Stop Changing Your Oil

sport17

Anybody ever think about the oil filter that needs to be changed, guess not thats why your engine needs new timing chains or it just goes out and you blame the dealership for selling a car to you that car that wont last for more han 30,000 miles.

hiperfdude

You're comparing apples to oranges when you compare a $30K-$100K + engine that holds 12 liters of synthetic motor oil to a run of the mill $3-$5K domestic engine that holds 5 liters of oil or less.

High performance engines use oil coolers to control oil temperatures (and this prolongs oil and engine life) and most domestic cars do not.

High performance engines don't have a catalytic converter in front of the engine where this extreme heat passes over the oil pan and transmission housing and pan as it passes under the vehicle which raises fluid operating temp's beyond "normal" operating ranges.

High performance engines call for 5W40 synthetic motor oils or 15W50 depending on your driving habits or needs. The Little Old Lady from Pasedena would be using 15W50.

Domestic cars built by responsible manufacturers will advise you of what range of motor oils to use depending on your driving habits and needs like towing and driving in hilly areas and higher than average ambient air temperatures.

My 1991 5.7L Silverado owners manual tells me that I can use 5W30, 10W30, or SAE-30 motor oils. Valvoline and Pennzoil advise me to use only their Synpower Maxlife and Pennzoil Ultra motor oils due to the need for higher ZDDP levels to protect the camshaft.

The most critical point is how much fuel is consumed per mile driven. A 30 MPG car will only get 15 MPG in city traffic which means it will burn twice as much fuel on an oil change than at a perfect 55 MPH on the Interstate. All EPA estimated MPG's are based on the 55 MPH speed limit of yesteryear. It is the by-products of the combustion that contaminate the motor oil including the wear and tear you put on the engine while burning fuel.

There's no "magic motor oil" that can stop the accumulation of water inside the engine and motor oil from short trips and typical driving habits around town especially in winter months and very humid environments. Maybe the catalytic converters can heat the oil much faster in close proximity to the oil pan which would be beneficial for short trips but not so good when flying down the highway at 70 MPH with the AC blasting in 90 degree weather or stuck in the typical zero to 25 MPH rush hour traffic snarls when there is insufficient air flow to cool the engine and oil to keep it in the "ideal" temperature range.

Adding a thermostat controlled oil cooler to any engine will significantly/effectively increase the oil life and engine life. Otherwise, it's a crap shoot and with most people not having an oil sampling habit and not driving cars that hold two or three gallons of motor oil, the "severe service" interval is cheap insurance especially if they do it themselves and know if they are a lead foot or a light foot.

If a Top Fuel engine only makes one 1/4 mile pass on each oil change, how many lead foot starts do we make or keep track of in a day or week or month between oil changes? I'm seeing way too many late model engines with excessive blow-by long before 100K miles with abnormal high oil consumption. How environmentally friendly is it to burn a quart of 0W20/5W20 oil every 1,000 miles or less vs. an engine that doesn't burn any 5W30/10W30 oil after 100K miles? Check out "Machinery Lubrication" to learn more.

roscotech

Article is good and hits on some good points but should be taken a step further. Most all of the liquids in modern automobiles have become specialized and manufature specific. Things like specific weights and test requirements are more important than ever. The owners manual is one of the best places to look as it will state weight and other special requirements (Ford WWS M2C930-A, Chrysler MS 6395, GM6094M). If the engine oil used does not meet the manufactuer requirements you can throw your 7500 mile intervels in the trash. Transmission fluids and coolants are just as sensetive. You have a good start now push a little deeper. With the right services many of these new cars can run 200 to 300 thousand miles with repairs and maintence costs well under the price of and new car. I am a Master tech that is dedicated to helping my customers make that happen.

oilfilter

Terrific article on several levels.

I have always found removing the oil change sticker from my windshield as part of basic auto maintenance.

Of course changing one's own oil is the biggest money saver, even to the point of, at first, using an old belt to torque off the filter. And don't forget boys, finger tight, and remember to smear some oil on the new gasket.

Which brings me to the question......Long life syn oil is great, but what about the filter, aside from always buying the best...the analogy being, in vinyl record days, equipping a high end stereo system with a cheap, blunt needle cartridge, thus reducing the fidelity to the level of a ball peen hammer.

Obviously the oil filter must continue to do it's job for 15,000 miles as well.

tamborine212

jimmyjets33, you have your information backwards. Oil does not breakdown. What does breakdown, however is the additives that are in the oil. They get used up. That's it. Nothing less.

Oil now days have come very far from the 1930's. And new engine designs have also aided in longer intervals. Now, if you are running an older model of the car then just follow what it is in the manual to be on the safe side. Else, you can experiment how long you can go and if you are curious send samples to an oil lab to test it.

I don't see anything wrong with this article as it states to consult your service manual before you try anything.

fgalarza

Question, the ambient temperature affects the productivity of synthetic motor oil such as 0-w20, and its this requires changing it every 3,000. That is what a Toyota mechanic told me today. I live on Ponce, PR.

lightninglou

As a master auto technician, I can accept people going longer on their oil change intervals. The problem that I see day in and day out is this. All engine consume oil. Ford, chevrolet, audi, volkswagen, mercedes, briggs and stratton, honda, cessna. The owners manual in every new car tells the owner to check the oil level at every (EVERY) fuel fill. Well I haven't met a customer yet that does. (or reads the manual) So I repair the engines when they drive to my dealership and complain of a rattle noise with a check engine light and only 1.5 quarts of oil in the car. I have seen this at least 12 times this year alone. That is just the ones I see. I am only one man. The other point is this. When your oil is not clear anymore, the darker it gets, that is what we call dirt. Abrassives that wear metal parts down. The oil is supposed to suspend these particles so they don't stick in the engine. I take the oil out when it is dirty and put clean stuff in. But then I do have 228,000 worry free miles on my car. A cheap, low budget american runabout at that. Just my two cents. Which is only worth .00003 cents in todays dollars. Lou~

iwon

1st} Mercedes Benz failed to note in their USA customers car manuals several yrs ago that if you go by MB FSS systems recomended extended intervals you must use full synthetic oil not regular dino oil. Oooops.... Who uses Dino these days?
They were sued class action style for engine replacements.

2nd} Then all these cars showed up with failing engines due to sludged engines in 1997 and newer cars, with the following cars greatly affected: ■Audi - 1997-2004 ■Chrysler - 1998-2002 ■Dodge - 1998-2002 ■Hyundai - 1998-2004 ■Lexus - 1997-2003 ■Toyota - 1997-2003 ■SAAB - 1999-2003 ■Volkswagen - 1997-2004
This was due to government emission standards being raised too soon and these companies chose to raise the internal combustion chamber temps in the engines in order to pass the new standards. In doing so the heat cooked the oil and crust/sludge built up in them and destroyed the engines. It was never from not changing oil and anyone who owned these cars can prove it with there records. Government stands behind these dealers..Humm I wonder why?

Today better oil and cars can go much farther than whats burned in our brains. Just remember to check your oil more often if you choose too go longer.
Oil analysis companies will tell you how long your car can go if you just need to prove it to yourself. Contact one and they will help you prove it. Or you could just go by your cars maintenence schedule like you should.

Do you know that no other countries have fast oil lube companies? The US is the only one who uses fast oil change companies because we are the only ones left that change motor oil 3-5 times a yr.
Todays Benz's go 13K+ between oil changes. Porshe is 20K yet we are scared to go over 3k in the same cars.

ggwsr

Presently working as a Field Technician Engineer in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, the place is Hot, Dry and dusty, mostly I drive around with a lot of short stops, Toyota implements here is the 3,000mile myth engine oil change, even the manuals owner is implementing also this Myth, is it fine to change it to 5,000mile or more and then ill just ignore the Owners manual 3,000mile change oil schedule?

woodywebster

Why doesn’t anybody mention that you need to replace the oil filter? The purpose of oil is to put a layer of protection against metal parts rubbing against each other. The small metal filings that are a result of this are filtered through an oil filter which eventually gets clogged and restricts oil flow unless it is replaced at a reasonable mileage or time frame. My philosophy is to use a regular grade 5w30 with a new oil filter every 3000 miles cost about $25 done yourself and the old oil is recycled. This process removes old poor viscosity oil and the metal filings prolonging the life of your engine. Unless you lease your vehicle and you don’t really care about the long term effects?

ctankobu

I'm in total agreement with the replacement of the oil filter. Also important is the air filter, which filters the air to the crankcase. Dirt and dust not being trapped by the airfilter will float into the crankcase and into the oil. Airfilters are often neglected or overlooked.

automaster209

This is an excellent article. With Oil technology today heat breakdown isn't an issue. The main issue was the blow by contaminants mixing with the oil and with todays engine computerized fuel management technology and tighter clearances you can extend the mileage or hours between oil changes. As the article explains through oil analysis that the vehicles tested could operate a few more miles before changing. I found this to be an excellent article and I guess explains why I still do my own work including oil changes.

labienuss

It all depends on the oil folks...oil bought from the doller store will not stand the test of even going 3k oil changes..but top line oils can last 15k easy

vtech010

i work in the automotive trade. i see it all the time. the customers that follow the maintance indicator in the car, have problems, after a few year of owning the car, burning oil, noisy engines, i alway recommend customer to either switch to synthetic if they want to follow the maintance indicator or do oil changes every 5000 kms. the one that do the oil changes at 5000 km using conventional oil have no problems, with oil burning, noice, timing chain s etc..

vtech010

also i think one of the reason the manufacturers, give a long oil change interval is because it make it look like their cars need less maintenance another selling feature.

a1_a8_master

Let me clear something up here. Quit referring to Jiffy Lube personnel as technicians. They are not. Calling a person that just changes oil and some filters a technician is like calling a burger flipper a Chef.

The minimum requirement for someone to deserve to be called a technician is someone that has the training and experience (hopefully certifications to back it up) to diagnose and repair problems. Jiffy Lube type workers should at best be referred to as lubrication or quick service specialists. That's it.

tonymrct

This article is ridiculous. Read the definition of severe service in your manual and stick to changing your oil every 3K. Do you know how many stuck piston rings, oil burners, leakers, gunked up, failed camshaft phasers, premature wear etc is all attributed to the fictitious increase in service intervals? If you want to buy a new car every 3 years sure extend your intervals, but the problem by large is not the oil, it's what happens to the oil, the elements, byproducts of combustion, ehh forget it. You just bring us more service work. If you add slick 50 you can go 80,000 miles between oil changes...oh and you can run your car on water too....oh and don't forget to put a little motor medic in your gas tank for extra fuel mileage sheeple

thatsnotmycup

3,000 miles is too short, 10,000 miles or more is simply to long. The average automobile gasoline engine should have its oil changed no later than 7,500 miles, going over this is putting most engines into the danger zone for damage due to high contaminants in the oil, including water/moisture from condensation (minimal) to metal fragments, especially in a new engine that is being broken in. Case in point, I had purchased a 2012 Mazda5 with the MZR engine (2.5L). Very dirty engine, just how it's engineered. I purchased it with about 5 miles on the odometer. I noticed a problem at about 1,000 miles. Fuel economy was terrible, was like driving a Ford Expedition. I was getting probably around 7 mpg city and a few more highway. Accel was not that great either. At just over 2,000 miles, I had a hunch. I did the first oil change (I happen to be a Mobil 1 fan) and used an OEM filter as I always use/recommend. Oil was black as freshly laid tar. All of a sudden, my fuel economy jumped up a bit, though still considerably below the manufacturer's sticker numbers. Before 5,000, I did another Mobile 1 oil change, with another OEM filter. Same, oil black as tar. My fuel economy jumped up a little bit more after that oil change. Before 10,000 miles, I did another Mobile 1 oil change. Oil wasn't as bad as first 2 changes. Slowly but surely, all of the crap this engine spits out during break in was finally coming to an end and my MZR engine was beginning to normalize in terms of break in contaminants. The book listed the first oil change (if I remember correctly) at around 5,000 to 7,500 miles. That is crazy. That would have definitely caused engine damage, if not just real crappy fuel economy. I have had Toyotas (both new and old) and their engines are way cleaner, with break in periods that don't kill the factory fill oil, Toyota engines are just engineered with a lot of emphasis on emissions, they run really really clean. On my Toyotas, first oil changes were always 5,000 miles, maybe a bit more. Even at those miles, oil still wasn't black as tar. Point is, these maintenance guides/manuals are written by manufacturers as a rough guide, not really exact instructions. All engines are a little different, and everyone's driving habits and location is different, there are many variables to consider. I'm sure manufacturers's dealers wouldn't mind nice off-warranty repairs for engine damage when your "new" car engine hits 65,000 miles and it starts to smoke, clank and sputter, they have an incentive to misdirect car owners a bit. Others like Mobil with it's "15,000 miles guaranteed protection" oil change interval motor oil line is another crock of crap. Try to get ExxonMobil to pay for your engine damage if your engine only made it to mile 14,995 before it blew a piston. You'll need more than a receipt, I'm sure. Best advice is to forget the oil change shop's sticker and forget your oil reminder if your car has one built into it. You'll have to look at your oil, and look at your fuel economy to get a sense if it should be changed, are you getting ripped off on MPG's? Does your car feel sluggish? You need to connect with your car's oil, as it is literally its life blood. Check it often, and use good quality oils, avoid things like SuperTech and "no-name" bargain oils from the 0.99 cent store. All brand name oils are good choices, and have enough additives in them to provide good engine protection over a wide operating range.

stever

I ran a lot of SuperTech in my '99 Quest. Sold it about a year ago with a little over 200k when the AC died. The factory interval was 7,500 miles but I let that slide a good bit after the warranty ran out. I don't think you can tell much of anything by the color of your oil - it's supposed to get dark as it holds stuff in suspension. If you really want to know how your oil is doing, spring the $20 for an analysis.

mochica

Same here, I've being using Walmart Supertech since 2000 and replacing the oil/filter every 7k in 3 cars, not of them has engine noises or blowing blue smoke. Another one I had - a 97 Nissan 200SX- the timing chain sprocket broke and kill the engine. When the engine was removed for inspection, a valve had perforated the piston but the cylinder wall still had the crosshatch pattern.

j_a_e

One needs to look at the calendar as well as the odometer. We have a 2001 VW Passat with the infamous 1.8T engine, and we drive about 2500 miles/year, mostly urban short trips and stop-and-go "severe service." I change the oil annually, even though this represents a sub-3K OCI, and I use the largest filter I can cram into the engine bay, the Mann-made Purolator L40316, to compensate for the undersized oil sump. So far, no sludge/coke buildup. I can usually get a $5 or $6/qt. deal on the oil and pay well under $10 for the filter, so it would be false economy to try to stretch my OCI.

petepell

I think this is an article that only tells part of the story and filled with bad advise. Oil change is a complicated process, determined by type of driving, climate, type of car, type and quality of oil, filter, expectations. For me I expect a lot from my oil since it is the life blood of the engine. I expect more than 'just going 10,000 miles on it'. It is a very critical performance component to the car. I drive a BMW M5 with a high revving V8, it uses Castrol 10-60W or Royal Purple 10-60W, and only those because the specs are exceptional. I change between 2500 and 3000 miles. The 'feel' of the engine changes over time as the thermal breakdown occurs. The engine starts to run less smooth and hotter (in the central Texas heat). I can tear up oil easily in a week with hard shifting. So far I have 160k on the engine and it runs like like new. I can't imagine not changing the oil that often - what would that have done to degrade the performance and characteristics of the car. I recommend before doing anything regarding your oil change habits as a consequence of this article - CONSULT YOUR MECHANIC FIRST.

corvin666

I used to live in Ukraine before coming to US. Even with crappy gas, hard winders and lots of counterfeit oil circuling around, no mechanic over there will recommend a 3000mi (4500 km) interval. Standard answer any indie mechanic would give you is 10,000km (7500mi). Mechanics in trademarked shops will probably recommend to go as far as 15, 20 or even 30,000 km for newer European cars.

3000 mi interval seemed (and seems) absolutely ridiculous to me in the US, especially given that gas here is of top quality and driving conditions are mostly very mild.