What I find strange is that everyone is technically under the “severe driving” conditions. For example, my manual says “if you do any coast, country, or winter driving. Or urban driving”. Who doesn’t? Where could you drive that was not coast, country or urban?
And then I should change the oil every 3750 miles. And change ATF at 25k miles. And differential fluids at 15k.
It’s just CYA by the manufacturers.
@Jman136 As you can see there is a LOT of opinion as well as facts on oil change frequency and types. Short changes, Dino oil vs synthetic ect.
Bottom line is with 7500 mile changes and Dino oil, the total DIY cost for 200K miles is about $550. The same with synthetic is $820. 5000 mile changes with dino is $810 and synthetic $1210.
Paying someone else to do it is about $1350 for dino oil at 7500 miles ($50 per change).
The cost for a replacement rebuilt engine is at least $4500. Make your choice accordingly, much as we all do.
If you want a more solid answer, have a used oil analysis done.
I’m comfortable using the manufacturer’s schedule, for what that’s worth.
@ok4450 - I respectfully disagree that synthetic’s only advantage is handling heat. Where I live it will be going down to -7 degrees this weekend. I guarantee you that the synthetic oil in my vehicles flows better, lubricates faster, and allows easier cranking than the equivalent dino oil. When it gets cold there is nothing better than synthetic for peace of mind and protecting against startup wear as quickly as possible.
The required quality of certified motor oils have been constantly improving over the past 50 years or more.
Today’s “dino” oils now contain some synthetic base oil in order to meet the requirements.
7500 miles under easy conditions is not a stretch.
My 1988 Accord called for 7500 mile changes, although I did 5000 for 20 years and 220K miles with no problems.
@bloody_knuckles is correct. The big advantage is flow when it’s cold. Synthetic oil does flow better at those -10 degree mornings. At -20 (which we see every now and then) 5w dino oil is like a thick ketchup.
@ok4450
"The only advantage that synthetic oil has over regular oil is that it can stand up to heat a little better without breaking down."
May I add another advantage to that one?
My Bonneville Owner’s Manual specifies 5w30 conventional oil, except when operated in “extreme” cold (-20F or below). Then they specify 0w30 conventional or 5w30 synthetic.
The manual states, “Both will provide easier cold starting and better protection for your engine at extremely low temperatures.”
The reason for this is that synthetic oil flows better when cold. Since I get several days (nights) each year that go below -20F and since many days are below zero I run 5w30 synthetic all year long. Why would I want to change back and forth between a summer oil and a winter oil?
CSA
@BillRussell
"What I find strange is that everyone is technically under the “severe driving” conditions. For example, my manual says “if you do any coast, country, or winter driving. Or urban driving”. Who doesn’t? Where could you drive that was not coast, country or urban?"
EXACTLY!
CSA
@Jman136
Whatever Oil Is Chosen, Be Sure That It Meets Or Exceeds All The Parameters Specified By The Manufacturer (See Owner’s Manual).
CSA
CSA, but I don’t see the necessity of changing the ATF every 25k miles. And differential fluids at 15k, that is much too frequent. In other words, the “severe” intervals are too short for someone who does normal type driving, as I do. I do and will decrease the intervals somewhat. Oil change at 5k instead of 6k, AFT change at 40-50k instead of never.
I guess I’m the old stuck in the past , stick in the mud here . I use Motorcraft Synthetic Blend & Napa Gold filters & try to change every 3000 miles . I also install a new air filter at each oil change . I read somewhere that an internal combustion engine uses 10,000 cubic feet of air for every gallon of gas it burns .
Maybe I could sell my used oil to someone for half price & let them get the rest of the good out of it .
OK4450, I did not know that 0w20 was available in a semi-synthetic, but I am not surprised either. I checked Amazon and they have a Honda brand semi-synthetic at about $11.50/qt. No way I’d buy that at that price. I remember when 5w20 came out and it was supposed to be a semi-synthetic, but it didn’t take long before it became available as a conventional and I suspect that eventually there will be a conventional 0w20 as well.
To everyone else. I did some research looking for pure group 4 synthetic oils recently an I found that there is a lot of misinformation out there. The oil companies will not reveal whether their oils are group 3 or 4 except for Amsoil which claims theirs is mostly group 4 with a little group 5 in there. Even Mobil I now says that their oil is a blend of group 3 and group 4 oils in all their products. It is a myth that M1 EP is group 4 and the others are group 3.
The difference, according to Mobil’s web site, between the EP and the advanced fuel economy is that the EP has more detergents for those that go over the 7500 mile mark between intervals.
The definition of severe driving is not as restrictive as it used to be. Check your owners manual. Now it is more likely limited to taxi or delivery service, tow a trailer on a regular basis or spend a lot of time in a hot dusty environment like you’d find at Burning Man.
There are so many factors in determining what oil to use.
How long do you normally keep a new car?
How many miles do you typically put on a new car?
How cold/hot does it get where you drive?
Who changes your oil and how much does it cost?
What does the manufacturer recommend?
FYI, my 97 Nissan pickup has 195k with 7500 mile oil change intervals using synthetic oil. It uses no oil at all.
My 2002 Saturn I sold at 275k miles with oil change intervals at about 5500 miles using conventional oil. It had an oil change monitor that I used for each oil change. It ran just like new, except it lost a quart about every 1500 miles towards the end, which is acceptable for most new cars according to the manufacturers.
“The definition of severe driving is not as restrictive as it used to be”
depends on manufacturer. The subaru one (see my previous post) basically includes all drivers, which, sorry, makes it meaningless.
Repeating: “if you do any coast, country, or winter driving. Or urban driving”. Where else can you drive?
Personally I have extended my oil change interval on Regular oil to 5K miles.
Using Full Synth…I go no further than 7K and this is with a Turbo Charged engine…the heat demands on the oil are much greater in this instance.
You will find as many opinions on this topic as the people to give them. So the Jury is out and will remain out for the duration. I dont think you are far off from proper interval numbers personally.
As for the first few oil changes on a new engine…its always safe to err on the side of caution IMHO… I dont need opinions on this. Its just the way I am…and its fine, because it is me dealing with and doing the changes. The need for it may be in question…but who cares its my new engine and I will do as I please and err on the side of conservatism. It is true that todays new engines are much better designed and tighter tolerances are used and acheived on a regular basis. The machining processes have also improved dramatically. So the new engine oil interval as well as break in period are thusly affected. These are all good things though.
Blackbird
I checked Amazon and they have a Honda brand semi-synthetic at about $11.50/qt.
That’s because of the name Honda. It’s Honda oil in name only.
You can buy Mobil-1 or Castrol or even Royal Purple full synthetic (which all are BETTER oil then the Honda semi) for $4-$6 cheaper. Why anyone would by the Honda Brand at that price is beyond me.
Even the Honda dealer I used once did not use Honda oil, so I would not waste my money on their logo.
One thing to bear in mind, the OP’s car (along with two of mine), is a direct injection. The jury is still out on the valve crud built up on these. In my case I am using top tier gas but also a bit conservative with my oil changes (5k synthetic). The engine on OP car should call for 5W-20, so could also use dino.
This Is Definitely Not An Unbiased Source Of Information, But It Should Be Food For Thought For Those Of You Living In Cold Climates. I Feel Better Knowing I’ve Got Synthetic Oil In My Cars When I Ask Them To Come To Life In Frigid Temperatures. I’m Going Down To, At Best, -10F Tonight At My House.
Let me know what you think.
I can’t run the video parts because of my lame computer set-up. :neutral:
CSA
@sloepoke Yes, you are living in the past. Air filters are normally replaced every 2 years or 20,000 miles unless you live in the desert. My Toyota with over 50,000 miles is on its 3rd air filter.
For normal operation, high quality oils don’t need changing every 3000 miles unless you are towing a heavy trailer. Most car manuals recommend every 5000 miles or twice a year.
You should recycle your motor oil and most landfills have a tank for used motor oil.
“You should recycle your motor oil and most landfills have a tank for used motor oil.”
I don’t have a landfill nearby and they charge a fee as does my once weekly hazardous waste site which is quit distant, also.
I take used oil to Advance Auto and Wal-Mart. They gladly accept it without a charge or hassle.
CSA
@“common sense answer” , I’m sure that Advance and WalMart are recycling the oil, and therefore you are too. Still, some of the oil cannot be recycled and ends up as waste.