Exploding the oil change myth?

[Fred Voorhees]

The diversion of my Jiffy Lube thread reminded me of a site that I have had bookmarked for some while now. I thought that some of you might like to read this. It does confirm, at least in theory, what some have said in the Jiffy Lube thread.

http://www.motoroilbible.com/pre-one.html

[Lee DeRaud]

About bloody time.

Seems like for decades now, you've had engine oil manufacturers talking about how great/durable/improved/whatever their products are...and then recommending changing it at the same intervals as 30-40 years ago. Not only that, but at much shorter intervals than those recommended by the manufacturers of the engines the oil goes into.

[Jim Becker]

The factory interval on my Tundra Limited was 7500 miles...the dealer still marked the little sticker at 3000. The interval on my current Highlander Hybid Limited is 5000 miles...the dealer still marks the little sticker at 3000. I still stick with the factory recommendation to avoid warranty hassles and oil changes are cheap, anyway...but wouldn't feel horrible if I went longer. Today's engines are made pretty well! As is the oil, especially the synthetics.

[Ken Garlock]

You don't have to convince me. I have been a synthetic oil user for over 15 years. A friend at TI got me started on Amsoil synthetic. I just change it once a year. This spring I started using their new 5W-40 European Car Formula. It exceeds the most demanding requirements of the European car makers, and as I understand it, Amsoil is the only American made oil that does so.

OH yes, if you have an engine oil failure while using Amsoil, and an independent lab confirms the failure was due to Amsoil, Amsoil will pay for the complete repair of your engine. Last I heard, they hadn't payed for any repairs.

[Lee DeRaud]

The factory interval on my Tundra Limited was 7500 miles...the dealer still marked the little sticker at 3000. The interval on my current Highlander Hybid Limited is 5000 miles...the dealer still marks the little sticker at 3000.

Yup, forgot about that one. I go through this routine with the dweeb at the dealer when I go in for the 7500-mile service intervals:

"You should change the oil more often."
"Book says 7500 miles."
"3000 is much better."
"Got anything from the factory that says that?"
(silence)

It's called "revenue enhancement".

(Don't get me started on the whole concept of "service advisor": a guy in a suit and tie who's never touched a wrench in his life and whose only desire in life is to get promoted to the new-car sales department.)

[Steve Clardy]

I run Fords, use motorcraft oil.
Ford has recommended, in the glove box book, 6000 miles, for a long time.
I change between 5000, 6000 miles.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I think there are a couple of things that may have a definite effect on engine life:

1. Check your oil regularly; adding oil if necessary.

2. Change oil....change the filter!

I happen to be at a friends business visiting when an owner/mechanic returned my friends Toyota pickup after servicing it. In coversation, I told him I was getting ready to replace the timing chain on my wife's 4-Runner. He asked how many miles I had on it. I told him 126,000. He asked if I'd changed the chain before. I replied "NO". His comment ...."you check your oil regularly...change it regularly and always change the filter when you change oil ....don't you?" I said "Yes". He said "With that engine.........people who don't check the oil or change it regularly will change the timing chain between 80-90,000 miles.....people who do it with some regularity will get 90-110,000 miles on a timing chain.....When you get more than a 110,000 miles on a timing chain....somebody's taking care of their oil".

[Mike Cutler]

Uh-Oh. Ken has me worried.

1st Toyota P/U- 126,000 miles.

2nd Toyota P/U 330,00 Miles.

Current Toyota P/U 100,000 miles.

I've never changed a timing chain, or belt in any vehicle. I've never replaced anything other than oil, and filters. I'm also not real particular about intervals, 10,000 miles would be about the norm. Learned about the terms "Roll Off, and "Breakdown" a long time ago with respects to oil.
It's cheap insurance to change your oil and filters regurally though.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Mike..........might be pointing at a particular engine. This was the 2.2 RE engine. Keep in mind that I live in a very mountainous area. We live in Snake River Canyon in northcentral Idaho. I climb 3,000 feet in elevation anyway I leave town. To the east it's about 180 miles to climb that 3,000' most of it in the last 10 miles. South most of it's in 5 miles, North 6 miles....West, 10 miles. Point being there's a lot of steep climbing here. In town I climb a 1100 feet elevation, 11% grade to get home........Those are harder on engines....more straining. The Lewiston grade...3,000' elevation in 6 miles.....not unusual to see vehicles pulled over due to overheating. We also get summer temps in excess of 100 degrees for about 6 weeks in the summer and 3 of those weeks can have temps of over 110..........Might be due to a particular engine and the environment that we use them here!

[Steve Clardy]

I'm stiil running my 1995 F-150, 351 V-8 4x4

241,000

No timing chain yet.
Original water pump
Everything except the radiator and alternator.
Maintance does pay off

[Tom Stover]

I worked with a man that bought a new car, Chevy I believe, and never changed the oil, never. He had 100,000 miles on it and swears all he does is change the filter every 3000 miles and adds a quart to fill it back up. His theory is that if the filter is doing its job you should never have to change oil. It sounds logical but I will keep changing my oil.

[skip coyne]

195,000 on my '95 toyota T100

change oil 5-7 k

getting ready for another timing belt (did the last at 140, 000 ) this engine eats valves if the timing belt goes so not worth chancing it in my opion .

[John Miliunas]

OK, probably a dumb question but, consider the source. I've got just under 130K on my little Subaru w/2.2L engine. Been using decent filter and Shell "regular" oil since buying it at about 60K miles. Changes typically at @4-5K for both, oil & filter. So, any of you motorheads see any reason I couldn't or, worse yet, shouldn't switch to synthetic at this point? The car runs well and (knock on wood) I haven't had any real issues with it whatsoever, outside of very squeaky brakes. One friend did recommend I go ahead and have the timing belt replaced before it decides to go belly-up at the most inopportune time. Recommendations???

[Jim O'Dell]

Yup, forgot about that one. I go through this routine with the dweeb at the dealer when I go in for the 7500-mile service intervals:

"You should change the oil more often."
"Book says 7500 miles."
"3000 is much better."
"Got anything from the factory that says that?"
(silence)

It's called "revenue enhancement".

(Don't get me started on the whole concept of "service advisor": a guy in a suit and tie who's never touched a wrench in his life and whose only desire in life is to get promoted to the new-car sales department.)

Hey, Lee, don't get me started. I'm a service advisor. Believe me, we have no aspirations of being demoted to the sales department. We have to fight our customers to go the 5,000 mile route. Most want to change it at 3,000 miles because they always have. Most of my customers don't understand why the change from 3k to 5k or higher intervals. If you were still using straight petroleum based oil, then yes, 3k would still be recommended. All of the newer vehicles recommend a 5W-20 oil, sometimes 5W-30. To get the 5 component, it's going to be at least a synthtic blend, if not pure synthetic. If you're running pure synthetic, 7,500 is the normal recommended service interval.
We always point to the service manual that came with the car. Unless you are doing some heavy duty towing, 5,000 +/- 1,000 on a Ford product is perfectly fine. We do recommend not going over 6 months. For our customers (Lincoln/Mercury owners tend to average in the older group of car owners) if they aren't driving enough to hit 5k in 6 months, they are taking short 5 mile trips. That's hard on oil. As Jim Becker said, oil changes are pretty cheap. So that makes for pretty cheap insurance to change oil every 6 months.
But please, don't slip me into a car salesman's group. I have to fight for the integrity I have because of the bad apples that are out there, both at dealerships and at independants. I don't need to have to fight to separate myself from salespeople that are here today and gone tomorrow, so they can make whater ever promises they want since they won't be there to fade the heat. That's what the service advisor is there to do anyway, right??
But it's that way in most every business, not just car repair. How many question the prices on repairing appliances? One could just as easily put those repair people in a bad light. I know several people who I believe got ripped off on appliance repairs. Knowing a little about what needs to be done is your best defense.
And a little about revenue enhancement. Would you like a fried pie with your hamburger, sir? Jim.

[Bill Turpin]

Bought a 1980 F-100 w/351 V-8 in 1999. Oil was changed fifty miles before purchase. Ten miles per gallon with no AC. Waited for the 3000 miles for oil change. Put in full synthrtic Syntec...12.2 mpg with the first tank after oil change. 1995 Subaru developed oil leak at 60K that they wanted $800 to fix. It would loose one quart in first fifteen miles after oil change and then only another half pint in next 2985 miles until next change. Ran that car(with only three quarts of Syntec left in pan) for another 140K with original timing belt. Never fixed the leak.

My 2004 F-150 came with 5W-20 synthetic blend with 5000 change schedule. With gas at $3/gallon the extra ten to 12 dollars per oil change pays for itself VERY quickly.

Bill in WNC mountains