Change oil every three months?

[Wolf333]

Originally Posted by AlexS2K

I don't think it would be wise to wait 30k to change the oil in the car. 3000 is the safest bet and one with a peace of mind, and depending on what kind of car you have your engine might actually burn oil. I'm always monitoring my oil at every fillup. I'd be too worried about my engine if I waited 30k to change the oil.

There's a pretty wide range between 3,000 and 30,000. It does not have to be one or the other.

My car has a percentage meter and the manual recommends changing the oil when it gets around 10%. I usually change it at around 15%, which still comes out to around 7,000 miles and gives me plenty of leeway.

[Troberg]

Originally Posted by AlexS2K

Troberg - Yes I admit its very excessive, however I want my engine to always perform optimally. That also includes a new oil filter, the Honda Parts department at my local dealer knows me by name now. Anytime my car has 3/4 of gas left, I always gas up to get the remaining 1/4. I have this belief my engine will run forever, which I do want it to!

I don't think it would be wise to wait 30k to change the oil in the car. 3000 is the safest bet and one with a peace of mind, (snip). I'm always monitoring my oil at every fillup. I'd be too worried about my engine if I waited 30k to change the oil.

A modern car breaks down or is obsolete way before the engine is worn down, even if you mistreat it. There is no reason to have a mint condition engine in an old car when you send it to the big highway in the sky.

To me, it sounds like you are nervous that your car will break, and overcompensate. Relax, engines are sturdy machines, made to work even if they are mistreated.

I have a Volvo BM222 back loader (photos here: http://rpglab.net/troberg/gallery/view.php?gid=160 ), probably made in 1963 (only 39 where made of that model, and those 39 were in three different models, so it's quite rare). From the look of the oil, the last time it got new oil was probably when it rolled out of the factory, but it still keeps going. A modern engine uses better materials and have more precise tolerances and a modern oil lasts longer.

depending on what kind of car you have your engine might actually burn oil.

If it does, then you might need to top up the oil occasionally, of course. On the other hand, if it burns oil, something is wrong (usually the bottom piston ring that's stuck) and that should be fixed.

[Casey]

Originally Posted by Wolf333

My car has a percentage meter and the manual recommends changing the oil when it gets around 10%. I usually change it at around 15%, which still comes out to around 7,000 miles and gives me plenty of leeway.

Mine has similar- 5 green lights, 2 yellow, one red. Change on red or yellow, determined by the engine computer based on driving conditions. It appears to be about 8,000 miles given my driving style- I ignore it and change at 3,000 anyway, then reset it myself.

I'll make this easy. Up until recently I worked in Gulf Oil's Cincinnati refinery running their Fluid Catalytic Cracking until they shut the entire refinery down. While working in that capacity this question came up a lot as many of us were hot rodders. We simply put in a call to the engineer in charge of the lube oil department. This was his response:

"There is no fixed time limit for oil changes. When you should change your oil is determined by the type of driving you do".

Your oil begins to boil off the water that condenses in it once the oil temperature (not the engine temperature!) reaches 160 degrees F. The story above regarding sludge in the rocker covers being from not changing your oil often enough is incorrect, although universally accepted. Sludge in rocker covers, or the oil pan for that matter, is caused by making short trips where the oil doesn't get hot enough to boil the moisture out. To make matters worse, water is a byproduct of combustion and can't be stopped except by getting the oil hot enough to boil it off or changing the oil.

The longer your engine's oil is kept above 160 F the longer you can go between oil changes just like diesel trucks. If you make a lot of short trips, changing oil at 7,500 miles is asking for trouble.

Synthetic oil is not a magic elixir, it's long chain polymers can withstand higher temperatures, but it's not any more slick than conventional oil.

In all my years of dabbling in cars, I've yet to see an oil related failure. That's not to say it can't happen, it's just very rare if you keep fresh lubricant in your engine. It's the cheapest insurance there is.

PC

[snopes]

Childhood habits are hard to undo, and that’s often good. To this day, I hate seeing an empty room with the lights on.

But sometimes, we need to throw aside our parents’ good advice. In March, for example, I wrote about how we should relearn the dishwasher and laundry soap habits we inherited from our mothers.

Add frequent oil-changing to that list.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/yo...shortcuts.html

[DrRocket]

I never go less than five thousand. When I was driving 122 miles a day, I changed it every 6 to 7 thousand.

[snopes]

The largest chain, Jiffy Lube, is ditching the long-held one-size-fits-all mantra that oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Instead, it says, franchisees will combine customer information on driving habits and the recommendations from their car's owner's manual for types of driving, from light to "severe," to come up with a specific schedule for that customer.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...endation_n.htm

[Beachlife!]

I go somewhere between 5000 and 7500 on my two Toyotas. With more than 500,000 miles between the two of them, it doesn't seem to be an issue.

[snopes]

California launches a campaign against the widespread notion that oil changes are needed every 3,000 miles. Officials say the practice wastes millions of gallons of oil a year.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,4554184.story

[DrRocket]

I've got a little over 20,000 miles now on the new car I bought last May. I just had the oil changed for the second time, which makes for a little over 10,000 per change. And THAT'S per the factory oil monitor. This car has the latest generation of engine monitoring systems, and it's quite specific on how much oil life you have left.

[jumbofrank]

Changing your oil at 3,000 miles made sense when they were using low grade dinosaur oil. Modern oils are much better, especially synthetics.

[DrRocket]

Originally Posted by jumbofrank

Changing your oil at 3,000 miles made sense when they were using low grade dinosaur oil. Modern oils are much better, especially synthetics.

My car came from the factory with synthetic. The owner's manual calls for "Dexos" grade which has proven a bit tricky to find. Of course it's no coincidence that just about the only company to meet that grade is AC Delco. There are now a couple of others companies supplying it. Like most synthetic, it's not inexpensive, but it does last quite a bit longer than petroleum based oil.

For now, I've been getting by on certificates I recieved from the dealer at the time of purchase for several free oil changes. I've got one more to go, then I'm on my own.

Another notable thing about this car is that it uses a "cannister" type oil filter rather than the spin-on "cartridge" style most modern cars have used for several decades.

[A Turtle Named Mack]

My recollection is that 5000 miles was pretty well standard until the specialty lube places became common. It always seemed like a way to drum up more business, telling people they needed oil changes nearly twice as often. I do not recall a time when 3000 miles was recommended by the manufacturers: "Of course THEY say that - they just want your car to fall apart so you have to replace it!". However, there were recommendations for more frequent changes than the usual 5000 (sometimes 7500) if you did a lot of short hops, or you drove in a particularly dusty environment.

[hambubba]

I had an old truck that I never changed the oil in at all, at least for 30K miles. It used a quart every 100 miles, which at the time was one a day. 5 days, complete new oil.

It was shot. I had over 340K on it when I sold it.

My current vehicle has an engine that is basically indestructible for 300K miles, and runs with a water temp at 210F. I imagine the oil is pretty close to that.

[RichardM]

I just took a friend's BMW to the dealer for an oil change and general service. (He is returning from Iraq tomorrow and I want his car ready to go). They can read the previous services from the key fob apparently or maybe from a central data base. Any way, they told me the oil was last changed in that car in 2009 and how ever many miles that had been. Then they told me that the oil did not need to be changed. I had the oil changed at an independent shop last spring so I had the BMW dealer change it any way. It just seemed like a good idea since the car has been driven only about 20 miles a week over the past year.

[WildaBeast]

Originally Posted by A Turtle Named Mack

I do not recall a time when 3000 miles was recommended by the manufacturers: "Of course THEY say that - they just want your car to fall apart so you have to replace it!". However, there were recommendations for more frequent changes than the usual 5000 (sometimes 7500) if you did a lot of short hops, or you drove in a particularly dusty environment.

I'm pretty sure the owners manual for my first car, a 1988 Buick, recomended changing it every 7500 miles for normal driving, or 3000 miles for "severe" driving, with severe being defined as lots of short hops, driving in hot, dusty conditions, or using the car as a taxi. I'm pretty sure the manual for my current car, a 1995 Saturn, has the same recomendation.

I remember many years ago there was an ad that basically tried to convince the viewer that the everyday driving you do is in fact "severe" and therefore you needed to change your oil every 3000 miles. I think it was for Pennzoil, but it could have been for one of those "quick lube" places.

[Alchemy]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

My car came from the factory with synthetic. The owner's manual calls for "Dexos" grade which has proven a bit tricky to find. Of course it's no coincidence that just about the only company to meet that grade is AC Delco. There are now a couple of others companies supplying it. Like most synthetic, it's not inexpensive, but it does last quite a bit longer than petroleum based oil.

As of 2011 all North American GM cars are filled with DEXOS 1 grade before coming off the line.

There was, in fact, a fair bit of R&D involved in developing this standard, and a number of involved parties will defend the choice to design an oil to match this generation of GM engines. Predictability in engine performance and longevity are supposedly much improved by this standard.

But it also can't be ignored that GM's cut of DEXOS-branded oil is about 30 cents per liter, which was sure to be a major influence on the decision to utilize this standard, and furthermore, doesn't come across as terribly ethical.

For now, I've been getting by on certificates I recieved from the dealer at the time of purchase for several free oil changes. I've got one more to go, then I'm on my own.

I spent about $30 plus tax on my first oil change and tire rotation at the dealership; the price is listed as about $3.30 per liter for DEXOS but it's indicated as discounted from some unspecified price. I think there was a $10 discount in there somewhere but even at full price it's a good deal, since I can go 9-12 months between oil changes with the manufacturer's blessing.

The quality of service at this Cheverolet dealership is also high enough that I would pay a lot more than I would at a quick-lube joint, and it's absolutely something I will encourage with my continued patronage.

Another notable thing about this car is that it uses a "cannister" type oil filter rather than the spin-on "cartridge" style most modern cars have used for several decades.

Not only that, but you may have noticed the filter is mounted upright, at the top of the engine. Oil won't drip from the oil filter connection, so the oil change is less messy, fewer shop cloths (and people!) are contaminated with oil, etc. Every previous car I owned had the cannister filter right around the oilpan level.

[Troberg]

As long as you don't have a high performance sports car AND drive it as a high performance sports car, don't overspend on oil, just avoid the dirt cheap brands and you'll be fine. On a modern car, wear on the engine is not what will kill a car, the engine will outlast the lifespan of the car as a whole. It really doesn't matter that much if the engine would have lasted 20 years after you send your car to the big highway in the sky or if it would have lasted 30 years.

If you want a nice, medium price oil that's very good, go for Quaker State. I used that for many years (I had free access to it). Nowadays, I use whatever they happen to have at the store when I need it.

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

Originally Posted by WildaBeast

I'm pretty sure the owners manual for my first car, a 1988 Buick, recomended changing it every 7500 miles for normal driving, or 3000 miles for "severe" driving, with severe being defined as lots of short hops, driving in hot, dusty conditions, or using the car as a taxi. I'm pretty sure the manual for my current car, a 1995 Saturn, has the same recomendation.
.

Funny enough, but I was reading the owner's manual for my new Soul last night, and they give the same recommendations.

[Troberg]

Originally Posted by Troberg

On a modern car, wear on the engine is not what will kill a car, the engine will outlast the lifespan of the car as a whole.

I might have said too much there. Last week, my engine seized on me...

I think it had about 80000 km without oil change, but the oil still looked good, so I don't think it was the oil that was the problem. My guess is the oil pump or the oil filter, but I'll have to wait for the "autopsy" report for the final word.