[SolarDave]

3000 Mile Oil Change Myth site

I saw this in a banner ad today. It's worth reading. Interesting that the "waste" end of the automotive hyrdocarbon food chain sponsored this and not the "mouth" end (the Auto makers themselves).

It's nice to see how easy it would be to conserve in this case.

SolarDave

[biofuel13]

I usually go about 8,000 miles on a change.

[WatchfulEye]

This seems to be a cultural thing. For whatever reason, it's 'common knowldege' in the US that you should change your oil every 3k or so. This is reinforced by a number of manufacturers recommending service intervals of e.g. 6 or 8k.

There isn't such a belief in Europe. Indeed, what's even odder is that some manufactuers where they sell models in both markets, recommend a 6k interval in the US, but a 20k interval in Europe.

Maybe there is a valid reason, but I'm struggling to think what it is.

[Hoops_Mckann]

I do it every 10k miles. I run a synthetic blend, so I figure I can go longer than the recommended 7500 interval. From what I have seen, the 3000 mile mark is rarely sugested by many later model vehicle owners manuals. If you go to any auto parts store you see many advertisements that recommend replacing all sorts of parts, sensors, ect. for what ever reason. I think most of that is just pure false advertising.

[heroineworshipper]

Honda oil pans have a finite number of oil changes. Do it every 7500 miles for light conditions & U won't have to replace oil pans as often.

[hope_full]

It also depends on the oil filter. You get what you pay for, and that truism applies to oil filters, too. Higher-end oil filters have a better filtering media and a check valve that prevents engine oil from draining out when the engine is off.

My Toyota Camry owner's manual recommends oil changes every 5,000 miles but the dealer's service department recommended every 3,000 miles - and they offered free oil changes for the first 60,000 miles, so it wasn't a profit-driven recommendation.

[Cashmere]

My Toyota Camry owner's manual recommends oil changes every 5,000 miles but the dealer's service department recommended every 3,000 miles - and they offered free oil changes for the first 60,000 miles, so it wasn't a profit-driven recommendation.

Don't bet on it.

Oil changes aren't "free". They either made money on the initial sale or they make money selling other services/parts when the owner of the vehicle is notified during the oil change that "such and such" needs replacing.

[WisJim]

I use synthetic (Mobil 1 or Amsoil) in my vehicles, and change annually (or longer interval if I forget), and I change the filter and add a bit of oil every 3K miles depending on driving conditions, length of trip, etc. I decided to send an oil sample in for testing after changing oil on my truck last week, so it will be interesting to see what the test shows as far as additive left, material in the oil showing engine wear, etc. A year of driving is 3 to 6K miles. I did let the truck go over 2 years, changing the filter a couple of times, just because I use it so seldom.

[SteinarN]

I have a Mercedes Sprinter I use in my work. I took the first oil ond filter change at 45k miles. I have now driven another 66k miles. Time for the No.2 oil and filter change. I have however added roughly 6 liter oil since the last (first) oil change.

[Kingcoal]

Both my cars have an indicator for oil change which is based on engine revolutions, temperature, etc. They usually go off around 6,000mi with my kind of driving.

Auto mechanics support the myth; what the hell, they get more business from it. Even the new car dealer told me that 3K is recommended, even though I can't find that in the owners manual. Changing your oil based on the indicator is best because the computer is basing that calculation on how you drive and environmental conditions. If you only drive in dense traffic in the city, it might go off at 2K, for example. If you only drive highway, it might not go off until 10K. When the indicator lights, the oil looks like it needs changing. It's still got some life left, but it is a deep brown.

[Fiddlerdave]

I use Mobile 1 synthetic, and go 30,000 miles, at least, on a change, often 40,000 or more even if that is years. I add oil simply as needed, but I will put in half a quart at a time just to get a little fresh oil in there sooner and ensure the engine has plenty. I imagine the other synthetics like Amsoil will do the same service.

I just crashed my 92 Ranger truck with a 4 Litre 6 cylinder engine that I bought new - it had 300,000 miles and I never worked on the engine and it was still running strong, and my use included towing oversize and overloaded trailers over the hills to and from northern California in summer heat.

I started this after reading a Scientific American article around 1980? that tested an engine for 100,000 miles which concluded that a synthetic oil change was unneeded in that span, maybe a filter change if the environment was very dirty. I use high efficiency cleanable air filters, and I think that helps alot. I loved that the car would start easily at 20 below (F), and, man, did gas mileage improve in cold weather short trip usage.

I've done this with 11 cars and trucks, big and small, used and new, and a number have had multiple different drivers (employees of my company), and none of them have had engine failure or valve issues, for that matter. Its the only way for me. With the long life air filter and synthetic oil, service hassles are greatly reduced. I've worried about the warranty on new cars, but I run the first 10,000 miles of a new car with the regular oil changed at recommended intervals to fully wear it in , I figure if the engine hasn't blown from a defect by then, it won't.

Under $7/quart at Costco, its worth every dime. Originally, the synthetic oil had a 25,000 mile recomendation on the can, but I heard the shops and manufacturers made Mobile shorten it up.

YMMV.

[WisJim]

I first used synthetic oil in my pickup truck back in the early 1980s (different truck than I have now), based on recomendations of a friend who used Amzoil in his diesel VW Rabbit. The thing that I noticed most was how easily it cranked and started in the cold winters (sometimes minus 30 or 40 degrees), especially compared to regular oils, which barely let the engine crank over in those temps. I figured that longer periods between changes was just frosting on the cake in addition to the better lubrication that the engine got from synthetics.

[dinopello]

Time plays into it as well, right ? I put 5000 miles or less a year on my car and actually don't remember the last time I changed the oil, but I think they recommend something like every 6 months or something.

[Fiddlerdave]

Time plays into it as well, right ? I put 5000 miles or less a year on my car and actually don't remember the last time I changed the oil, but I think they recommend something like every 6 months or something.

Yes, there are time recommendations, but the point here is what works day to day, and for me, to do what seems most cost and time effective. The car wears out before the engine, so I am happy pushing limits by not changing oil even if its two years.

Recommendations have to cover ALL situations and possibilities, along with the manufacturer's self interest in wanting some level of repeat sales, you can bet marketing departments, while wanting a big enough period to be a clear advantage over the competition, will also want repeat business.

Another note on the synthetics in cars that are not driven much, synthetics tend to coat the metal better and stay there, rather than eventually leaving the bearing surfaces in your engine fairly dry. This residual coating decreases wear greatly during the time it takes for the oil pump to get the oil around your engine when the car has not been run for a while. Since synthetics have no residual sulphur, etc. the trace sulphuric acid created by waterstanding in regular oil is avoided.

[Aedo]

The EU standard is 15,000km or twelve months - so any new EU vehicle should comply with this. Synthetic oil should be able to double this without any issue - but as GASMON says "oil is cheaper than bearings"

[888oilguy1]

I use only Amsoil products for the past 10 years. They were first
in 1972 to come out with a 25,000mi api rated oil. So with 35 years
of over the road testing they make the best synthetic oil on the market. They beat mobil 1 across the board on 5 astm tests
Want to reduce oil demand ,try amsoil now with a 35,000mi
once a year oil change . Don't let big oil brainwash you

www.sheriffsynthetics.com

[Synthetics]

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