Comments on: Don’t Be Fooled Into Thinking an Oil Change Every 3,000 Miles Is Necessary

By: OSAMA DARWISH

OSAMA DARWISH — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:28:38 +0000

Im working on big engines and really im seeking some one to answer this question: lube oil change scheduling ?incase of you cant get complete analysis like metal content,contamination analysis.
Appreciate your help.
Thanks

By: Smurfy

Smurfy — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:45:14 +0000

Just paid $4400 for a used (14k miles) engine in a 2003 Honda Accord w/ 99k miles, because of unspecified oil leaks. Burned oil like crazy. Two different mechanics diagnosed “infrequent oil changes” as most likely culprit. I pointed to the owner’s manual, which says it only needs oil changes every 10,000 miles. They say it should be 3,000 miles regardless. Am a bit cranky at Honda for putting that in the owner’s manual, what the heck! In any event, engine purchased. Even if I got fleeced – and I don’t think I did – I’ll spend the $20 at Jiffy Lube, even if it only prolongs the engine slightly, $4400 is a lot of oil changes to get thrifty on.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:54:29 +0000

… Says the guy who changes his low end cars more than he changes his oil since 2000

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:00:53 +0000

well i have access to good quality oil for cheap ($15 oil and filter) and i change the oil myself on my 06′ acura rsx every month regardless of the km i put on it… sometimes i dont even travel 1000km a month and still change it, and she runs fine and smooth. I guess it all depends on the person.

By: jim

jim — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:12:52 +0000

The smart thing to go is get your oil changed every 3000 to 5000 miles.
The people who go 10000-15000 miles(16,000kms!!!!) without changing the oil are nuts and I doubt these people even check the oil level. Your car will start to burn it or leak, I had a car that burned a quart every 600 miles, highway driving.

I change my oil every 5000 to 7000kms. I do it myself, costs me about 30 bucks, using good synthetic oil(bound to come on sale between changes) and filter.

By: DSK Colombo Sri Lanka

DSK Colombo Sri Lanka — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:43:56 +0000

Food for thought see below scenario..

Say there are two Identical vehicles
Vehicle 1 travels in city traffic in varying RPM’s and speeds for 1 hour covering 20 Miles going to office and comming back home same time and distance. (Average 1250 RPM since city, AVG 20 MPH)

There by Covering 20 x 2 = 40 miles and 2 hours per day. Say in 100 day’s you get 4,000 Miles (Time to Service)
And engine run time of 2 hrs x 100 days = 200 hours.
Total Engine Revolutions = (RPM 1250 x 60 min)x 200 hours = 15,000,000 turns

Now comes the interesting part

Vehicle 2 Travels to a outstation Office in Highway Speed 55MPH for 1 hour without traffic. Which mean going at top gear assume average 2000 RPM and Speed 55 MPH.

So for a Day’s drive it’s 55 x 2 = 110 Miles 2 hours up and down.
Say in 100 day’s you get 11,000 Miles ( Way past 3000 or 4000 limit).
And Engine run time is 2 x 100 = 200 hours same as vehicle 1
Total Engine Revolutions = (RPM 2000 x 60 min)x 200 hours = 24,000,000 turns

1’st vehicle’s 4,000 miles in 100 day’s can be covered in (4000/110) = 36 day’s from Vehicle 2’s driving style.
And Engine run time 2 hrs x 36 days = 72 hours.
Total Engine Revolutions ( RPM 2000 x 60 min) x 72 hrs = 8,640,000 turns to cover same distance.

Now lets see how many miles can be covered using the 1’st vehicle’s total engine revolutions by using 2′nd vehicle’s hi-way style driving.
(15,000,000 / 2000 rpm) / 60 min = 125 hrs x 55 MPH = 6,875 Miles

That’s Like (6,875 – 4000 ) = 2,875 Miles Free

Conclusion City driving you may need to service earlier (3000 – 5000) than the Hi-way style driving ( 5000 – 11,000 ).

If there is a posibility to know how many turns an engine can take before an oil change is needed.

Eg. 15,000,000 turns, 24,000,000 turns or it’s more or less. Depending on that plus knowing your average RPM and avarage MPH I guess you can land at a rough idea about how many miles you can do before an oil change.

By: Save the planet with motor oil

Save the planet with motor oil — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:02:44 +0000

[...] the oil every 7,500 miles, changing the oil every 3,000 miles will only drain your pocket book. Many cars now have an oil change sensor that will notify you when the oil needs to be swapped [...]

By: TheVanMan

TheVanMan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:05:46 +0000

I thought most modern cars and vans now only need an oild change every 20,000 miles or so – mine does in any case.

By: john

john — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:23:14 +0000

yes and i want to save a couple of hundred dollars by not changing the oil ( and in the process blow up my 40,000 audi ) ya right. what a load of crap.

By: joe

joe — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:42:27 +0000

I found the best way to check my oil is to put some between my fingers from the oil stick. If if feels like watery with no oily feeling, it’s time to change your oil. I always change my filter with an oil change. The filter is even more important than the oil.