More frequent oil changes waste of $$ ?

[mystang52]

I have a 2014 Audie Q5, 2.0 Turbo engine. Standard oil change frequency is 10,000 miles. My car has 45,000 miles on it, and I plan to keep it for a very long time.
I understand that turbo engines burn hotter, or somehow or other work more intensely (as you can tell, I'm not exactly a mechanic). To do my best to keep the car functioning well, should I start changing the oil at, say, 8000 miles instead of 10,000?
Yeah, I know "it can't hurt" but is doing so just a waste of money?

 

[REWahoo]

... is doing so just a waste of money?

Yes.

 

[atmsmshr]

Follow the manufactures recommendation on interval, filter and type of oil. check to see if more frequent changes are warranted under towing or extreme conditions.

Going out on a limb here, but very few people will know better than the designers of the engine.

More often - owners neglect the transmission oil, engine coolant and brake fluid.

 

[rocketjockey]

Yes.

Double up on that Yes.

As an engineer, I love how people try to out do the requirements on stuff. Not.

Don't you think an entire department full of BS/MS/PhD automotive engineers with dozens/hundreds of years of combined powertrain experience + untold company mechanics years of experience would have come up with a good requirement to follow? I'm sure that 10K number even has plenty of conservatism in it.

 

[Car-Guy]

Oil (and filters) are cheap and easy to change. Engines are not. Every 5k for me. YMMV

 

[Big_Hitter]

most turbo engines use oil - make sure you keep it topped off

 

[bradaz2488]

I know a lot of people that do it every 3K miles. I'm a every 5K mile guy...

 

[SpinDr]

I'm a bit torn on this one. I understand going by the Manufacturers recommendation and being backed by engineering expertise but...with the now normal "free" maintenance offered by manufacturers it definitely reduces their costs during the 25k to 50K free maintenance schedules. My 4Runner for example had free maintenance for 25k which was basically 2 oil changes, fluid topping and inspections. Not much cost there for them.

 

[Big_Hitter]

I know a lot of people that do it every 3K miles. I'm a every 5K mile guy...

I'm a once a year or so guy - none of my vehicles get driven more than 5K a year

 

[bradaz2488]

I'm a once a year or so guy - none of my vehicles get driven more than 5K a year

That's another good point. I think most oil/car MFG recommend changing oil every year no matter how few miles driven. Does oil really break down after a year of little to no driving? Does that mean my oil has a shelf life? I'm not sure I believe this, but I'm not an expert on motor oil... Maybe we have one on the forum ...

 

[eytonxav]

How hard you drive the car and under some conditions might also dictate changing sooner.

 

[Chuckanut]

10,000 miles is probably the recommendation if the car is driven in a manner that allows it to warm up completely, few short stop and go trips, and not much driving in dirty conditions. Right?

Since my driving is not 100% like the above, I change oil and filter at 8,000 miles. It seems like a good precaution to me. Of course, the oil change outfits still recommend 3,000 - 5,000 miles. That is a huge waste of money and resources, IMHO.

 

[easysurfer]

Following the rule of thumb and repair shop's suggestion, I used to religiously change oil around 3,000 miles. Then the shop one day switched from 3,000 to 5,000. That was with my previous car.

My current car has a maintenance minder that shows by percentage of oil life remaining. I now go totally by the minder and not miles driven. Makes the "when to change" easier to remember.

 

[LRDave]

The auto repair industry (dealerships in particular) and the petroleum industry love for you to change your oil needlessly.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

That's another good point. I think most oil/car MFG recommend changing oil every year no matter how few miles driven. Does oil really break down after a year of little to no driving? Does that mean my oil has a shelf life? I'm not sure I believe this, but I'm not an expert on motor oil... Maybe we have one on the forum ...

I'm not Bob, but he might know
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

If you're interested in oil, his forum is pretty good.

Here's my opinion FWIW- there are two forces at work. Oil manufacturers and service companies have a financial interest in convincing customers to change their oil more often than recommended. On the other hand, car manufacturers are pressured to extend the intervals between maintenance, since that's a selling point. And if a motor needs repair due to not changing the oil frequently enough (say 5K vs 10K mile intervals), it will probably manifest itself long after any warranty has expired, so the manufacturer is off the hook.

As a former mechanic, my anecdotal observation is few cars these days are scrapped or need major engine work due to excessive piston wear or other major problems related to how often the oil is changed, as long as it's at a reasonable interval. I don't know much about the impact of turbochargers on oil, though. Maybe Bob does.

 

[imoldernu]

As some of you know, I live in a Villa in a CCRC. My widow next door neighbor, who passed away a few years ago, bought, new, a 2010 Lincoln, from the local dealership. Quite meticulous, she brought her car into the dealership every 3 months for an oil change, an inspection and a car wash... (about $135 each time).

When she died in 2015, her niece inherited the car. The total mileage on the speedometer was 2500 miles.

It made her happy so it was worth it. BTW, the major portion of her will, (about $750,000) went to her church.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I have always used Synthetic, 15k is the usual OR when it gets dirty. Typically Synthetic oil does not deteriorate like fossil oils, it just get dirty.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Following the rule of thumb and repair shop's suggestion, I used to religiously change oil around 3,000 miles. Then the shop one day switched from 3,000 to 5,000. That was with my previous car.

My current car has a maintenance minder that shows by percentage of oil life remaining. I now go totally by the minder and not miles driven. Makes the "when to change" easier to remember.

This is not needed for Synthetics. I only change mine when it is physically dirty. On my TT Porsche, I changed the Filter every 7500 miles but left the oils as is for 15k.

 

[easysurfer]

This is not needed for Synthetics. I only change mine when it is physically dirty. On my TT Porsche, I changed the Filter every 7500 miles but left the oils as is for 15k.

My old car didn't use synthetics but new one does.

I don't drive much and go over a year before the minder says time for oil change.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

i get my oil changed every 3 months its 30 bucks with the tip, last year i did 567 miles total, they told me every 6 months or 3000 miles. something about the acids build up. im sure they lied to me but , for 60 bucks a year i protect my investment

 

[RobbieB]

That's another good point. I think most oil/car MFG recommend changing oil every year no matter how few miles driven. Does oil really break down after a year of little to no driving? Does that mean my oil has a shelf life? I'm not sure I believe this, but I'm not an expert on motor oil... Maybe we have one on the forum ...

Not really a "shelf life", but yes a "crankcase" life if you will. Oil oxidizes like lots of things. Sealed up in it's plastic bottle doesn't get much oxygen and never too hot, but once you put in in the engine you have a lot of exposure to air in a hot environment. That's the reason they want you to change annually no matter the milage.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Some people install turbo timers that keep the engine idling after a hard drive to let the engine oil cool the turbo down. A hot turbocharger can severely stress the residual engine oil that remains in it after shutdown.

This is probably overkill if you don't track the car or otherwise drive at high boost for an extended period. But you might want to go easy on the throttle for a few minutes before you shut the car off.

As for oil, I've been running Shell Rotella T6 synthetic at 10,000 mile intervals in my car for over 120,000 miles (7500-mile intervals before that). The car uses zero oil with 275,000 miles on the clock.

 

[btdt22]

My oil change intervals in order of priority are; one year, engine oil monitor system, or owner's manual recommendation.

 

[frank2009]

The past few cars I've owned had a "normal service" and "severe service" service schedule. I follow the severe schedule. You will never save enough money on oil changes to come out ahead on engine repair. I can't imagine what an out of warranty engine repair would cost on an Audi!

 

[ncbill]

nothing we own is driven more than 9000 miles/year, most half that.

once a year with synthetic.

anything more would be a waste.