Hey everyone I know this has been discussed But What do you think about 10,000 mile oil changes for synthetic oil? I drively very very conservatively and I don't redline it or drive it hard so to speak. Will I be ok?

Robert

 

i really cant help you but my sis, she owns an audi and the dealer told her to do oil service 12k miles. i thought that was outrageous when she told me and i still think they're crazy for telling her so.

 

Yeah Mercedes is every 10,000. BMW and Porsche recommends every 15,000. Which is kind of odd since they are the ones pushing there cars past there limits!

My salesmen (nice guy btw Jeff from Longo) Recomended I change it every 5,000. But to me 5,000 oil changes and synthetic oil is w ayyy to early.

What does everyone else think?

 

i change my engine oil with mobil 1 every 3000 miles

 

3 to 5K IMO is usually a safe number for oil changes for most driving condition. It can vary depending on where you drive, dusty = more frequent. We have oil changes for 2 reasons: (1) it loses its integrity and no long lubricates and/or (2) the oil is dirty. Though synthetics can last for a long time, but keep in mind that the oil filter will not catch all dirt particles or become clogged after extended use. As with all filters (air, water, oil, etc) it's a compromise (more filtration = less flow and vice versa).

Some manufacturers have been pushing to extend drain intervals which is nice since you don't have to maintain as often. The penalty is you are keeping dirt suspended in the oil longer and running it through the engine. Pray that your filter doesn't get clogged before the oil change or you will be running on dirty oil.

 

ntran18,

Thank you for the feedback. Just as I suspected it seems the filter is the thing that gets in the way. Otherwise I assume the oil should be fine. Im sure the oil can go even 15000 without problems. So the filter is the culprit.

 

Is that not a bit overkill? Do you take your car to the track every weekend?

 

well see, when it comes to these fluid change, imho, there is never "too early to do maintenance". 3k is a good mark for me coz' i do quite a bit of local driving, plus i drive crazy from time to time. i'd rather be safe than sorry right?

 

Romini,

It is unlikely, even if you drove the car a VERY hard 3000 miles, that you'd have appreciable break down of the oil. Modern oils are that good. Some oils are so good, in fact, that you can get away with 1 year intervals. I am so impressed with Mobil Delvac 1, that I have used it for 1 year with no oil change. The oil was analysed afterwards, and I was told to EXTEND my oil change interval. Delvac 1, by the way, is a super heavy duty synthetic for trucks and heavy equipment which has an oil change interval of 100,000 miles. As you know, severe duty trucks and vehicles are under enormous stress, and generate alot more heat than car engines. It is in my GS400. I ran it in the previous car, a Lincoln Mark VIII that had in excess of 160,000 miles when I sold it, and still ran strong. I also race motorcycles. For one whole season of endurance races (4-6 hour races), I ran Delvac 1 in the bike for the whole season with no ill effects. Believe me, this bike engine was beat on, for 4-6 hours at a time, for the WHOLE season without a change. Bike engines rev higher, and have higher tolerance than car engines. The internal engine components looked as new when the engine was opened up at the end of the season. So I really do like Delvac 1. The only other oil that I can recall that has an extended drain interval is Redline oil. 25,000 mile interval. 7500 miles is a "normal" interval for a synthetic oil in a car. I would suggest anyone who is curious, send in their oil for analysis. It's cheap, and can be cheap insurance, as the analysis can reveal coolant, steel particulate, etc in the oil before it becomes a problem. And, you may be able to save some $$ by increasing your change intervals with no ill effects on the car.

 

i second rominl's view.....i use mobile 1 synthethic and i still change it every 3,500 to 5,000 miles....and like rominl said, it is never too early to do maintenance work....besides, unless i am wrong, changing synthethic oil every 3,000 miles does no damage to your engine, but imho it can only be good....

 

I change my oil every 3,000-3,500 miles ..Due to the mileage on my car I have piece of mind that the oil is doing it's job..And I agree with rominl's comment about "it's never too early to do maintenance.."

 

i understand what you are talking about, and i agree that it could be an overkill (considering that sometimes my wife drives the car and she doesn't drive that fast ). but when i look at it, a case of 6 quarts oil, 24 bucks from costco. a filter, 5 or 6 bucks. oil change, 10 to 15 bucks, so under 50 bucks i can get a good feeling that my car is running good, that's not a bad insurance.

plus every time i change the oil, i look at it and the oil is always black, very dark in color. now i know mobil 1 tends to get dark very soon after running for a while, doesn't mean it's bad, but well, i am not taking any chances

same thing goes with my brakes too, motul 600, full bleed once a year.

 

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/s.../oil-life.html

These guys ran a test on Mobil 1 and ran it over 12,000 before changing. Their results seem to indicate that frequent oil changes do more harm than good. I think I'll just stick with the advised 5,000.

 

how do we go about find an oil analysis? i would really like to do some testing of oils and filters myself.

 

At least 5000 Miles regardless of Synthetic or not. Go over that and you are looking for trouble.
I always fo 3000 miles with Mobil 1 Syn.