Oil Change interval

[Junkmann2]

Tested: Can Engine Oil Really Last 20,000 Miles?

Found an interesting article complete with the video below. Video is 22+ minutes. If you last the entire video you'll notice that at the end they still recommend to follow the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval if your vehicle is under warranty.



Wanted to be the first to drag this thread back up in the New Year!

Peter

The part that the person in the video is holding in his hand, is a $750 - $1000 part (my guess based on personal experience), and as such, it is worth using the best oil that you can find in your car, especially if it is a turbo. The part is the internal turbine and the impeller and it spins at extremely high rpm (30,000- 50,000 or possibly more RPM). I will agree that if you are looking to save some money, go with the oil life monitor, however, if you are going to be paying for your own repairs, after the car is out of warranty, then doing oil changes more frequently is very cheap insurance against future parts failure. This is by no means a guarantee, but over 60 years of owning cars, I have found that preventative maintenance is always a lot less expensive than repairs. Almost every moving internal engine part rides on a cushion of oil. That is the reason that I do oil changes between 5000 - 6000 mile intervals. If I had leased cars, and was going to be returning them after 3 years, I would go the 10,000 mile oil changes, because I won't be owning the possible problems that might occur out of warranty.
There are 28 pages of opinions in this one thread, and this is just my opinion, your may be different, and we are all responsible for our own actions.
Happy New Year

 

[blwnsmoke]

The part that the person in the video is holding in his hand, is a $750 - $1000 part (my guess based on personal experience), and as such, it is worth using the best oil that you can find in your car, especially if it is a turbo. The part is the internal turbine and the impeller and it spins at extremely high rpm (30,000- 50,000 or possibly more RPM). I will agree that if you are looking to save some money, go with the oil life monitor, however, if you are going to be paying for your own repairs, after the car is out of warranty, then doing oil changes more frequently is very cheap insurance against future parts failure. This is by no means a guarantee, but over 60 years of owning cars, I have found that preventative maintenance is always a lot less expensive than repairs. Almost every moving internal engine part rides on a cushion of oil. That is the reason that I do oil changes between 5000 - 6000 mile intervals. If I had leased cars, and was going to be returning them after 3 years, I would go the 10,000 mile oil changes, because I won't be owning the possible problems that might occur out of warranty.
There are 28 pages of opinions in this one thread, and this is just my opinion, your may be different, and we are all responsible for our own actions.
Happy New Year

It's not about saving money, it's about not throwing it away. I've been dealing with turbos since 2002. My Audi that had 10k oil change intervals was sold almost at 160k with no engine issues. My 07 6.0 diesel had zero turbo issues.. and now my 15 6.7 diesel follows the IOLM.

The one thing that nobody can argue over is that if you have an oil analysis done which many of us do repeatedly and it comes back in fantastic condition with plenty of protection left then there is ZERO reason to change it early except that one is old school.

That right there is pure fact. The IOLM has been proven time and time again to be conservative... that even at 10k the oil is still in very good condition and still protecting the motor. So yes, changing at 5k although comforting for many is NOT protecting the motor and more then waiting till the vehicle tells you to change it. So again, it's not about saving money.. it's about not wasting it.

 

[Marcus22]

The true oil change interval answer can only come from an oil sample. I have used Blackstone Laboratories. (No I don’t have any affiliation with them, they just do good work)

I recently sent in a sample from my 16 Explorer w/3.5L at 7,000 miles. They said the oil had high iron and some other metals from it being a relitivity new motor. I’m glad I didn’t trust the oil life monitor saying 30% more life.

 

[thefranchise713]

The true oil change interval answer can only come from an oil sample. I have used Blackstone Laboratories. (No I don’t have any affiliation with them, they just do good work)

I recently sent in a sample from my 16 Explorer w/3.5L at 7,000 miles. They said the oil had high iron and some other metals from it being a relitivity new motor. I’m glad I didn’t trust the oil life monitor saying 30% more life.

I kind of read that the opposite way--the oil is good, but we're finding harmless traces of iron that are due to the relative youth of the motor. My Taurus one came out that way with one slightly elevated level (this was nearly at 30k), but with the TBN high, Blackstone wrote it off to the engine's youth and told me to go for an even longer interval next time.

What were Blackstone's comments on your sample, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[JAPeterson]

The one problem with going longer than what the factory recommendation is no matter what the oil is doing or how much life it has in it is that if there is a engine failure and the vehicle is under warranty then they just might deni the coverage because of the extended miles on the oil.

This is why I will go by the IOLM and perhaps change it sooner but never later as long as I am under the factory warranty.

I will also use Blackstone for my own piece of mind and not expect Ford to even acknowledge it.

 

[peterk9]

The one problem with going longer than what the factory recommendation is no matter what the oil is doing or how much life it has in it is that if there is a engine failure and the vehicle is under warranty then they just might deni the coverage because of the extended miles on the oil.

That is why at the end of the video they tell you to follow the recommended interval if still under warranty. As for Blackstone, I'm sure they do great work but they'll not see any of my money. I'll put it towards an oil change instead. I lease my vehicles.

Peter

 

[thefranchise713]

So, for the sake of not wasting money, let's chat this out:

I just plugged in my maintenance schedule on the FMC website. They're at 10k intervals, even for oil.

In the manual, it says to not exceed 1 year 10k as well.

If you want to change it out early, great! But keep in mind that 10k/1 year and below for a change, you're fine as far as the warranty is concerned. And the used oil analysis supports this as correct as well.

 

[Marcus22]

I kind of read that the opposite way--the oil is good, but we're finding harmless traces of iron that are due to the relative youth of the motor. My Taurus one came out that way with one slightly elevated level (this was nearly at 30k), but with the TBN high, Blackstone wrote it off to the engine's youth and told me to go for an even longer interval next time.

What were Blackstone's comments on your sample, if you don't mind my asking?

Blackstone said for me to not go longer than the 7,000 miles just yet. And take another sample at the next to see if the high metals go down

 

[peterk9]

So, for the sake of not wasting money, let's chat this out:

I just plugged in my maintenance schedule on the FMC website. They're at 10k intervals, even for oil.

In the manual, it says to not exceed 1 year 10k as well.

If you want to change it out early, great! But keep in mind that 10k/1 year and below for a change, you're fine as far as the warranty is concerned. And the used oil analysis supports this as correct as well.

If I recall correctly, that video also mentioned not to exceed 1 year.

Peter

 

[Sgt1411]

The other key point is that top tier oils today regardless of brand are not the same as oil 20-30 years ago when the standard was every 3 months or 5000M.

The engineering that goes into oil today is truly amazing.

When the engineers who design, build, and test the engines say follow the IOLM it's the right thing to do.

 

[Napalm]

Yes I trust the OLM - but I do change it a bit early. I go to about 20% life. On all my cars but one - and its heavily modified from stock.

 

[kmarnes]

I had a chat about this subject with my brother who is a career mechanic. Oil changes are better for the longevity of your car. I do a full synth change every six months and he says that's about right.

 

[PlatinumOwner]

I just got my first oil analysis from Blackstone after about 5,000 mi with Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic. The Explorer was driven hard so the iOLM was down to about 20%.

 

[KayGee]

Even with a good full synthetic oil, most oil changes run me $20-30 depending on sales or deals on oil/filters. I typically follow the OLM, but I also track my changes and try to schedule them somewhat because I live in MI and don't like to do oil changes in the middle of winter when its freezing cold. I change my oil when it's convenient, so I may change a little early to get an oil change in before winter. I may also change a bit early during the winter if we get an unusual warm trend. I'm not interesting in stretching every last bit of life out of the oil. If oil changes ever increase in price to $100 or $200+, or DIY oil changes are outlawed, I may rethink things and try to take advantage of the full oil life.

I have one GM vehicle currently and the OLM is triggering oil change at about 3,500-4K miles. On my MBs, I used to change at 8-10K. On my other Fords, I typically shoot for every 5K when I do tire rotations, just to consolidate tasks.

 

[Marcus22]

I just got my first oil analysis from Blackstone after about 5,000 mi with Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic. The Explorer was driven hard so the iOLM was down to about 20%.

This is the information we need to help determine if the iOLM’s are accurate or not. Thanks for the post.

 

[Marcus22]

The other key point is that top tier oils today regardless of brand are not the same as oil 20-30 years ago when the standard was every 3 months or 5000M.

The engineering that goes into oil today is truly amazing.

When the engineers who design, build, and test the engines say follow the IOLM it's the right thing to do.

My brother is fighting with a dealership right now on warranty coverage because of excessive oil consumption on his GM suv. OLM was going 10,000 miles for intervals. My brother followed that. Dealer is saying that was too long and is what’s causing excessive oil consumption. Thankfully he is winning his argument and eventually they will rebuild the motor. Still a pain to go through all of that.

 

[Sgt1411]

My brother is fighting with a dealership right now on warranty coverage because of excessive oil consumption on his GM suv. OLM was going 10,000 miles for intervals. My brother followed that. Dealer is saying that was too long and is what’s causing excessive oil consumption. Thankfully he is winning his argument and eventually they will rebuild the motor. Still a pain to go through all of that.

I would be going to the Regional GM Rep on that. The Dealership cant make their own change intervals different from the OLM system.

 

[Sixonemale]

My brother is fighting with a dealership right now on warranty coverage because of excessive oil consumption on his GM suv. OLM was going 10,000 miles for intervals. My brother followed that. Dealer is saying that was too long and is what’s causing excessive oil consumption. Thankfully he is winning his argument and eventually they will rebuild the motor. Still a pain to go through all of that.

The oil filter is also very important. Even if modern oils may be able to stand up to the longer interval, once the filter gets full enough, it will start bypassing unfiltered oil directly back into the mix. By doing this, it ensures your engine won't fail outright from lack of oil, but it also means you have all of the dirt and particulates that could cause problems within your engine. In summary, new or synthetic oil can run over a long interval, but don’t underestimate the importance of the oil filter when evaluating the correct interval for changing both the oil and filter.

With the above said and coupling that with climate conditions and commute or driving distances that may be short and could cause moisture build up due to the engine not reaching full operational temperature, one year is too long to go before an oil and filter change IMO.

 

[blwnsmoke]

My brother is fighting with a dealership right now on warranty coverage because of excessive oil consumption on his GM suv. OLM was going 10,000 miles for intervals. My brother followed that. Dealer is saying that was too long and is what’s causing excessive oil consumption. Thankfully he is winning his argument and eventually they will rebuild the motor. Still a pain to go through all of that.

The dealer is a moron like so many unfortunately.

 

[KayGee]

My brother is fighting with a dealership right now on warranty coverage because of excessive oil consumption on his GM suv. OLM was going 10,000 miles for intervals. My brother followed that. Dealer is saying that was too long and is what’s causing excessive oil consumption. Thankfully he is winning his argument and eventually they will rebuild the motor. Still a pain to go through all of that.

Hopefully he prevails and was checking levels/adding oil as needed (and most importantly has receipts/proof). What was the level of excessive oil consumption he was experiencing?

Just an FYI from the manufacturers perspective - "The often accepted rate of oil consumption for today’s engines (passenger cars and l/d trucks under 8,500 GVW) can be in the range of 1 quart within 2,000 miles on a properly driven and maintained vehicle."
https://www.gmfleet.com/content/dam...s/PDFs/gmc1-12-03142-264-engine-oil-check.pdf

I don't have a direct link to a current Ford document, but I've seen some older Ford Fleet references that said 1 quart within 1,500 miles is acceptable for normal/retail use, with fleet/police service potentially seeing higher oil consumption.

Some other manufacturers say as much as 1 quart of oil consumption per 500-1K miles is acceptable.

Whatever oil change interval you want to run, check your oil level regularly between changes.