Time to Change my Car Oil???

[REattempt]

My last odyssey lasted 250k miles. Current odyssey has 240k. Always changed 3-5k with conventional oil. No engine issues. YMMV. Lol.

 

[Ronnieboy]

I recently saw an ad on tv touting Mobil 1 annual protection and it stated that it only needed to be changed every year or 20,000 miles.

I remember the days of 3 months 3,000 mile oil changes and I thought I was pushing it by going 5k miles cause I thought the 3/3,000 deal was a scam. Now I see 1 year and 20k? It will be nice to drop to yearly oil changes.

Disclaimer: I average 12k miles a year on the ole toyota.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Change it!

$25 for Mobil1/Rotella/Valvoline oil from Walmart. $10 for a filter (toyota OEM). About 35 mins using a jack/jackstands. Faster if you have a lift in the garage

Use the Mobil 1 From Walmart. OEM toyota filters from a local dealer were $4.50 each with free Drain Plug washers when I buy % at a time, ( The list price is something like $7 for the filter and $1.10 for the washer)

Changing at 5k is the Toyota spec. on my vehicles for normal driving. and is cheap insurance for long engine life.

Remember, motor oil has a lot of additives, anti wear, anti corrosion, anti foam, etc. Just because the viscosity and ph is ok is only part of the oil life story. Oil analysis generally doesn't test for these.

Takes me less time to do it myself than the trip to and wait at local mechanics or dealers. I will not touch any of the quick lube places.

 

[kitesurfer2]

I buy a jug of synthetic and a filter at wal mart. I take it to a local mechanic to change @ $20.00. that is for my Transit van. I cannot lay under it due to vertigo. it has a oil change reminder, but I always change it at 5k intervals.
My vette goes to the dealer. it gives me the percentage of oil life left .change it when it tells you too.

 

[Koolau]

<SNIP>

As far as cars failing because of oil, I don't think that would happen on newer cars except in the most egregious of cases. A buddy of mine dated a gal who had a late 80s Accord that had a little over 100K miles on it and the oil had NEVER been changed. Not saying that it's a smart move, but going over the oil change intervals by a little (or even a lot) is most likely not going to cause catastrophic failure.

An associate at w*rk bought "older" cars and never changed the oil. He just added back what had been burned or had leaked out. He tried this on his first new car. After a few years, he thought maybe he should have the oil changed - just because. When the oil plug was removed, nothing came out. The sludge had solidified and blocked the drain. The mechanic strongly suggested to him that he should trade cars - soon. YMMV

 

[Music Lover]

DW's new Mazda has a change oil indication that comes on. I read the manual and it says the interval is programmable. We bought the car last September, but I believe the oil light is programmed for an estimated 12K miles. Right now she has about 3K miles on the car. I am going to tell the dealer to reprogram the oil indicate lt for 12 months.

I was under the impression that for most cars the oil change indicator was based on several factors...miles driven, length of trips, cold starts and winter driving, etc. A car driven in a summer climate on the highway might not need an oil change for 10k miles while one used for short trips in winter could need a change in 3k miles.

I bought a new (used) car in March that had just had an oil change...I've put 5,000 kms on it and the oil life indicator is now at 50%. The manual says to change the oil when it gets to 0%.

 

[ERD50]

I was under the impression that for most cars the oil change indicator was based on several factors...miles driven, length of trips, cold starts and winter driving, etc. A car driven in a summer climate on the highway might not need an oil change for 10k miles while one used for short trips in winter could need a change in 3k miles.

I bought a new (used) car in March that had just had an oil change...I've put 5,000 kms on it and the oil life indicator is now at 50%. The manual says to change the oil when it gets to 0%.

Correct. The newer ones (last decade? Depends on mfg ) use an algorithm based on the factors you mentioned. Mileage is probably fairly low on the "point system".

-ERD50

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I recently saw an ad on tv touting Mobil 1 annual protection and it stated that it only needed to be changed every year or 20,000 miles.

I remember the days of 3 months 3,000 mile oil changes and I thought I was pushing it by going 5k miles cause I thought the 3/3,000 deal was a scam. Now I see 1 year and 20k? It will be nice to drop to yearly oil changes.

Disclaimer: I average 12k miles a year on the ole toyota.

I think once a year and 20K would be OK if you were running truly synthetic oil. However, since I usually get them pretty cheap/free then I probably won't be experimenting anytime soon.

Speaking of oil changes. Another hotly contested topic on many car forums is changing (or not) of transmission fluid. Anyone care to discuss that?

 

[ERD50]

I think once a year and 20K would be OK if you were running truly synthetic oil. However, since I usually get them pretty cheap/free then I probably won't be experimenting anytime soon.

Speaking of oil changes. Another hotly contested topic on many car forums is changing (or not) of transmission fluid. Anyone care to discuss that?

The answer to all this is so simple, it can be condensed to to 4 letters:

RTFM

-ERD50

 

[meierlde]

Correct. The newer ones (last decade? Depends on mfg ) use an algorithm based on the factors you mentioned. Mileage is probably fairly low on the "point system".

-ERD50

I detected this on the 2011 cruze I owned by noting how much slower in mileage the percent oil life declined on long trips compared to around town driving.

 

[aja8888]

Remember, motor oil has a lot of additives, anti wear, anti corrosion, anti foam, etc. Just because the viscosity and ph is ok is only part of the oil life story. Oil analysis generally doesn't test for these.

(My bold above) I assume you mean oil analysis firms don't test for additive life? That's not been my experience when sending oil sample to Blackstone Labs in Indiana for analysis when I had "built" diesels. Blackstone's standard analysis is for many wear metals, coolant and fuel contamination, chemical parameters, and TBN. TBN is the test for additive life and generally the % remaining is the expected "life" of the oil. Other firms amy not test for it, however.

A test kit from Blackstone is free (they will mail it to you) and an oil analysis is around $30.

 

[Car-Guy]

I think once a year and 20K would be OK if you were running truly synthetic oil. However, since I usually get them pretty cheap/free then I probably won't be experimenting anytime soon.

Speaking of oil changes. Another hotly contested topic on many car forums is changing (or not) of transmission fluid. Anyone care to discuss that?

5k for engine oil and 50k for transmission fluid. Nothing else to discuss IMO, except to use the best oil/fluids and filters when you do the maintenance.

While engine oil may very well still have adequate lubricating capabilities at 5k miles, it's already filthy.

 

[Music Lover]

5k for engine oil and 50k for transmission fluid. Nothing else to discuss IMO, except to use the best oil/fluids and filters when you do the maintenance.

While engine oil may very well still have adequate lubricating capabilities at 5k miles, it's already filthy.

It's not a simple hard and fast rule of 5k for oil changes...cold starts and short trips in a winter climate are considered extreme use and 5000 miles may be too long between changes.

On the other hand, the computer algorithm in my car...designed by educated professionals tells me that with 5500 kilometers (3,400 miles) of driving since the last change, that the oil still has 50% life left.

 

[Car-Guy]

It's not a simple hard and fast rule of 5k for oil changes...cold starts and short trips in a winter climate are considered extreme use and 5000 miles may be too long between changes.

I'd agree that severe conditions/usage (among other factors, like length of time or use of leaded fuels, etc) could warrant shorter change intervals. But it's a good rule of thumb for most drivers.

 

[Rianne]

We have 2 Camry's
1. 1997 - 200K miles
2. 2004 - 265K miles both still running great.

Always changed the oil every 3-4K miles on both, good tires. Very few major repairs, I think brakes, battery, muffler a couple of other things. Bought both new with cash. We've not had a car payment in over 20 years. The repairs can bite, but not that often.

 

[mickeyd]

Since Texas requires an annual safety auto inspection, I always change oil/filter at the same time that I get the car inspected. I only put <5k annual miles on the car.

 

[wolf]

I really don't understand why you are asking the question - isn't the answer right there in what you posted from the manual?


-ERD50

+++ 1. Don't be so "frugal"

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The answer to all this is so simple, it can be condensed to to 4 letters:

RTFM

-ERD50

Ah, but then there wouldn't be such a fun discussion! I am pretty diligent in going with what the manufacturer says and that has resulted in my cars (and an airplane) living long, healthy lives.

 

[aja8888]

Over on an auto board I frequent, a "which oil" or "when should I change it" thread will cause you extreme harassment!

 

[Lakewood90712]

Over on an auto board I frequent, a "which oil" or "when should I change it" thread will cause you extreme harassment!

Now that would not include discussion of lubricants sold thru multi level marketing ?

PS some are good products, just not a fan of the sales method.

 

[Car-Guy]

Over on an auto board I frequent, a "which oil" or "when should I change it" thread will cause you extreme harassment!

+1 Been there, done that.... I've been a Mobil 1 advocate for years and have had really good luck with it. Heck my Corvettes specify the use of Mobil 1 in the owners manual and even remind you with a label on the oil filler cap under the hood. I always thought it would meet any car engine spec. That is until I read my latest vehicle users manual which requires the use of a 0-40w oil that meets Chryslers spec MS-12633. Mobil 1 does not make such a blend. Matter of fact they recommend Pennzoil 0-40 Ultra. I'm beginning to think it's all marketing deals.

 

[ncbill]

5k for engine oil and 50k for transmission fluid. Nothing else to discuss IMO, except to use the best oil/fluids and filters when you do the maintenance.

While engine oil may very well still have adequate lubricating capabilities at 5k miles, it's already filthy.

IIRC the current recommendation is to just change the transmission fluid via drain & fill.

NOT to flush out the transmission as so many places offer.

Since any contamination that's already up in there could get forced into a tight enough space to cause problems with the tranny.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

IIRC the current recommendation is to just change the transmission fluid via drain & fill.

NOT to flush out the transmission as so many places offer.

Since any contamination that's already up in there could get forced into a tight enough space to cause problems with the tranny.

Yes- don't do the "flush". Do a 3x3 change. If you just drain/fill once you'll leave a lot of old fluid in the transmission. Just drain-fill-drive three times. I did this 50K miles ago on my acura.

 

[aja8888]

+1 Been there, done that.... I've been a Mobil 1 advocate for years and have had really good luck with it. Heck my Corvettes specify the use of Mobil 1 in the owners manual and even remind you with a label on the oil filler cap under the hood. I always thought it would meet any car engine spec. That is until I read my latest vehicle users manual which requires the use of a 0-40w oil that meets Chryslers spec MS-12633. Mobil 1 does not make such a blend. Matter of fact they recommend Pennzoil 0-40 Ultra. I'm beginning to think it's all marketing deals.

The German diesels I messed with for years always "required" oil that met their specifications: 505.00, 505.01, 505.02, 507, etc. And some of there were not backward compatible. Crazy Germans!

 

[brett]

The reason that I asked is because I have friends/relatives in the UK who seem so surprised about how often we change the oil in our cars. Over there it seems quiet common to go for miles, and months without changing he oil. And this is for folks who have always have their cars dealer serviced.

Seems odd to me because I always changed my oil and filter per specs. When I asked, they said that they were following specs. Go figure.