I don’t know what Z-Max is, but I firmly believe that additives generally are not helpful or cost-effective. My family has accumulated over 300K miles in Subarus with no engine issues running both conventional and synthetic oils without any additional additives.
Doesn’t your owner’s manual tell you what conditions dictate “severe maintenance” conditions? Look there for the best answer.
Typically, “severe maintenance” conditions are defined as temperatures below 0 degrees (F) or above 90 degrees (F), stop-and-go driving, use in towing or hauling heavy loads, etc. If your vehicle is used in any of these conditions, might qualify, but you need to check your owner’s manual to be sure. You would have to live in a pretty temperate climate NOT to fall into any of those categories.
Does the owner’s manual say you should use synthetic oil? If not, I think it would be a waste of money. If it was my car, I would use normal oil and change it every 3,500 miles. If you don’t think the “severe maintenance” schedule is appropriate, I think you should use normal oil and change it every 5,000 miles. That way you have a little wiggle room to put off an oil change while you are on a trip.
Joseph, No Problem. I’m Not Always Easy To Understand. Ask My Wife.
CSA
Every time this question comes up, it’s interesting to see how the replies are often quite varied (3K, 5K, follow the manual, synthetic is/is-not needed, etc).
I’ve always done my vehicles at 3000 miles. I have a daily driver with a lot of miles on it (almost 500,000), no oil related problems. That car gets 3000 mile oil changes. But then again, I’ve never had a vehicle with “oil-related problems” so to speak. My 3000 mile mark comes from working in the industry in the 1970s, and I guess that’s a habit that’s hard for me to break. My old pickup only gets driven 500-600 miles a year, and I change the oil in the slant 6 yearly. I guess others have said it already, but I think you’ve gotta look at what type of driving you are currently doing too. If I did a lot of stop and go, I’d go for 3k. OTOH, if I put 3k on the vehicle in a week with a 1500 mile one-way then back vacation, I’d probably go to 5k. Maybe a good medium for you would be to go for the 7500 miles with synthetic and change the filter at 3750, then top it off with whatever you lose (a quart?) at that interval. Rocketman
Your driving is not severe. You can go the max listed in your owner’s manual on petroleum-based oil. You may choose to change more often and use synthetic, but you don’t have to and won’t void any warranty. I change the oil in my 1998 Buick Regal LS every 7500 miles or 6 months and have about 125,000 miles on it. It doesn’t burn any oil.
Severe maintenance is having Jiffy Lube change your oil…
Seriously, I don;t like to go past 5K between changes, but I recognize what TwinTurbo is saying. I know that today’s engines and oils are far, far superior to the engines and oils that I grew up with. I even know why.
But in my gut I still feel that oil and filters are dirt-cheap ways to prolong an engine. The goal is, after all, to prolong the life of the engine not the oil.
Having said that, you should be fine with the change frequency recommended in your owner’s manual. That’s my intellect talking. My gut recommends every 5,000 miles.
Bingo!
Having said that, you should be fine with the change frequency recommended in your owner’s manual. That’s my intellect talking. My gut recommends every 5,000 miles.
I don’t remember who it was…but someone in the forum was complaining about BMW and their 10k oil change interval…and how their engines have sludge buildup because of this long interval change.
I’m with you…I don’t like going over 5k. Cheap insurance…even for people like me who put a lot of miles on their vehicle and keep them for 300k miles. Still cheap just changing the oil every 5k miles.
Last time I read an owners manual about severe driving conditions…Unless you drove only 12k miles/year and most was highway driving and you never exceeded the speed limit and only drove in summy 70-80 degree weather…everything else was considered severe.
We Have Another Winner!
CSA
Very reasonable answear CSA,I agree -but I will stretch synthetic to around 7K-Kevin
I’m not 100% sold on “follow the owner’s manual” for oil changes.
First, consider that the manufacturer’s goal is to produce a car that provides the new car buyer problem-free transportation until s/he gets bored with it. That’s not my goal, and may not be your goal either.
Second, “certain” people don’t recycle their oil, and thus the more oil changed, the more oil that’s polluted. Some nations (hint: particularly EU) have been hassling manufacturers to extend the drain interval, which they’ve largely done to the extent that they can still comply with the first point made.
I go 4k miles, simply because that’s a nice round number. If I had to change, I might drop to 3500.