I am due to change oil in my old cars, but that got me thinking about how the change interval has been doubled for newer cars. I am assuming that that is because of upgrades in lubricant science, etc. But, I also assume there has been upgrades in manufacturing technology in these newer cars. …

I have done oil changes at 5k for as long as I have been driving. It is a nice and easy number to watch for on the odometer.

Newer or older card, I do the 3K oil/filter change. I am assuming you’re a DIY. Next time you change your oil, take a long hard look at the oil. Does it look so black? That tells you something, right? Changing oil is not only because yuour oil is black, but also oil viscosity breakdowns is at or ar…

Op again: Well, the old cars don’t get driven much. Indeed, none of my cars do, but the newer cars, Camry, Prius (90K and 5K) come out with pretty clean oil, very golden. The two older ones, Corolla, Tercel (230K and 270K)both have very black oil, despite being driven less than 3K. Change is done …

i would change the oil and filter just once a year on the older cars,just make sure you use a good quality oil and you will be fine.here in england most cars have a 1 year or 10,000 miles change interval,some even go for 20,000 miles on synthetic oil!!but like i said before on older vehicles 1 year…

Oil change intervals have little to do with the quality of the oil today and everything to do with the engine. Older cars that have loosely regulated motors that burn lots of fuel, have big tolerances, and don’t always get up to temp in a quick manner need oil changes more often. Oil change interval…

I recommend that you stick with the schedule in the owner’s manual. You are completely right in saying that in addition to changes in the oil there are also changes in the manufacturing that enable longer periods between changes. More consistant dimensioning brought on by statistical process contro…

Kinda related to this thread - what exactly is it that turns oil from a golden color to black? I know it loses its viscosity over time, but I’m looking for a technical explanation for the color change (not “it gets dirty” :).

You are right. There have been great advances in oil technology and at the same time there have been great improvements in engine design. It would be wise to use the oil change interval specified in the owner’s manual. I have see reports that actually showed that new oil did not provide the same …

Modern oil is better. I would extend oil changes on your older vehicle if it has fuel injection and is in good running order. If a carb. I would stick to the old requirements as they seem to have taken that vehicle over 25 years which is well beyond the typical car life.

Old car -- Oil change interval same as new?

Maintenance/Repairs

Dave_G May 2, 2008, 7:35pm 11

Which aspect of modern oil do you feel has improved so greatly as to circumvent the contamination issues which are the primary reason we change oil in the first place. If we are being techinical here, modern oil or oil of the past few years has some INFERIOR aspects to oil produced in the late 90’s due to certain government regulations.

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Old car -- Oil change interval same as new?

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