Best Of
Re: Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations
Very true! I usually change the oil out on my trip car after we return from Ohio, but I totally spaced it this year. In mid-May, I was doing some car stuff with my son on his car, and oil came up... then the light bulb illuminated! I checked the odometer, did a little math, and realized that my wife's Crosstrek was closing in on 17,000 miles since the oil was changed the prior AMW!
We've probably gone over this before, but I've had used oil analysis performed on several of my cars, and most every one confirmed that a 10k mile oil change interval was fine- and that included my MS3, which had a motor that was supposedly very hard on oil. I've followed the one year 10,000 mile oil change regimen for over 15 years and I've never had an oil related problem- even with cars driven over 150,000 miles.
Well, I figured I'd just split the difference and change the oil a little early this year. I sent the in the oil for analysis; it came back a few weeks later with flying colors. I do use high-quality oil, but it still has to hold up to all those miles! I mean, on the trip, we were working it pretty well given the massive load we asked that little car to carry. Over that whole interval (the oil change), I only topped off the oil one time (~ 1 quart) and late on our return trip.
Aside: Her car just turned over 100,000 miles. I replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils on Sunday, and it said "100,321" on the odometer.
xwesx
Re: Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations
I need to be better about tracking service on my cars. I bought some stickers a while back and wrote a very long one for the Alfa. I should take a pic. That reminds me, I should write one for the Volvo. Although those new fangled cars tell you when to service them. I seriously can’t recall when the Fiat last got an oil change. I bought the stuff for it this week, along with trans fluid because the kid says it is slipping. I doubt it but I’ll do it anyway just because it is over 10 yrs old.
Oh, did I mention the Volvo’s plugs? When I changed them, all 4 had some buildup on the electrodes. Two were far worse than the other 2. I’d estimate at least half the gap was filled. And I had noticed a chuffing sound from the car when I’d hear the wife pull in or out of the garage. It seems far happier and sounds healthier now. Needing a special tool to remove the filter angered me to no end. And, even with the newly acquired tool, it took A LOT of torque to remove. Only supposed to be 25 nM when tightening. Either it is a poor design or the previous tech has no idea what 25 nM means.
qbrozen
Re: Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations
sda
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
@oldfarmer50,Really depends on conditions for me. I change my old rigs every other year and only put non-ethanol fuel in them. That way, no old fuel issues (as long as you run through a tank every couple years or so). They get their oil changes during AMW, just like everything else. The harder fluids to remember are coolant and brakes. Power steering (if present) and driveline lubricants are every ten years.
I'll give you my opinion.
Change the oil before winter storage. That way you are driving on new oil in the spring.
Gas is the same thing. Run it down, put in some preservative when you put it away.
In the spring, fill it up with fresh fuel.
Oh, and @oldfarmer50 , I think you mentioned something about whether oil cares about just aging in an engine. The short answer is 'yes', it does. But, the longer answer is that how long it remains effective is very much a function of the conditions. Basically, the oil only protects as long as it can buffer acids, and humidity in the air will slowly deplete that buffering capacity while the car is in storage.
If you want to maximize the oil life for your specific conditions, then get used oil analyses and tweak your habits until you find a good balance. Otherwise, just go with every other year.
xwesx
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
@stickguy said:
I can't imagine driving a Kicks on a regular basis now.
It is much easier when you have several to choose from each day, and when the one you are replacing is a 58hp automatic Kei car.
The kid says the SR Kicks is the only one to get. Far better seats and more spunk. But he particularly likes that it reminds him of our clown car in that it feels massive inside compared to how it looks from outside.
qbrozen
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
In undergrad, I remember campus police warning students not to use those CD holder covers for car sun visors, because it could attract a break-in.
corvette
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
It looked something like this:
Re: Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous
Wow, congrats on the surprise of the year!
Re: Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations
You got it JM. The car itself is just a way to get from A to B. Feel of the road, zoom zoom, lots of horses, means nothing to him. 0% interest was too hard to pass up.————————————————@driver100 - a former bank exec slumming it in a Rogue? Was he an exec at Silicon Valley Bank?!?
My guess is that since he’s a former bank exec, he just wants basic transportation for getting him from point A to point B but he doesn’t want to pay more than next to nothing to borrow money. He’s now on the other side of the fence so he’s watching his money just like he watched the banks money.
jmonroe
Re: I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!
From a door peering into the Service Dept., saw a white '66 Impala Sport Coupe, pretty complete and nice with aftermarket wheels (not 22's or anything)....but the rear bumper was off. No idea why.
When I walked into the showroom, the owner was mopping the floor himself. I kidded him about wearing many hats there.
I saw the front third of what I thought was a black '94-96 Impala SS on their used car lot. When I drove away, I saw it was actually that era Caprice wagon, blacked out and with the bigger tires and wheels of the SS--a custom job.
