Oil Change
#1
01-15-2010 | 08:20 PM
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 359
From: Tucson, Az
Oil Change
Hey guys,
Got the 15% maintenance A-1 code, which is oil change and tire rotation. What did you guys do with the oil filter? I was thinking of taking it out and dumping out the old oil and putting it back on, then change it on the next maintenance.
I usually changed both on my previous car, but if the filter is still good then I won't bother.
Got the 15% maintenance A-1 code, which is oil change and tire rotation. What did you guys do with the oil filter? I was thinking of taking it out and dumping out the old oil and putting it back on, then change it on the next maintenance.
I usually changed both on my previous car, but if the filter is still good then I won't bother.
#6
01-16-2010 | 10:04 PM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 222
From: Canada
The filters sold by Napa (made by Wix) are among the best available anywhere and way cheaper than most dealers sell them for. And stay away from Fram--- that's another story for another thread.
I change my filter at every oil change even though the manual recommends less frequent filter changes. Filters are CHEAP. Engines, not so much...
I change my filter at every oil change even though the manual recommends less frequent filter changes. Filters are CHEAP. Engines, not so much...
#8
01-17-2010 | 08:57 AM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 222
From: Canada
Exactly! The ironic thing with the pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later mantra is that it's used by Allied Signal, makers of Fram filters. In their case the slogan should read "pay me now AND pay me later, suckers!"
#9
01-17-2010 | 09:19 AM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,462
From: Vermont
Amsoil recommends filter replacement more often than oil replacement as the junk that NEEDs to be removed will most likely be in the filter. Just top off the oil once you've replaced the filter and you can go for a while on Amsoil synth.
~SB
#11
01-17-2010 | 01:52 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
Can't help either. Follow manufacturers' recommendations.
#12
01-17-2010 | 01:56 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 405
From: Phoenix
When was the last time you saw an engine wear out from not changing the oil? When was the last time you saw one wear out from changing it too often? As I said, cheap insurance, gives you something to do on a Saturday morning, and gets you under the car to check other stuff. To each his own, but I go for the insurance.
#13
01-17-2010 | 02:33 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
Fine, but in doing so you're giving a generation of new drivers an insecurity complex about obsessively changing their oil.
If it makes you happy, go for it. If you want to post about its insurance benefits, it would help if you could cite any studies done to back you up in spite of what every automaker states.
In the meantime I offer this:
The 3,000 Mile Oil Change Myth – Save Your Money
If it makes you happy, go for it. If you want to post about its insurance benefits, it would help if you could cite any studies done to back you up in spite of what every automaker states.
In the meantime I offer this:
The 3,000 Mile Oil Change Myth – Save Your Money
#14
01-17-2010 | 02:53 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 405
From: Phoenix
Well..so what if they "obsesively change their oil"? Clean oil and filters are good for an engine. As far as studies....Again, when was the last time ANYONE saw an engine wear out from clean oil? How about dirty oil? I rest my case about that. The automakers know most people don't keep their cars long enough to have dirty oil really damage their engines before they trade it off. Extended oil changes, as the "100,000 mile tune-up" are marketing ploys. I HAVE seen spark plugs freeze in an engine of someone trying to go the 100,000 mile tune-up. Maybe a 10,000 mile interval oil change will be ok for a 3-5 year owner. Would you trust it if you keep your car for 200,000 miles? I would not. Oil is cheap.
#15
01-17-2010 | 03:15 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
Waste of time, oil, and money. And if you do manage to pass on your obsession you'll make 'em feel badly when they don't change it.
Find a single study that shows the benefits of premature oil changes. Just one.
I plan on owning my cars for 10 years. The last one I sold at 12 years and 225K miles. I went by the minder and Honda's recommendations on it: 7,500 miles between changes. It was starting to get expensive and time consuming to maintain, about $1,500 per year. But not a single oil related failure; stuff like rads, cv joints, mufflers, abs accumulator, steering column cable reel, engine mounts.
I finally broke my wife of the habit, but it took the DIC on her GXP to convince her.
Find a single study that shows the benefits of premature oil changes. Just one.
I plan on owning my cars for 10 years. The last one I sold at 12 years and 225K miles. I went by the minder and Honda's recommendations on it: 7,500 miles between changes. It was starting to get expensive and time consuming to maintain, about $1,500 per year. But not a single oil related failure; stuff like rads, cv joints, mufflers, abs accumulator, steering column cable reel, engine mounts.
I finally broke my wife of the habit, but it took the DIC on her GXP to convince her.
#16
01-17-2010 | 03:21 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 405
From: Phoenix
Waste of time? What better way to spend a Saturday morning than getting under your car and doing some work? I would think that a study on "premature" oil changes would be hard to do. Again, when was an engine worn out by that? Ever heard of one? Anyway, do what you want, and I will do it my way. We will both be happy.
#17
01-17-2010 | 03:28 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
sigh. Of course studies are easy to do. And it's done all the time.
Here's one.
Better way to spend my Saturday morning? c'mon that's too easy.
But if you're going to come across as an authority you need to be able to back yourself up. Especially on a bulletin board with the demographics of this one.
Here's one.
Even in the severe driving conditions that a New York City taxi endures, we noted no benefit from changing the oil every 3,000 miles rather than every 6,000. If your driving falls into the “normal” service category, changing the oil every 7,500 miles (or at the automaker’s suggested intervals) should certainly provide adequate protection. (We recommend changing the oil filter with each oil change.)
But if you're going to come across as an authority you need to be able to back yourself up. Especially on a bulletin board with the demographics of this one.
#18
01-17-2010 | 03:36 PM
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 405
From: Phoenix
A study on "pre-mature oil changes" COULD be done, but what is it going to show? Has clean oil EVER damaged an engine? Not likely, and a study trying to find one would be extremely difficult to justify. For what purpose? We already know that dirty oil DOES damage engines. That is why we have oil changes. If your purpose is to "Save the World" by cutting down on oil usage, go for it. But you are not going to save anything. Recycled oil is used over and over. Anyway, I see no reason to continue this discussion. Do what you want, and I will do likewise.
#19
01-17-2010 | 04:18 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
Maybe.
Here's a journal article. I haven't vetted the author or the journal but it looks pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?
I take that with a grain of salt. But too frequent changes only benefit the oil change businesses and oil companies. I like this from the motor oil evaluator.com's site:
Here's a journal article. I haven't vetted the author or the journal but it looks pretty interesting, wouldn't you say?
The analysis in this paper is based on a review of oil, engine, and bearing technologies and on a survey of vehicle operators. The oil development, specification and approval process is also discussed. The results indicate engine reliability is significantly dependent on the period between oil changes. Surprisingly, the survey data shows that oil changes, when too frequent, can reduce the expected life of an automobile engine. The unexpected outcome is supported by lubrication technology literature. Changing engine oil at the proper mileage can improve engine reliability
It blows my mind that oil companies have such a contempt for our environment and for the average American consumer as to continue to perpetuate this lie. 3,000 or even 5,000 mile oil changes haven't been necessary for decades, and the oil companies know it. But I don't expect you'll be hearing that from them anytime soon.
#20
01-17-2010 | 04:27 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,661
From: Georgia
or this one:
Or this one:
I really need a hobby (something besides changing oil).
It’s easier to convince an Evangelical that Christ was a grifter than to persuade pistonheads to give up their regular oil change. Yea, verily, the maniacal motorists believe in the healing power of regular visits to the Church of St. Pennzoil. And they certainly have the Gospel of Jiffy Lube on their sides: Thou shalt change thy oil every 3k miles or your engine will blow up in an explosion of fire and brimstone. Well I hereby give pistonheads permission to skip their next regularly scheduled motor oil change. And the one after that one.
Or this one:
It is really up to us consumers to rid ourselves of this superstition that oil formulated by laboratories with 21st Century know-how and used in engines with advance electronic management can only be good only for 3,000 miles. The manufacturers know better – go with their recommendation for they have everything to lose by recommending too long an interval. If there is a problem with what they recommend in the owners manual, they will have a service bulletin issued to the dealers and an amendment to your manual. Don’t waste oil – yes, I know they get recycled but why waste the resources to recycle more oil than is needed. And especially for your pocket book and inconvenience, why change oil 2 or 3 times more frequent than is really needed.