oil change!

[wOo-TaNg]

i havent changed my oil for 5,000 miles what kind of damage am i causing?

[lanos2001]

well actually 5k miles isn't too bad. its not good but its not gonna damage anything. just change it with some synthetic. b/c with synthetic you don't have to change it for 5k miles still better to change it every 3k miles but it can last a lot longer than regular oil.


nick

[BosnianLanos]

You'll be fine for a few times. Just don't make a habit of it.

[MMamdouh]

oil is cheaper than engines.

MMamdouh

[kroz123]

3K miles is how much kms??

sry for the stupid ?

[MMamdouh]

3125 miles = 5000 kms.

MMamdouh

[kroz123]

3125 miles = 5000 kms.

MMamdouh

ohh ok I'm good then.
I'm changing it every 5000kms with Mobil.

[genie47]

My Chevy manual calls for oil changes every 10,000km. That will work to around 6k miles. It should be OK. Changing oil at 3k miles or 5k km does not have any benefit and is a might fine waste of still pristine motor oil. I use dino oil for 10k km change intervals.

[BosnianLanos]

Yes...many new car companies call for oil changes anywhere from about 5,000 - 7,000 miles. And while this is ok for the first few oil changes, the engine will age, and the oil will begin to break down and lose its lubricating properties very quickly. Allowing a 45,000 mile engine to go 6,000 miles without an oil change will leave you drawing black, thick, almost tarlike substance every time you change the oil. Old oil will damage seals, increase engine wear, cause your engine to work much harder, use more gas, and eventually lead your car to an early grave. In my Lanos, I change my oil anywhere from every 2,500-3,000 miles (regardless of the dealer-recommended 5,000) and I have gotten up to 199,000 miles without a single engine related fault. This is while many modern cars (year 2001+) are already in the shop with huge repair fees asking for oil sludge to be removed from engines.

Considering that the average driver drives 15,000 miles a year, which equates to about 5 oil changes, or 1 every 2 or so months, you will not break the bank, and your car will last much longer, give you a better driving experience, and in the end be much more economical than waiting so long to change the oil. Regardless of what your dealer tells you, do yourself a favor and change your oil every 3,000 miles.

[DomWoo]

i read in a magazine that some of the new 2006 chevys call for a oil change every 30k miles.. dont know how true that is but it was when i was working at a lube shop

[MMamdouh]

My Chevy manual calls for oil changes every 10,000km. That will work to around 6k miles. It should be OK. Changing oil at 3k miles or 5k km does not have any benefit and is a might fine waste of still pristine motor oil. I use dino oil for 10k km change intervals.

thats not true... oil start losing its lubricant charactristics from the first engine rev and keeps on losing it till it fails so changing it on a much shorter intervals is good for the engine... OK it will cost more but again as Mobil says: oil is cheaper than engines.

also it depends on how you drive... if you drive on highways on constant speeds for 30 min. or more per day and you don't rev it hard then you can afford to change oil on long periods but if you drive in the city, too much turn on and off engine, too much traffic lights, small trips not longer than 10 miles every time, revving hard and lots of stop and go then you are driving hard and you need to change oil much sooner.

they say Mobil 1 lasts for 10,000 kms... thats the max it can handle but that doesn't mean it will not hurt your engine to keep it that much long... i replace mine every 5000 kms 'cause i am in the "hard drive" category and my oil always looks as dirty as hell so no way i am going to keep it for 5000 more... i can afford to get new oil but i can't afford to get a new engine.

MMamdouh

[genie47]

Trust me, the motor oil of today can withstand up to 10k km of city driving. There is a whole wealth of information from city driving folks to highway screaming folks at BITOG. The 5k miles or 10k km change interval is conservative and still OK.

What constitutes to severe is short trips. Traffic jams don't really do much damage actually the longer the engine is running, the better. Towing is severe and so is hill climbing. Other than that, the conservative interval is very conservative. 3k miles is wasteful.

FYI, how long an oil last will depend on the ZDP additive and the TBN. The ZDP is hard to exhaust but the TBN goes down the moment you crank. Most PCMOs have TBN of 8 starting. Theoretically speaking when the TBN goes down to 0, it is acid. The oil is spent but how low will make you uncomfortable and that is the question.

I have used PCMOs that started with a TBN of 8. Royal Purple and Conoco Hydroclear. With my driving style, after 10k km, TBN is reported to be 3 usually. I've calculated that I got maybe 2-3k more distance before it goes down to 1 or 0.

I have used HDEO style PCMO before with TBN of 10. After 10k km, it will be 4 usually.

[kinkyllama]

Changing at 3k miles on a street car that isnt pushed hard or in very bad weather is actually bad for the engine. I've seen this topic discussed many times.. 5k miles is what you should change it at for most all cars, no matter what kind of oil your using

[kroz123]

Don't take it personally, but don't be a smart ass either

My driving style is the same as yours and I always change my oil every 5000km or every 3 months whichs comes first that's what the dealer here recommends and it is also hot as hell here.

Changing to late will cause engine slugde and may cause the engine to run harder, burn more gas even if you don't drive hard, and cause your engine to slow down.

So if you don't want to change it every 5000kms that's your problem and if your engine braeks down you'll come eventually here to ask some ?s

What do you drive?
Is Dino oil syntetich or just regular oil

[cpd]

I change whenever I get around to it; between 5000 and 10000kms. I'm lazy.