Posted on 09/17/2010 12:02:53 PM PDT by Vigilanteman
I STILL remember learning from my father how to carefully remove a dipstick to check the oil level in our cars. It was drilled into me — along with turning off the lights when you left a room and clearing the plates off the table after dinner — that oil needs to be changed every 3,000 miles or so.
Kieron Kohlmann changing the oil in a 2007 Dodge Charger in Union Grove, Wis. Changing the oil every 3,000 miles is no longer a good guideline for cars bought in the last seven or eight years, says Philip Reed of the car site Edmunds.com.
I’m not sure what I thought would happen if I didn’t, but I vaguely imagined an unlubricated engine grinding to a halt.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
With synthetics, and an engine that is not put under heavy loads (i.e., pulling trailers, etc.) 5k to 7k is safe. Also, engine type is a consideration ... a mildly tuned inline fuel injected 6 cylinder can be fine with long intervals, whereas a DOHC, turbocharged high-horsepower 4 cylinder would want short intervals.
LOL. Undoubtedly.
I would tend to avoid a new car that even recommends a 5,000 mile oil change on the expectation that it must be old technology and not built to modern standards. My impression is that most cars have gone to the 7,500 mile cycle (with regular oil, not synthetic). Of course if you drive like a maniac, see the Severe Duty Cycle schedule as noted above. But if you take it easy and are a normal driver, you should be fine with the longer cycle.
These guys went over 18,000 on synthetic oil:
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html
I believe that most recent models have oil change indications as part of the electronics. My Honda Civic 2006 has an oil change indicator. I follow this indicator although I am not sure if its measurements and oil change model are reasonable.
I change my oil religiously...........every 50,000 miles.......or so.............
Owner’s Manual for my 1996 Chevy Astro Van says 7500 miles between oil changes, so the article is not implausible. I always chuckle a little when the shop puts the “Next oil change due in 3000 miles” sticker on the window :-)
The manual for my 2010 F150 FX4 says to change the oil every 7,500 miles.
I’m going to stick with what the maker of the automobile says.
For some autos and motorcycles (i.e., mine, for example) the recommended change interval is around 8,000 (more for the cars) miles. Having followed these factory guidelines for over a decade with no resulting problems or oil consumption on any vehicle, I am inclined to think more frequent oil changes are totally unnecessary. It may, however, depend on the vehicle.
BM
ooooooh, good one:)
Anything but a FRAM Oil filter.
LOL
But a hundred extra oil changes are always going to be cheaper than any repairs or replacement of an engine. Same with the tranny and brake system.
www.bobistheoilguy.com
To me this is the best website on this subject, period.
I just changed the oil in my Ford Escape...it had about 2,000 miles. But, since it’s been a year....
(Didn’t go much of anywhere since I bought the car last year.)
although ive seen many a vehicle that gets regular *annual* service and runs for years too...
Do you get better gas mileage with the synthetic oil?
If you are a typical driver, just change your oil and filter twice a year. Use semi-synthetic oil at the very least.
If you drive a little more than the average, use the full synthetic oil.
Assuming that you don’t tow a trailer or are driving a taxi cab, that should be just fine.
Places like Jiffy Lube use bulk oil, which may not have the detergent and additives that are used in better quality motor oil.
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