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Oil Change - Time vs Mileage


Horn_Spanker

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1 minute ago, Horn_Spanker said:

I've always changed my oil by mileage regardless of time.  Yesterday I changed at 5,000 miles in a lightly used car and noticed the last change was March 2017.  Any thoughts on oil age?

I spend the extra $$ for Mobil 1.  Get extra time and mileage.  

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1 hour ago, Orange&White said:

Depends on the car and depends on the oil in it.

I use full synthetic and I wouldn't go past 10k miles and I also wouldn't go past 365 days. Whichever comes first.

If I did use dino oil, I would cut both of those in half. 5k miles/6 months.

 

MB now recommends a 10K oil change interval for full synthetic.  Jaguar is now at a 15K oil change interval.  The oil change shops weep. 

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distance OR time, whichever comes first, based on manuf recommendation.  both should be scaled based on actual driving behavior.

my car has a computer that takes care of it for me.  it'll do 2 years or ~20,000 miles, to be reduced based on condition and behavior

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I have always gone with 5,000 miles on the '13 Escape & '14 F-150. Although I think it could be stretched to 7,500. I'd have to check on that and depending on the type of oil, and driving conditions. 

I will also have to check with the dealership to see what they say about the 1998 911. As for my 1968 Riviera, it is in the shop right now getting a good inspection and oil change. I do oil in that once a year, regardless of miles accrued.

I'd say 5,000 miles is a safe bet. I do see where newer cars are getting more miles between changes. 

Edited by PittsburghTiger
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Mileage for sure. The time is there to scare the granny who drives 100 miles a year to going in and giving the quicky lube more money every three months.  Age could possibly come into play if it were a extremely dusty/humid area you live in as that could break it down when you do drive to the bank and post office once a week.

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3 hours ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Mileage.

Although my truck uses some % of oil life remaining formula.  I have no idea what goes into that calculation.  It always works out beyond the sticker miles though.  It wasn't that long ago when every sticker still had 3k miles or 3 months.  That number always seemed ridiculous.

Those % oil life remaining don't work if you use synthetic oil.  If you change it yourself, be sure and reset it after doing so (or make certain the oil change place does it for you).

Edited by Samson's Wig
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I worked with a guy for 15 years...he never changed the oil in his vehicles.  He would just pull the filter, put on a new one, then add a quart of Pennzoil.  He never had an engine issue the entire time I worked with him, and drove only two vehicles during this time (his wife had a car as well).  He was convinced oil would never "wear out".

 

Personally, I use Mobil 1 in everything and change it at 6K or 6 months, whichever comes first...usually mileage.  And I still change it myself.

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7 minutes ago, Hawndoh said:

The oil was in the ground for a few million years, but it's going to go bad in 3 months. 

 

I have a lawnmower that I've been using for 14 years that I've never changed or added oil to. Still starts on one pull and runs fine. 

 

Once my wife came in with a quart of oil that i had left in her trunk. It had been back there for a few months or so. She asked if it was still any good.

 

 

yeah, yeah, I know, somebody left a quart in my momma's trunk.

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5 hours ago, Trey3216 said:

I spend the extra $$ for Mobil 1.  Get extra time and mileage.  

Don't buy Mobil 1 5w30 though if you have a turbocharged or otherwise hot/high-pressure car, though. It's fine in a naturally-aspirated engine, but in the modern style turbo 4-cyl, for some odd reason that particular formulation of it is crap.

And the answer to OP's question is "Change it as often as the owner's manual says to, with what it says to use." Any other answer is wrong.

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1 hour ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

I worked with a guy for 15 years...he never changed the oil in his vehicles.  He would just pull the filter, put on a new one, then add a quart of Pennzoil.  He never had an engine issue the entire time I worked with him, and drove only two vehicles during this time (his wife had a car as well).  He was convinced oil would never "wear out".

Yeah that's... just wrong.

It's not just the dirt that gets in there.

What happens is that the polymers are sheared under pressure; they're literally ripped to shreds. That changes the viscosity of the oil and makes it less effective at lubricating.

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4 hours ago, bschoolprof said:

Mileage. Full synthetic to get the extra mileage. If you worry about the cost of oil changes, you are too poor to be driving.

 

More to the point, you should be more worried about the cost of major engine repair.

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45 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

Don't buy Mobil 1 5w30 though if you have a turbocharged or otherwise hot/high-pressure car, though. It's fine in a naturally-aspirated engine, but in the modern style turbo 4-cyl, for some odd reason that particular formulation of it is crap. 

5w30 is the oil that Ford recommends  for the turbocharged F150 Ecoboost.

 

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2 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Don't buy Mobil 1 5w30 though if you have a turbocharged or otherwise hot/high-pressure car, though. It's fine in a naturally-aspirated engine, but in the modern style turbo 4-cyl, for some odd reason that particular formulation of it is crap.

And the answer to OP's question is "Change it as often as the owner's manual says to, with what it says to use." Any other answer is wrong.

My Mercedes is a turbo, and I'm pretty sure that 5w30 Mobil 1 is the MB spec.  

Anyway, the MB gets an oil change when the computer says it's time.  My truck doesn't get driven a whole lot, so I change it annually if I don't hit the mileage recommended by the manufacturer. 

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11 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

My Mercedes is a turbo, and I'm pretty sure that 5w30 Mobil 1 is the MB spec.  

Anyway, the MB gets an oil change when the computer says it's time.  My truck doesn't get driven a whole lot, so I change it annually if I don't hit the mileage recommended by the manufacturer. 

If that's the case, then it overrides any advice anyone would give you. Odd that they'd actually mention Mobile 1 by brand.

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1 hour ago, otisdog said:

5w30 is the oil that Ford recommends  for the turbocharged F150 Ecoboost.

 

That's fine. Just don't use Mobil 1. Use a different brand. Unless, as is the case for Gil Bang, the manual specifically recommends Mobil 1.

I'm on my second Subaru WRX, and Mobil 1 5w30 is hot garbage in that engine, shearing to uselessness within about ~2500 miles.

Just to be clear, this is apparently an issue with just that particular formulation of that particular brand. Mobil 1 Advanced, Mobil 1 High Mileage, or any other 5w30 is going to be different.

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I gotta say...if you ever want to get in to religion wars on par with Windows vs. Mac, Rep vs Democrat, or chili w/beans or without.... engine oil is a good topic.

Hell, there's an entire website dedicated to engine oil.  Recommended if you ever want to dive into that rabbit hole:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forum_summary

 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Don't buy Mobil 1 5w30 though if you have a turbocharged or otherwise hot/high-pressure car, though. It's fine in a naturally-aspirated engine, but in the modern style turbo 4-cyl, for some odd reason that particular formulation of it is crap.

Link?

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1 hour ago, Rimbo said:

If that's the case, then it overrides any advice anyone would give you. Odd that they'd actually mention Mobile 1 by brand.

Under the fucking hood, there's a sticker that says "Mercedes Benz recommends Mobil 1".   The GF is gone in the car now.  When she returns I will post a photo. 

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17 minutes ago, otisdog said:

Link?

Good question. I'll have to dig it up. It was a long time ago, and Mobil 1 has come out with their "Advanced" and other varieties since then, which hopefully resolve the issues. The only other evidence I have is the busted head gasket on my '03 WRX, where I used Mobil 1 5w30 almost exclusively.

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Just checked the googles.  Looks like 0-40 Mobil 1 is the spec.   I also learned that Mobil 1 is in Mercedes as the factory fill. 

 

This is what happens when you don't change your own oil (maintenance included with the purchase)

Edited by Gil Bang
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Just now, Gil Bang said:

Just checked the googles.  Looks like 0-40 Mobil 1 is the spec.   I also learned that Mobil 1 is in Mercedes as the factory fill. 

Yep. 0-40 is going to be an entirely different formula from the 5w30. Apparently this only applies to their 5w30. Again, I'll have to find the link...

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