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I'm about to hit the 5k reminder, within 20 miles or so....I checked my oil and it's not even black, still a nice golden color. My common sense says that Mobil 1 with the WIX XP can go further, but I'll change it next week and slap the summer tires on (woohoo back to 245's!)....maybe in the future I may go further. I did 6500-7000 on my Maxima with full synth and it never caused any issues.....newer cars have condition based reminders, and they would likely not even go on at 5k with conventional oil....
I go between 8,000-9,000 miles on Mobil 1 with my Sonoma, so I only have to crawl under it once a year. On my '01 LS the oil that the dealership uses is a Synthetic blend, and I don't go more than 6000 miles on it. That keeps my oil changes to 1 every other month.
I think I'm going to end up changing it at about 5300 mi next week, put in the Pennzoil Platinum 5W30 that I have this time, Wix XP, and think about pushing it further next time....hate to throw away good oil, and I still believe with rebates, it's worth it to use synth....
I think you're wasting oil by changing synthetic every 5k miles. Also the filter (and your time). I'd even say 8k miles is really conservative, that's where I usually land.
There are certain engines that have what I would consider a defective design and suffer from oil sludge issues, but our model doesn't have these types of issues.
I've seen studies, Consumer Reports had one where they used NYC taxis and tore down their engines before and after at different mileage intervals and put the pistons and other wear parts under a microscope to see wear. It was something crazy like 12k plus miles before it became an issue, and that was with conventional oil, not synthetic. It was also with probably the harshest conditions imaginable.
Almost every time someone gets one of those tests from Blackstone, they usually come back with the oil having more life in it and you can extend the interval.
The whole "3,000 mile oil change" is from like the 1950s when some cars didn't even have oil filters and oil technology was non existent. Places like Jiffy Lube keep this mantra alive for obvious reasons.
Isn't THE BOOK's recommended oil change interval 5k miles? Why would anyone want to go beyond what THE BOOK recommends, of 5k mile intervals?
It's funny how many people want to do preventive and other services PRIOR to whatever the 'book's' recommended interval is, yet so many of you are finding excuse after excuse (synthetic, bigger oil filter, color is golden, etc, etc) to NOT change the oil within THE BOOK'S recommended 5k oil change interval.
Personally, I have my LS on a 3k or 3 month timer interval using the NAV & MAINTENANCE reminder buttons. Do I end up doing it at 3 months or 3k miles? Hardly never ever ever! That schedule though, gives me enough time and distance so that I can ALWAYS change before the 5k mile mark. You know, the 5k interval that THE BOOK recommends. I also use the most inexpensive oil & filter available. She's got almost 150k on the ticker and no blue smoke. Just my input.
I change my synthetic oil and OEM filter every 5,000 miles. The difference in cost from a couple of thousand miles more is insignificant in comparison to the peace of mind I get. I can't figure out why anyone would do otherwise. Oil changes are among some of the cheapest maintenance you have on this car.
I change my synthetic oil and OEM filter every 5,000 miles. The difference in cost from a couple of thousand miles more is insignificant in comparison to the peace of mind I get. I can't figure out why anyone would do otherwise. Oil changes are among some of the cheapest maintenance you have on this car.
That's the other way to look at it...say a 5 qt jug of synth is $17 incl tax, after rebate. Add a $7 WIX XP filter, it's $24. If you push it 50% longer, you save $12. I would like to save $12 in many circumstances, but this one I could turn a blind eye to, just feels wasteful. An impulsive family lunch a week ago Friday was $90, so what's $12, right? I see it both ways, and for this time, will err to the side of just replacing next weekend when I have time...thanks for everyone's opinion...
I think it's just a personal preference thing...people are all over the map on it. Go to Bob is the oil guy and you'll hear stories ranging from...I never change my oil, just the filter and top up...to, I get my oil shipped in special from Saudi Arabia, it's the purest, and I change it every time my dog farts (and that's frequent, very frequent, don't even ask).
Personally I think a high quality synthetic can easily go 7,500 miles on an engine with no known manufacturer defects (like sludge engines, etc).
And and I think most high quality conventional oils can go 5,000 miles.
Then an there are the boutique brands that are very expensive and supposedly can go much further...pushing the 15,000 miles and up limits.
It's whatever makes you feel good. If you feel comfy going 10,000 on a high quality synthetic, it's probably capable as long as you keep the oil level at the full mark at all times. Some would suggest a filter change at the 5,000 mile point. I'd stay away from "synthetic blends" at all costs though...there is no regulations regarding their blend...what their percentage of synthetic oil actually is. It could be as little as 10%, it does NOT have to be 50/50. And it usually isn't.
I used to change every 5k myself.
Well last year I had Blackstone labs do an oil analysis.
At the time I had 6k on the oil.
I use Amsoil XL 5W/30
The analysis came back great and they recommended I could extend the interval to 8k miles.
I am close to that now and I will repeat the analysis when I do.
I'll upload my results here, take a look.
My mechanic says today's synthetic oils can go till 7-8k, and on the oil change sticker, he writes 5k with dino and 7k with synthetic .
And I think its good to get oil analyzed by labs for three or four consecutive oil changes and establish your own interval if you want to stretch your oil change intervals. Else, stick to the conservative figure quoted by the manufacturer.
On newer models, lexus switched to 10k intervals with the 0W-20 grade. My thought is did lexus do this because this grade is synthetic-only? Obviously Toyota engineers and marketing knows not everyone will stick to special formula oil from Toyota. Some will use lower priced alternatives like mobil1. Still they recommended 10k intervals. So, was 5k interval on our cars meant for conventional oils? I believe so. Synthetic can stretch to 7.5k I think.
I used to change every 5k myself.
Well last year I had Blackstone labs do an oil analysis.
At the time I had 6k on the oil.
I use Amsoil XL 5W/30
The analysis came back great and they recommended I could extend the interval to 8k miles.
I am close to that now and I will repeat the analysis when I do.
Fascinating stuff. What was the cost from Blackstone for the analysis
Fascinating stuff. What was the cost from Blackstone for the analysis
$28 is their standard test. $10 more for the TBN (total base number) which measures the amount of active additive left in a sample of oil.
The TBN is useful for people who want to extend their oil usage far beyond the normal range.
$28 is their standard test. $10 more for the TBN (total base number) which measures the amount of active additive left in a sample of oil.
The TBN is useful for people who want to extend their oil usage far beyond the normal range.
I'll be doing this. With the miles I accumulate monthly, I'm getting my oil changed every 2 months at 6,000 miles. I'd like to push that out to maybe every 2 1/2 to 3 months if I could.
03-19-17, 07:10 AM
does anyone go further than 5k on an oil change?
