# Should I trust my oil life monitor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** mkz, lincoln\ **Created:** [August 4, 2018, 4:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276 "2018-08-04T16:10:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ben-T\_Spanner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Ben-T\_Spanner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Ben-T_Spanner)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/21 "2018-08-06T13:47:26Z")
My reply was meant to show that the mfg’s recommendation or the oil monitor are only recommendations. You do what you feel is correct. My point was that Volvo changed the recommendation from 3750 miles when I paid to 7500 miles when they paid; on the same car with the same warranty, using the same oil. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/22 "2018-08-06T16:34:36Z")
I trust it but don’t agree with it. I change my oil at 5000 with Syn which is at about 50% on the OLM. We’ve had this lengthy discussion before but when you invest $40-50,000 in a car, should I be concerned about $30 a couple times a year to change my oil? Makes no sense to me. Not that anything anyone has said is wrong, I just prefer to be more pro-active. I get a flu shot too. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/23 "2018-08-06T18:30:45Z")
> [@JoeMario](#): > > There are millions of car owners who have followed their vehicle OLMs for years. Due to environment regulations, extended oil changes like this started in Europe 10-15 years before we saw it in vehicles in the USA. Engines are not falling apart. Sorry…but the 10k oil change interval has not been around long enough to see how long engines will last. European drivers on average don’t drive nearly as many miles as US drivers and don’t keep their vehicles as long. The 10k oil change interval may be fine if you don’t plan on keeping it past 150k miles. But there’s ZERO data to support the 10k oil change interval much past 150k. Maybe in another 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/24 "2018-08-06T21:05:21Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > The 10k oil change interval may be fine if you don’t plan on keeping it past 150k miles. But there’s ZERO data to support the 10k oil change interval much past 150k. Maybe in another 5 years. The European oil spec (EELQMS) which enabled the extended OCIs has been in place in Europe since either 1999 or 2000. It took another 5-10 years to reach the states. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/25 "2018-08-06T22:14:44Z")
> [@JoeMario](#): > > The European oil spec (EELQMS) which enabled the extended OCIs has been in place in Europe since either 1999 or 2000. It took another 5-10 years to reach the states. And as stated…they don’t drive the average American does. So there is zero data on if this new change interval will allow vehicles to reach 300k+ miles. Not enough data available. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/26 "2018-08-06T23:44:58Z")
> [@](#): > > they don’t drive the average American does. So there is zero data on if this new change interval will allow vehicles to reach 300k+ miles. Not enough data available. Mike: I’m not trying to change your mind. I know you keep your cars for over 300K miles. But very few people do. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/27 "2018-08-07T01:18:38Z")
> [@JoeMario](#): > > I know you keep your cars for over 300K miles. But very few people do. Not to argue but I thought this was an interesting thing to say. So if people kept their cars to 300K then more frequent changes would be warranted? So we agree it does help longevity, its just a question of whether we care or not about the second or third owners. If I hand off a car, I like to think that the next owner will appreciate that it has been cared for. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/28 "2018-08-07T02:41:32Z")
Trust it and change the oil between 20% and 10% oil life remaining. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/29 "2018-08-07T14:50:18Z")
5 more years Mike? This topic comes up regularly here over the last DECADE at least. Here’s one example I pulled up within seconds on a search. It goes back to 2009- > [@10K mile oil change](https://community.cartalk.com/t/10k-mile-oil-change/25758): > > I recently purchased a 2008 Winnebago View built on a 2007 Dodge Sprinter Chassis with a Mercedez-Benz 3.5L V6 gas engine. I will be using this vehicles as full time living quarters - I put 34K miles on my last RV in a 10 month period. The maintenance schedule for the Sprinter suggests regular oil changes every 10,000 miles or 12 months whichever comes first. (it also has an ASSYST service indicator system that lets the driver know when services are due). I’ve always used Tom … I appreciate people’s own opinions on this as it is your vehicle, not mine. However, to make this statement- > [@MikeInNH](#): > > But there’s ZERO data to support the 10k oil change interval much past 150k. Zero data?? Really? Pretty sure there are many, many people who have exceeded way more than 150k miles in the last 10-15 years. I know I have on multiple vehicles and I live in the US and family drives both “domestic” and Asian cars. Ihave been doing these “extended” changes since around 1995 ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/30 "2018-08-07T15:14:52Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > Pretty sure there are many, many people who have exceeded way more than 150k miles in the last 10-15 years 10-15 years? Not many in the US. Very few manufacturers were recommending the 10k oil change interval 10 years ago. My wifes 07 Lexus didn’t. Toyota /Lexus didn’t start recommending 10k oil change interval on most of their vehicles until less then 6 years ago. My son’s 2011 Mazda still recommends a 5k oil change interval. And it’s the same full synthetic oil as my Highlander. If you think there’s data on it…please show me. Because I’ve looked…and I couldn’t find any. Sure you’ll get a few people making the claim…but not many. You’ll also find data on people with major engine problems (aka sludge) when using the extended oil change interval. I stand by my statement. 5k oil changes WORK. Until I see enough evidence that 10k oil changes work…I’m sticking with something that works. You can experiment with your car. Let me know how it works out. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/31 "2018-08-07T15:47:02Z")
Put me in the group that will tell anyone who asks to change oil and filter every 5000 miles or every 6 months. Most people fall in the slightly severe use area or do not really realize how many short trips they make. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/32 "2018-08-07T15:48:37Z")
Is this mixed rate of adoption any different than when auto manufacturers changed from 2-3K oil changes to 5K oil changes? ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/33 "2018-08-07T16:07:45Z")
> [@JoeMario](#): > > Is this mixed rate of adoption any different than when auto manufacturers changed from 2-3K oil changes to 5K oil changes? It is different. The 3k to 5k change was mainly due to changes in engine oil. The motivation for manufacturers to change to a 10k oil change is show a lower cost of ownership. More marketing driven then technology driven. ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/34 "2018-08-07T16:20:54Z")
The 10K oil changes were driven by new European environmental regulations in the late 90s. Car manufacturers responded with engines with larger oil sumps, and I’m sure other changes. Oil manufacturers responded with better higher spec’d oils. It took 5-10 years for the US to get on board. ---
**Author:** ![anon86613489](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@anon86613489](https://community.cartalk.com/u/anon86613489)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/35 "2018-08-07T16:45:48Z")
Back in -06 on to -08, I drove a -04 semi, a MAN 18.430, on the night shift. The OCI was 50,000 miles or 18 months. Regardless of conditions. I would consider the the conditions severe as every day and night, that thing was loaded to 88,000 lbs (max gross weight on 5 axles) on each and every trip. Actually, that thing was a really nice piece of equipment to operate. With that engine, there was no hills, it was very comfortable and I loved that “clutch on a button” and easy to maneuvre in a tight spot. Darned close to Volvo and Scania. When I quit, it had done around 410k miles and only ordinary service had been done. I could easily see it reach the expected min. of 1,2 million miles before serious work would be needed. 10k miles OCI is definately not something new here and I know of a few who owns cars from the late 90’s, who adhere to that regime and have done well over 200k miles without a hick-up. Back in 2005 VW/Audi recommended 30k km (18645 miles) OCI on some of the diesels. Would I do the same to my new car (come on guys, it’s only 23 years old, that’s new for me)? No, no way. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/b/b2cc04747cb5e005df974a6eed466117b3130cd7.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/36 "2018-08-07T17:21:15Z")
> [@JoeMario](#): > > The 10K oil changes were driven by new European environmental regulations in the late 90s. Again - Europeans don’t put the miles on the cars we do. 150k miles is EXTREMELY high mileage for the average car in Europe. So where’s the data. ---
**Author:** ![anon86613489](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@anon86613489](https://community.cartalk.com/u/anon86613489)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/37 "2018-08-07T17:29:56Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > Again - Europeans don’t put the miles on the cars we do. 150k miles is EXTREMELY high mileage for the average car in Europe. So where’s the data. Pardonne moi, but where on earth did You get that info from from? 🤔 . Of my closest 4 neighbors, 3 of them are above 200k miles on their current vehicles (Citroen Berlingo - 04, VW Passat 2,0 diesel -04, and Toyota Auris -09. Ohh, I forgot one with a Rover 75 2,5 V6 -98, currently at close to 300k miles, which I think must be a world record as that was/is one lousy and fragile engine. This is in Denmark. I know both the Germans and the French drives more than we do annually. Don’t know about the other countries. Edit In 2007 I scrapped an Opel Astra 1,6 -93 with 302k miles on the clock due to king rust with it’s original running gear still running strong. I even managed to sell the engine and gearbox from it for money. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/38 "2018-08-07T17:32:40Z")
In the United states most European cars are driven by Americans, aren’t they? Mercedes products in the U.S. like the RV mentioned above have a 10,000 mile oil change schedule for at least the last 15 years… Also Toyota and Lexus have been selling 10K OCI vehicles for more than 9 years. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/39 "2018-08-07T17:46:48Z")
> [@anon86613489](#): > > Pardonne moi, but where on earth did You get that info from from? Based on the following websites. First one shows the number of years Europeans keep their cars. About 11 years. > **[Average age of the EU vehicle fleet, by country](https://www.acea.auto/figure/average-age-of-eu-vehicle-fleet-by-country/)** > > Passenger cars are now on average 12 years old in the European Union, vans 12 years, trucks 14.2 years and buses 12.7 years. This interactive map shows the average age per vehicle type for the fleets of the EU member states. This one shows the average mileage per year (much lower then American) > **[Americans Drive More than Anyone Else in the World, And Are Dying For It -...](https://www.thecarcrashdetective.com/americans-drive-more-dying/)** > > A comparison of annual mileage driven, road fatalities, and per capita death rates across Norway, Sweden, the UK, and the US, with top safety recommendations for avoiding and surviving car crashes. Americans keep their vehicles about the same number of years ad Europeans, but we drive more ( a lot more) per year. ---
**Author:** ![anon86613489](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@anon86613489](https://community.cartalk.com/u/anon86613489)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276/40 "2018-08-07T18:08:26Z")
This has to be the most coloured surveys I’ve seen for many years. For most people in Sweden, that distance wouldn’t even be near to cover the distance to work and back annually. I’ve been a lot in Sweden and they probably drive way more annually than here and if I should come up with a figure for Denmark, I’d say at least 12k miles a year on AVERAGE. Many elderly don’t even reach 3k miles a year, I know of one who doesn’t even reach 800 miles a year. Average lifespan in DK is now around 16 years and both Sweden and Germany is way higher than 11 years, but below 16. I just checked that ACEA thing again and if I read it correct, the average age of a car in DK should be 8,4 year. That will never give an average of 11 years when scrapped. Those surveys are a load of BULL and somebody has a vested interest in those results. Edit: Here are the results from another Norwegian survey regarding age of cars in years before they go to the eternal Norwegian highways: Vælg bilmærke med omhu. En bil fra Volvo holder gennemsnitlig 21,4 år, mens Kia og Hyundai klarer sig dårligst. Catrine Madelaire, cama@berlingske.dk Hvor lang tid kan du forvente, at din bil er kørende? Det afhænger af, hvad du kører i. En norsk statistik viser, at Volvo og Mercedes er de bilmærker, der holder sig kørende i længst tid. De holder nemlig i gennemsnit i 20 år, inden de skal skrottes, mens fransk producerede biler som Peugeot og Renault må en tur i bil-knuseren allerede efter 15-16 år, skriver Penge & Privatøkonomi. Se her, hvor mange år, bilerne holder: Kia: 9,2 Hyundai: 10,6 Seat: 11,5 Skoda: 12,0 Suzuki: 15,0 Chrysler: 15,6 Renault: 15,6 Citroën: 16,1 Peugeot: 16,7 Fiat: 17,2 Daihatsu: 17,3 Lada: 17,6 Mitsubishi: 17,7 Nissan: 18,4 Honda: 18,6 Subaru: 18,6 Ford: 18,9 Opel: 18,9 Toyota: 19,2 Audi: 19,4 Mazda: 19,4 MBW: 19,6 Volkswagen: 19,6 Saab: 20,4 Volvo: 21,4 Mercedes-Benz: 21,9 Chevrolet: 24,0 Statistikken tager ikke hensyn til, hvor mange kilometer den enkelte bil har kørt, inden den ruller ind på bilkirkegården. Link to the Danish print of the survey: > **[Så længe lever din bil](https://www.berlingske.dk/virksomheder/saa-laenge-lever-din-bil)** > > Vælg bilmærke med omhu. En bil fra Volvo holder gennemsnitlig 21,4 år, mens Kia og Hyundai klarer sig dårligst. And yes, I know it’s from -07, but not much has changed. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-trust-my-oil-life-monitor/122276.md?page=3)