When to change oil?
August 6th, 2007 | 2:51 PM
#11
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Joined: Jun 2007
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RE: When to change oil?
5,000 mile interval on everything but the race cars...
You know if nothing else, just gives me another excuse to do what I love best, turn wrenches!
August 6th, 2007 | 9:48 PM
#12
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RE: When to change oil?
Don't get me wrong, I love to turn wrenches and work on my truck, the only reason I own 90% of the tools I have is to work on my cars. But I am torn between my regular schedule of 5,000 mile intervals on my honda and changing it at 3,000 miles on the tahoe when the computer says I still have 71% oil life remaining. I don't have a problem changing it sooner and I agree to it being an insurance policy to change it. But when I put 3,000 highway miles on it for a long vacation I find it hard to believe the dealer that I need to change it. If I put 3,000 miles and the computer said 25% then yeah I would change it, but 71% is pushing it.
Thanks for everyones responses.
Thanks for everyones responses.
August 7th, 2007 | 9:14 PM
#13
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16
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RE: When to change oil?
But I am torn between my regular schedule of 5,000 mile intervals on my honda and changing it at 3,000 miles on the tahoe when the computer says I still have 71% oil life remaining. I don't have a problem changing it sooner and I agree to it being an insurance policy to change it. But when I put 3,000 highway miles on it for a long vacation I find it hard to believe the dealer that I need to change it.
Having worked for a couple dealerships, its been my experience that the quality of the service writers vary. Bottom line is, a very large chunk of the money a dealership makes is from service revenue. Makes sense that they'll encourage to change more frequent than not!
August 14th, 2007 | 6:47 AM
#15
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RE: When to change oil?
50% for dino and 0% for synthetic doesn't make much sense.
I had a Viper racing buddy who was an oil formulation engineer and he often went into great detail about why modern-day synthetics and non-synthetics are essentially equivalent. Basically the additive packages for both are so extensive and complex, they're both really synthetic by the time the manufacturer is finished. It's what he does all day, every day, and he is saying for 99% of non-motorcycle gasoline engines, the differences are mainly marketing-related.
That being said, he runs Rotella diesel oil in all of his vehicles, including the Viper, even when he tracks it. Within the past 10 years, large corporate fleet owners began demanding a single oil for all their vehicles including both gasoline and diesel, and Rotella is that oil (if you work for Shell, anyway). The only diesel-related difference that matters in a gasoline engine is that it has a significantly higher detergent content.
I haven't been able to bring myself to make that kind of a dramatic switch, and I go ahead and run Mobil 1 in everything because I buy so much of it for the Viper anyway (I figure the Mopar engineers probably know a little more than I do), but my point here is to say that claiming that dino oil somehow needs a different change interval than synthetics sounds a lot like Intarweb Legend. I'd want to see something from somebody in the oil business before I'd swallow that one. (No disrespect intended to ZX...)
I had a Viper racing buddy who was an oil formulation engineer and he often went into great detail about why modern-day synthetics and non-synthetics are essentially equivalent. Basically the additive packages for both are so extensive and complex, they're both really synthetic by the time the manufacturer is finished. It's what he does all day, every day, and he is saying for 99% of non-motorcycle gasoline engines, the differences are mainly marketing-related.
That being said, he runs Rotella diesel oil in all of his vehicles, including the Viper, even when he tracks it. Within the past 10 years, large corporate fleet owners began demanding a single oil for all their vehicles including both gasoline and diesel, and Rotella is that oil (if you work for Shell, anyway). The only diesel-related difference that matters in a gasoline engine is that it has a significantly higher detergent content.
I haven't been able to bring myself to make that kind of a dramatic switch, and I go ahead and run Mobil 1 in everything because I buy so much of it for the Viper anyway (I figure the Mopar engineers probably know a little more than I do), but my point here is to say that claiming that dino oil somehow needs a different change interval than synthetics sounds a lot like Intarweb Legend. I'd want to see something from somebody in the oil business before I'd swallow that one. (No disrespect intended to ZX...)
October 26th, 2007 | 6:30 PM
#16
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Joined: Oct 2007
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From: South Philly
RE: When to change oil?
I look at it this way for under $30 every 2500 miles change the oil in a normal car. Now on the other hand my 81 Camaro that I run on the track it has 1500 miles on the engine and 5 oil changes were done. It's all about how much you care about your engine. I have a 70 Gran Prix we bought new still looks that way I change the oil every 3 months and I have 100k miles on the car and runs better than a new car. Is $30 really gonna kill you???
October 26th, 2007 | 7:00 PM
#17
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Joined: Aug 2006
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From:
RE: When to change oil?
ORIGINAL: McGuireV10
50% for dino and 0% for synthetic doesn't make much sense.
I had a Viper racing buddy who was an oil formulation engineer and he often went into great detail about why modern-day synthetics and non-synthetics are essentially equivalent. Basically the additive packages for both are so extensive and complex, they're both really synthetic by the time the manufacturer is finished. It's what he does all day, every day, and he is saying for 99% of non-motorcycle gasoline engines, the differences are mainly marketing-related.
That being said, he runs Rotella diesel oil in all of his vehicles, including the Viper, even when he tracks it. Within the past 10 years, large corporate fleet owners began demanding a single oil for all their vehicles including both gasoline and diesel, and Rotella is that oil (if you work for Shell, anyway). The only diesel-related difference that matters in a gasoline engine is that it has a significantly higher detergent content.
I haven't been able to bring myself to make that kind of a dramatic switch, and I go ahead and run Mobil 1 in everything because I buy so much of it for the Viper anyway (I figure the Mopar engineers probably know a little more than I do), but my point here is to say that claiming that dino oil somehow needs a different change interval than synthetics sounds a lot like Intarweb Legend. I'd want to see something from somebody in the oil business before I'd swallow that one. (No disrespect intended to ZX...)
50% for dino and 0% for synthetic doesn't make much sense.
I had a Viper racing buddy who was an oil formulation engineer and he often went into great detail about why modern-day synthetics and non-synthetics are essentially equivalent. Basically the additive packages for both are so extensive and complex, they're both really synthetic by the time the manufacturer is finished. It's what he does all day, every day, and he is saying for 99% of non-motorcycle gasoline engines, the differences are mainly marketing-related.
That being said, he runs Rotella diesel oil in all of his vehicles, including the Viper, even when he tracks it. Within the past 10 years, large corporate fleet owners began demanding a single oil for all their vehicles including both gasoline and diesel, and Rotella is that oil (if you work for Shell, anyway). The only diesel-related difference that matters in a gasoline engine is that it has a significantly higher detergent content.
I haven't been able to bring myself to make that kind of a dramatic switch, and I go ahead and run Mobil 1 in everything because I buy so much of it for the Viper anyway (I figure the Mopar engineers probably know a little more than I do), but my point here is to say that claiming that dino oil somehow needs a different change interval than synthetics sounds a lot like Intarweb Legend. I'd want to see something from somebody in the oil business before I'd swallow that one. (No disrespect intended to ZX...)
If you believe and are trying to sell as fact that dino and synthetic oils are "essentially equivalent" then you are an idiot and I don't believe that anyone on this forum would require any further substantiation on my part.No disrespect intended.
And since you bring up Mobil oil; go to their website were you can clearly see that the longest recommend oil change interval with their best conventional motor oil is 7,500 miles while they claim that you can go up to 15,000 miles on Mobil-1 synthetic; but what the hell do they know?
Viscosity stability being the primary advantage of synthetics which really equates to "oil life".
On a side note: Do you think that GM requires the use of approved synthetic motor oil in the Corvette (as do most other high performance makers) for marketing sake?
Truth be known the only reason they don't require synthetics be used in all the other vehicles they produce is for marketing reasons.
If GM required synthetic oil in the Malibu and Ford said "not necessary" in the Fusion, Ford would have a competitive advantage even though few people are brazen enough to dispute the superiority of synthetic motor oils.
October 26th, 2007 | 9:42 PM
#18
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Joined: Aug 2007
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RE: When to change oil?
Like everybody else, hate to comment. I used to own one of those oil change places, and before that every 3000 miles or 3 months, as said, cheap insurance. Two chevys, Tahoe 180,000; 95 1/2 ton, 165,000. 99 Ford F250 7.3 Diesel(Rotella), 180,000 (today). Use Synthetic in Diff and Trans for heat factors. 
Can't go wrong. Good luck!!
Can't go wrong. Good luck!!
October 26th, 2007 | 11:36 PM
#19
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From:
RE: When to change oil?
I just changed my oil on my 07 at the dealer for the second time in 7 months.
The first time I had 2800 miles and 70% oil life left.
The second time I had 5400 miles and 67% oil life left.
I change my oil every three months and I never get more then 3000 miles out of the oil.
I bought a 2002 Toyota Camry brand new and I have changed the oil every three months and some times I only had 1000 miles on the car in the three months that I changed the oil.
My Camry now has 42,000 miles on her and is 5 years old.
If you would check the oil in my Camry at the end of three months right before the oil change, you would swear that I just changed the oil.
It looks clean and new even with 2000 or so miles on her.
There is absolutely no sludge in my Camrys motor, and my Suburban is on the path of being the same.
Alot of guys will tell you your wasting money, but I can't stress how much doing an oil change is such a benefit to your truck/cars engine.
The first time I had 2800 miles and 70% oil life left.
The second time I had 5400 miles and 67% oil life left.
I change my oil every three months and I never get more then 3000 miles out of the oil.
I bought a 2002 Toyota Camry brand new and I have changed the oil every three months and some times I only had 1000 miles on the car in the three months that I changed the oil.
My Camry now has 42,000 miles on her and is 5 years old.
If you would check the oil in my Camry at the end of three months right before the oil change, you would swear that I just changed the oil.
It looks clean and new even with 2000 or so miles on her.
There is absolutely no sludge in my Camrys motor, and my Suburban is on the path of being the same.
Alot of guys will tell you your wasting money, but I can't stress how much doing an oil change is such a benefit to your truck/cars engine.