had a car payment in 7 years! Both of my cars are over 100K and neither of them has had any major maintenance costs.

Therefore thanks for suppling the cheap older cars! We love them