I’ve heard of big-rig diesels going 100k between changes when they get busy.
I’d like to hear reports of car owners who have sued oil companies for engine failure due to oil issues. Even better would be news of car owners who have won damages covered by oil companies. Maybe AI has news of such data.
Most people don’t keep their vehicles past 150k miles so as long as you follow the manufacturers requirements you should be fine. You do NOT follow the oil manufacturers recommendations. Personally, I change my oil every 5k miles using a full synthetic. And I’ve been able to keep 5 vehicles running great for well over 300k miles and 2 more over 230k miles.
As a past old-time member (@Mountainbike) use to say - Are you trying to get the most out of your oil, or the most out of your engine? I know what my answer is.
Me?? I don’t care what anyone or any manufacture says about how many miles between oil changes, I’m not going over 7,500 miles, 5,000 is the norm but sometimes life happens… lol
For those that say the manufacture says it can go 15,000 plus miles between oil changes, well don’t the manufactures also say ATF is a lifetime fluid?? ![]()
Do what you want, I am not taking the risk, I’ve seen oil filters come apart at 10k miles, so no thank you…
Your vehicle, your money, do what you want, I’ll do me… ![]()
+1
Auto manufacturers have a lot of data on people buying car habits. They know that the vast majority of people who buy a new car will sell it or trade it in on a newer model even when there’s plenty of life left in the older vehicle. Where do you think all these used vehicles come from? So, manufacturers are now recommending maintenance schedules to keep their vehicles running fine for that long. For the life of me I don’t understand why people are trying to get the most out of their oil and NOT the most out of their engine. A little bit extra money now saves you a lot of money (could be well north of $10,000) later. It’s a cheap insurance policy. Far better than buying an extended warranty.
Make no mistake, I don’t go by Mobil’s OCI. I do understand that they might increase their guaranteed OCI based on new, better formulation and/or new test data. And Mobil may not have lawsuits because the motors aren’t wearing out…
Most people will never see the difference between an engine that lasts 300k miles or 400k miles. So the 15,000 mile oil changes will work, but you could have gone 15,000 miles on the 2024 10,000 mile oil too. The transmission failures, rust, wheel bearings, CV axles, loud exhaust, engine mounts, failed suspension, broken power steering, and oil leaks will make people junk the cars.
These 2 things show why transmission fluid is often referred to as a lifetime fluid. Several years ago, I read a long-term study about a specific manufacturer. There were 2 groups, one group changed transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, one group never changed fluid. There was no statistical difference in transmission failure rates until 140,000 miles. After that, the group that never changed fluid saw a drastic rise in failure rate, while the failure rate for group that changed fluid remained about the same. So yeah, if you don’t plan to keep your car for more than 10 years or 140K, save the money.
On my GM cars I follow the Oil Life Monitor religiously. GM put a lot of time and effort into developing that system and I trust it completely. Depending on my driving habits and conditions, the oil change interval has been as low as 4000 miles or as high as 9500.
Until it doesn’t work…
Making the choice between changing oil 10 times in 150K miles for a total of $1000 @ $100 a change or 20 times in 150K miles for an additional $1000? I’ll pay that additional $1000 as insurance to keep my engine alive until 150K.
Oil changes are cheaper than a new engine.
Well, the internet does show sludged up motors. Which used to be hard to do pre internet. It used to be difficult to tell world of issues. Now everyone rushes to post evidence of how they been wronged.
Your post just showed me how I can save $1000!
That could be great advertising for a shop: “Save $1000 by maintaining your car here!”