Oil Changes: your .02 ?

[cleanspeed1]

Had a Hyundai Elantra on Amsoil Synthetic and changed the oil like 18 times in 136k. Used like a quart every 5k like it did from day one.

Modern gasoline engines burn really clean, so that the 3000 mile oil change is really a joke. Gotta keep the oil change places busy I guess.

If you want to do something, get a sample of the engine oil and get it analyzed. Then base your changes on that. Save you a ton of money and you can track the condition of the engine.

[Ryland]

My civic vx owners manual says 7,500 miles, 3,000 if you drive city traffic, short trips, dirt roads or are towing.
Most car's owners manuals I read say 7,500 miles.

[gasstingy]

My Kia Rio owners manual says unless you race and have a pit crew, it's a waste of money to change oil more than every 5000 miles. I tried synthetic on a car before, couldn't tell the mileage difference so I stopped spending the big bucks.

Switched the wifes '90 Century to the store brand at Advance Auto Parts back in the mid-90's and change it and teh filter at 6000 miles. It's over 183,000 now and consumes almost no oil.

[Joenavy85]

my manual says 3,000, I change the Oil every 5,000, and the filter every 10,000. I'm changing both this weekend at 85,000 to get on a even number.

[gone-ot]

• 3K for dyno-juice

• 8K for synthetic

[kir_kenix]

I change my synthetics every 12-15k (usually depends if its a nice day out or if I have a big trip looming). I always change the fiter when I do this. I run alot of ethenol, so I sometimes change my filter (and top off) between oil changes. This may not be needed, but it makes me feel better and my oil comes out looking cleaner. My s10 burns about 1 qt every 8k or so, so I usually replace the filter when I do the top off.
Some guys give me flack for changing my oil so infrequently, and others say I'm wasting cash on the filter change (too frequently). I'm inclined to believe from what I've seen in my engines that I'm certainly doing them no harm with this formula. I really should have my oil alalyzed next time I change just to see if my present interval/oil filter swap is working effectively.

[Rusty Marina]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

None of this is new; it's been this way for decades but it appears nobody got the memo. Well, it does take a lot of work to crack open that Owner's Manual so we can hardly expect motorists to do all that. And there you are, you have the information and STILL you cling to the old spec for no other reason than... what? Habit? That's what Grandpa did?

Hold on there chief:

They used to say 7500 and 10000 miles even in the 1970s; but oil has got so much better and todays engines run much cleaner.
My old carbed FE powered Ford pickup has always had dirty oil at 2,000 miles (Even after I rebuilt it in 1990; it was even balanced with new valves) while my service van with a fuel injected engine still looks faily clean at 3,000 miles.
Friend bought a new Escort back in '89 and changed oil at 7,500 miles.
before it his 90,000 it was being rebuilt.
It sludged up the engine and the wear was so bad they had to bore it 040 over because it would not clean up at 030
Id think with todays oils it would have survived.
Also, modern engines have much tighter clearances; I could not imagine running 5W-20 in my '72 390 Ford. Get a micrometer/dial bore gage out on a 2011 car and compare it to a 1971 right off the assembly line

[kir_kenix]

Originally Posted by gasstingy

Switched the wifes '90 Century to the store brand at Advance Auto Parts back in the mid-90's and change it and teh filter at 6000 miles. It's over 183,000 now and consumes almost no oil.

I'm 95% sure that the AAP house brand is Havoline if anybody is interested.

I know a few years ago that Walmarts Supertech conventional was Quaker State and their filters were fram economy filters (same as alot of part houses cheapo filters). They may have switched vendors in the last 5 years or so.

O'rielley's house brand was Quaker State as well (this is what i was told by their commercial vendor anyway) about 4-5 years ago as well.

I just thought I would throw this in there because alot of people seem aprehensive about house brand oils...

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by Rusty Marina

My old carbed FE powered Ford pickup has always had dirty oil at 2,000 miles

How do you know it was dirty?

[Fat Charlie]

I haven't looked up my my intervals in a few years, but I think it was 7500/3000 miles depending on the type of usage. I changed it at 1000 and every 3000 (give or take) since then. I change the filter more often than not, but I can get them at a pretty good price.

My small turbo engine consumes oil, so at the very least I would have to top it up regularly. I don't really like doing that, and since changing it isn't all that hard I just keep on changing it. I don't go with synthetic because of the cost and I'd heard a lot of complaints that these engines went through it faster than dino.