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Message started by gerald.hughes on 12/19/11 at 11:01:29

Title: Reaction to oil article????
Post by gerald.hughes on 12/19/11 at 11:01:29

Frequent engine-oil changes called wasteful, outdated idea
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Jerry Hirsch Los Angeles Times | Posted: Monday, December 19, 2011 12:00 am | Comments
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Many automobile owners are spending more than they need on motor oil, believing it should be changed every 3,000 miles even though almost no manufacturer requires such an aggressive oil-change schedule.
The long-held notion that the oil should be changed every 3,000 miles is so prevalent that California officials have launched a campaign to stop drivers from wasting millions of gallons of oil annually because they have their vehicles serviced too often.
"Our survey data found that nearly half of California drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner," said Mark Oldfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery.
Improvement in oils, friction proofing and car engines have lengthened the oil-change interval, typically 7,500 miles to 10,000 miles for most vehicles.
The agency and other groups said slashing motor-oil consumption would be good for the environment and won't hurt the longevity or reliability of autos.
"The 3,000-mile oil change just says that the marketing campaign by quick-lube companies has been effective," said Steve Mazor, manager of the Auto Club of Southern California's Automotive Research Center. It made sense years ago, when "we had cast-iron block engines with cast-iron pistons that would expand when they got hot and older lubricants," Mazor said.
Nationally, 51 percent of vehicle owners said they believe oil should be changed every 3,000 miles or three months, according to an August survey by market research firm NPD Group. And just 33 percent wait more than 4,000 miles between oil changes, NPD said.
Drivers should be confident in the oil service advice offered by automakers, Mazor said.
Vehicle warranties, especially for power trains, have grown longer in recent years, he noted, and automakers would not give advice that could hurt engines and increase their warranty expenses.
Ford Motor Co. recommends oil changes for most of its new vehicles at 10,000 miles, although some still require the service at 7,500 miles, for example.
Copyright 2011 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read more: http://azstarnet.com/business/local/frequent-engine-oil-changes-called-wasteful-outdated-idea/article_86f2ab53-e81a-5496-88d7-8ee2748e5022.html#ixzz1h0b171F4

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by dasch on 12/19/11 at 11:18:37

My last car, toyota Corolla had 15000km (approx 10000 miles) interval, new citroen is 20000km. Yes, they both require full synth oil, so? Draining oil on 5000km on modern engines makes no sense.

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by Serowbot on 12/19/11 at 11:54:48

If I actually drove my car,.. I would probably go 4 or 5k between changes.
... but I only go about 3k per year... so, I change it once a year, to remove contaminants and condensation...
Maybe I should go 2yrs?... whadaya think?... :-?...

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by EJID on 12/19/11 at 12:01:12

My wife's Honda has an indicator that tells you the service life left on the oil and when it reaches 5% we usually get it changed (last 2 times have been about 5,000 miles of mostly in-town driving) On my other cars they are older and not as advanced, so I will keep them on the every 3,000 mile regimen. Sometimes that is only once every 12-18 months for me as well.

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by LostArtist on 12/19/11 at 12:43:07

I change oil every 4-5,000 miles on my 02 mazda, I want to do it every 3,000 but I forget a lot. . .

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by verslagen1 on 12/19/11 at 13:15:09

That thing with 4 wheels... you have to change the oil?

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by arteacher on 12/19/11 at 15:49:24

Spring and fall, regardless of mileage.

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by Skid Mark on 12/19/11 at 19:32:06

MY 2005 pontiac g5 has and oil life indicator. I have never checked the ilage but change it when it gets to 10% or if we drive to the states. I can get a Sears oil chage for $25 when im down south. I couldnt even buy just the oil for that up here. The bike oil gets fresh oil in the spring, a change midseason and possible one towards the end of the season, depending upon miles ridden. Beside my bikes have always told me when they want fresh oil. Thats one of the perks of motorcycling, you are more in touch with the machine. :)

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by mpescatori on 12/20/11 at 00:28:55

We have three cars in the family, my wife's VW Polo, my Tata 4x4 and a 1980 MGB GT.

According to VW's own recommendations, the Polo needs servicing every 20.000 Km on "generic 10W40 synthetic" or 30.000 on VW's own oil.
That's 12000 and 19000 miles respectively.
OR, when the light flashes in the dash - the Engine management System keeps track of engine use, and 1 hr in bumper-bumper traffic downtown is much more taxing to the engine than one hour cruising on the freeway.

My own tata 4x4 has an old, cast iron, pushrod diesel, which actually comes off a truck, the major differences being a re-engineered head with common rail direct injection and a turbocharger with intercooler and wastegate.
Again, 10W-40 oil at 15000 Km (9-10.000 miles) but as I commute a lot I change it at 10thou Km. Again, bumper to bumper traffic etc.

The MGB is a different kind of animal. like the Tata, it's a very old design, cast iron block, pushrod operated, carbs, points&condenser ignition, it's such a basic, old fashioned design you could drop it into a 1930's engine bay and nobody would tell the difference.
Given the limited mileage, once/year, regardless the (limited) mileage, with 15W-40 or even 20W-40 oil.

IMHO, as motorcyclists we are accustomed to frequent oil changes because of our bikes' much jigher state of tuning, but car engines are not that demanding.

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by Trippah on 12/20/11 at 09:27:15

When I had myB's, I tried to put a pan under the engine to catch the leaking oil, then poured it back into the engine when the pan was at risk of running over...naw, why bother i decided after the first pan fell off in Boston traffic. The leaking oil was a great rust inhibiter so I just replaced it as it leaked, changing the filter every 5 thou miles. ;D

More seriously (or honestly), every 10 thousand miles on the cars, or at least in the winterizing (snow tire putting on) visit to the garage. Topping up as needed on monthly oil checks.

Every 6-10K miles on our Toyota Previa which we traded in at 245,996 miles with no engine work ever done on it. (What a wonderful vehicle that was).

Title: Re: Reaction to oil article????
Post by WD on 12/23/11 at 18:56:46

My 69 D100 with a 318 V8 gets the filter changed once a year, maybe. The oil never gets changed, I just top it up as needed. My 49 Dodge fired off with 1974 vintage Pennzoil (storage) oil in the crankcase in 1994. 94 Ranger has been run 4500 miles or so since the last change, oil is still honey colored...

Savage has had one oil change in the last 10K miles. I run cheap crap 15W40 or 20W50 in everything. As long as the oil isn't water thin or smelling like fuel it doesn't need changed.