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When to do an oil change

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I'm coming up to the 9000 mile mark and debating about whether to get my oil changed or not. It's been 5000+/- and 8 months since the last oil change. I'm heading to Savannah next week which is about 650 miles from where I'm sitting. I don't drive it as hard as I should apparently because ECU leveled itself out to a lame mode and thanks to this forum I disconnected the battery and now it back in Boss mode. I know Ford says wait for the nanny light but I don't know whether it's based on mileage or a particulate measurement in the oil. Any thoughts on this?
 

BLAZN BOSS

My cars oil life went to 10 percent at 7000 miles........I dont track it or drive hard really at all. What is you life percentage.......surprised it wet 9K!
 
55%, I'm coming up on the 2nd oil change but I don't want to change it " just because ". I won't go beyond 1 year but I don't want to add to the environmental debacle we have now.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
If you do not track your car the longest I'd go is 5000 miles, and that's a stretch. Really depends on driving style ansd how quickly the oil is getting darker. If you track it, all bets are off and you really should swap it out much sooner. I do for every 5 hours of track time. Some guys do it after every track event.
 
I thought that I could go longer then 5k because we have 8.5 qt. of oil to to cycle through. My bimmer holds the same amount of oil but it's a 6 cyl., I got to 15k before the nanny shows up, I'm saying this because of the " no cost , LOL" maintenance schedule that I had to follow from BMW the 1st couple of years.
 

PeteInCT

#LS-378 - So many Porsche's, so little time....
Moderator
2,848
14
Connecticut
I understand. My Audi's all are recommended for 10k miles. However, those factory recommendations are to meet warranty requirements, not to extend the life of the car to it's maximum. ALL fluids (oil, tyranny, rear diff, brake/clutch) should be serviced at a much accelerated pace (especially engine oil) if you wish to keep the car in top shape for many miles. The challenge is that it's somewhat expensive to do that in the short term.
 
racered302 said:
55%, I'm coming up on the 2nd oil change but I don't want to change it " just because ". I won't go beyond 1 year but I don't want to add to the environmental debacle we have now.

Environmental debacle?!?! Changing your oil is now considered a taboo in the green world? Getting it changed at an authorized dealer or service center is not going to kill a seal or polar bear I promise. They have to dispose of the oil in a manner that has been mandated by our wonderful all knowing government. So please feel no shame. It's ok. Al Gore will not leave his mansion that uses more electricity than 10 normal homes, fly in his private jet that burns 100s of gallons of jet fuel, then get in his big limo that gets 10 MPG to come scold you for changing your oil!!!
 
The BMW calculates based on miles and RPM, it does not actually test viscosity or anything. I am guessing Ford's is the same, though their program logic seems strange. I drove the car pretty aggressively in the mountains for about 350 miles (not in one trip) and it went down 5%. I did 200 miles on the highway and it dropped another 6%.

If the oil consumption starts going up, that can be a sign of sheering. I always change my oil earlier than I feel I need to because it is cheap insurance, and the oil gets recycled. Actually, I seem to remember seeing ads promoting oil changes (along with filled tires, etc) as a way to increase mpg and help the environment.
 
A deal I got with my car is first two years free oil change BUT I do have to pay a difference it is very cheap so Ive been getting it done every 4000 miles I am at 9000 miles now. I think it is very important at first to do alot of oil changes then after 15000 or so I would think just do it every 10000 or so.
 
Tflong24 said:
Environmental debacle?!?! Changing your oil is now considered a taboo in the green world? Getting it changed at an authorized dealer or service center is not going to kill a seal or polar bear I promise. They have to dispose of the oil in a manner that has been mandated by our wonderful all knowing government. So please feel no shame. It's ok. Al Gore will not leave his mansion that uses more electricity than 10 normal homes, fly in his private jet that burns 100s of gallons of jet fuel, then get in his big limo that gets 10 MPG to come scold you for changing your oil!!!

LOL, I thought I'd get a rise out of someone, I'm not a tree hugger, I own a chain saw. If I was that worried about it I'd own a Prius. I just don't want to replace my oil before it's time. Oil change places were saying 3000 miles,"bring me your money". Manufactures were saying 7500 mile if you follow schedule A or whatever. I changed it at 5000 miles. That's when you needed 5 qts of regular oil. We have 8.5 qts. synthetic so its not petroleum based and last longer. So maybe I should stay with the 5k miles during normal hwy driving?
 
I'm changing mine every 5,000 miles (no track time at all). The full synthetic oil of today makes that possible compared to the regular oil (3,000 mile intervals) of the past. I used to change my former cars every 2500 miles but now realize that is no longer necessary.
 
1,255
2
GA
racered302 said:
Tflong24 said:
Environmental debacle?!?! Changing your oil is now considered a taboo in the green world? Getting it changed at an authorized dealer or service center is not going to kill a seal or polar bear I promise. They have to dispose of the oil in a manner that has been mandated by our wonderful all knowing government. So please feel no shame. It's ok. Al Gore will not leave his mansion that uses more electricity than 10 normal homes, fly in his private jet that burns 100s of gallons of jet fuel, then get in his big limo that gets 10 MPG to come scold you for changing your oil!!!

LOL, I thought I'd get a rise out of someone, I'm not a tree hugger, I own a chain saw. If I was that worried about it I'd own a Prius. I just don't want to replace my oil before it's time. Oil change places were saying 3000 miles,"bring me your money". Manufactures were saying 7500 mile if you follow schedule A or whatever. I changed it at 5000 miles. That's when you needed 5 qts of regular oil. We have 8.5 qts. synthetic so its not petroleum based and last longer. So maybe I should stay with the 5k miles during normal hwy driving?

You can never change your oil too much. I still like to go with the old school "Every 3,000 miles", but 5,000 is OK for cars these days in normal everyday use. I would never let it go to 10,000 like Ford is recommending these days. I always change it just before a track weekend, so it usually ends up being less than 3,000 miles anyway since I only have a 10 minute drive to work.
 
racered302 said:
55%, I'm coming up on the 2nd oil change but I don't want to change it " just because ". I won't go beyond 1 year but I don't want to add to the environmental debacle we have now.
Be careful, someone just may label you a treehugger. Nice to see someone does care about the environment.
 

zzyzx

Steve
299
0
If you really don't want to change it "just because", that's fine, but you should send a sample in and have it analyzed. That'll tell you everything you need to know, including how "accurate" the % oil life is that it's displaying.

The reality is that manufacturers don't choose service intervals or oil weights for the same reasons the owner would. They make many compromises based on compliance, MPGs standards, etc. You think I run 0W-20 in my F-150? Hell no I don't...
 

BLAZN BOSS

I always enjoy a thread on this subject matter. The laughs, wives tales, worries and chemical engineers come out to play.
 
zzyzx said:
If you really don't want to change it "just because", that's fine, but you should send a sample in and have it analyzed. That'll tell you everything you need to know, including how "accurate" the % oil life is that it's displaying.

The reality is that manufacturers don't choose service intervals or oil weights for the same reasons the owner would. They make many compromises based on compliance, MPGs standards, etc. You think I run 0W-20 in my F-150? Hell no I don't...

I did a little surfing and found a company that analyzed oil, they stated 90% of people that sent their samples in didn't need oil changes @ 3000 - 5000 miles and where dumping perfectly good oil. I think it was a New York times article that had the link. I'll have to look for it again. The car manufactures and oil companies confirm this because cars are running cleaner and the lubricant technologies are getting better and the 3000 mile rule is pretty much out the window for cars built 2008 and later. The biggest problem with petroleum based oil is condensation causes an acidic build up and that doesn't happen in synthetic oils. I'm thinking with my driving habits, as lame as they may be in, 7500 mile's is a good interval.
 
BLAZN BOSS said:
I always enjoy a thread on this subject matter. The laughs, wives tales, worries and chemical engineers come out to play.

I thought this forum was due for one of these. So what are your thought's on the matter? LOL
 
I stick to 4000 miles cause I feel comfortable even though Ive read up where it can last much longer it is where I feel comfortable and will always stick to it knowing its still good oil then it should be great for the people recycling ;D
 
I do it before track weekends, which is just a generally good idea. About every 2 track days or so. I have no idea what the mileage is on mine between changes, but that's my guideline.
 

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