Oil 5000 miles +

[fearturtle44]

The reason we are geared for 3000 because the outfits like Jiffy Lube and the Dealers brainwash us with those reminder stickers for 3000 (as more changes means more $$$$). My rule of thumb is:

a. if you do 90%/10% in town driving to highway, then 3000
b. if you do 50/50 type driving, then 4000
c. if you do 90%/10% highway driving to in town, then 5000

Oil is a cheap way of maintaining a car to last 100,000 plus miles.

Kevin

[Chupacabra]

Originally Posted by fearturtle44

The reason we are geared for 3000 because the outfits like Jiffy Lube and the Dealers brainwash us with those reminder stickers for 3000 (as more changes means more $$$$).

That's BS. The 3-5K mile deal has been around LONG before lube shops and most motors outside of auto's are scheduled on run time(hours).

[Yawesh]

Originally Posted by gid

+1 , reason why do it at home . Cheaper too . 3 and 1/2 quarts fills to or bit below the FULL mark . Have had dealer / private service centers overfill by a quart or no oil at all ( did change filter , forgot the oil ) . .

i too had that experience, no more - i am changing the oil myself now. they overfilled it(they placed four quarts in with out thinking about the .5 oil possibly in there - or they didn't change the filter)

Royal Purple!

and yup gotta keep those receipts.

[ulmaitre]

Just a brief point: it is only a myth that Mobil 1 and other oils are not true synthetics. I called Mobil 1, and read their official stockholders' report, and they explicitly state that Mobil 1 is a true synthetic from synthetic stock, and not a cracked natural oil.

[PetersRedYaris]

My 1999 Tacoma (2.7L) said directly in the manual, 7500 miles or 5000 miles for harsh driving conditions. So even Toyota has/or had some models with higher mileage intervals...

[talnlnky]

running synth... change ever 4500-5000 just for the waranty issues. Once my waranty is up (80,000miles) i'll change the filter ever 3k-5k, and the oil every 10k (synth oil still).

I ran my 97 mazda 626 on 4k intervals on dino oil and never had a problem... put 90,000 miles on it in 5.5 years.

[Chupacabra]

Everybody has a story...and all are valid. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that, if you can afford to, change the oil as often as possible and preferably at the well known intervals. If in doubt...follow the owner's manual at a minimum. The irony is that you can't afford NOT to change your oil often....it's the cheapest maintenance you can buy. The dealer has over-filled my wife's Scion twice and since the oil changes are free....I bought a fuji drain valve and let the excess out when it comes home. There is no point in addressing the dealer. I highly recommend oil changes at home. They are easy, fast, cheap, accurate and great piece of mind.

[gid]

Originally Posted by ChinoCharles

I hope you DIY guys are saving receipts and putting them in the warranty book. I don't think the act of saying you changed every X,000 miles is enough to keep you within warranty, and if you take a car in with an engine problem and have no proof of oil changes it could be a long day.

all receipts are on file .

[HTM Yaris]

I've just changed my oil @ 10 K for the second time using Amsoil 5-30 . The oil was pretty darn clean . I will go the full 15 K that Amsoil suggest for this next interval .

[POORSHA]

I use amsoil 0w-30 ss I change the oil every 15,000 mi. If you go to the amsoil site they have a lot of info. It may not change your mind, but then again it might. Still worth the time to read it.amsoil.com

[genethekiller]

Originally Posted by MadMax

By the way, this guy isn't in Ramstein village, is he? Last name Kaprowski?

I used to have a great BMW mechanic that worked on my two E30 3-series and I swear I have never had such an excellent mechanic! I wish I could get him over to Texas.

But Loren is exactly right, with today's modern blends the days of 3-5000 mile oil changes are becoming a thing of the past. If you are really concerned about breakdown, send a sample to a laboratory after you do your next oil change and you will be surprised how little it has deteriorated!

Cheers! M2

No, his name is Edwin Lugo. Awesome guy, always makes sure your stuff is good to go. I love German mechanics. And he's the best.

Anyway, this guy's shop is in Landstuhl.

[Kal-El]

Going 15,000 miles between changes means you don't care about your car.

Toyota engineers (those silly guys that built the engines ) say 5,000 miles. That's what I follow.

I'd say 7,500 should be the limit.

[MadMax]

We had great mechanics for both my BMW and the wife's Passat when we were stationed in Germany. The Passat went to Rittersbacher VW in Landstuhl (on the B-40), and "Herr Kaprowski" was recommended to me by the guy I bought the 318i from.

And I do miss being in Germany. I was just in Munich and Garmisch last month and hope to get back there again in a few months. I was last at Ramstein in May 08 for an exercise, it was a great time to be there!

Cheers! M2

[ddongbap]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

running synth... change ever 4500-5000 just for the waranty issues. Once my waranty is up (80,000miles) i'll change the filter ever 3k-5k, and the oil every 10k (synth oil still).

I ran my 97 mazda 626 on 4k intervals on dino oil and never had a problem... put 90,000 miles on it in 5.5 years.

There is no real way of checking what your oil change interval is at.

[TheSilkySmooth]

Originally Posted by ulmaitre

Just a brief point: it is only a myth that Mobil 1 and other oils are not true synthetics. I called Mobil 1, and read their official stockholders' report, and they explicitly state that Mobil 1 is a true synthetic from synthetic stock, and not a cracked natural oil.

There is no SAE/API/ILSAC definition for "chemist handbook defined" synthetic anymore - its been removed from the books. Show us a Mobil document that shows the base stock chemistry of mobil one 5W-30, otherwize its a BS and hogwash and misinformation. Guys/gals, another path to the truth: Look at the spec on the oil, available on manufacturers webpage; if the pour point is not below -45deg C AND a Flash point above 250 deg C, then its not homogeneous pure synth basestock, just a blend. Oh, forgot, Mobil 5W-30 doesnt meet its specs - so I guess ANYTHING they say is BS. Like blaming the Hurricane on the lack of Mobil oil on the shelf - when the real reason we can suppose is a "silent recall".
check this read:
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:...ng_en&ie=UTF-8


the bro

[PetersRedYaris]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

Going 15,000 miles between changes means you don't care about your car.

Toyota engineers (those silly guys that built the engines ) say 5,000 miles. That's what I follow.

I'd say 7,500 should be the limit.

I agree, but that's the US oil change interval... I find it very interesting that the European Yari have longer intervals, like Andies 9,000 mile (15,000 Km) recommended change from post #18. His TS has the same motor as the new Corolla, so whats the difference?

You have to question why US yari have shorter recommended oil changes compared to the rest of the world.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by genethekiller

I have a great mechanic here in Germany, good honest guy always looking for ways to save me money, (a la buying oil from US shops, 5w-30 is ridiculously expensive in Europe)

But every time I take my car to him for an oil change, he tells me I don't need to bring it in that often. It's been nearly 5000 miles, I always change early, just a couple hundred miles or so, but I don't think he gets it.

The US EPA has been leading changes in oil composition in the US. Possibly they are leading the EU or vice versa on this kind of change. Standards have been falling since 1990 for phosphorous content in oils.

The EPA wants reduce Phosphorous content in oils. Phosphorous reduces wear in "tight spaces" under starvation conditions, like in overhead valve assemblies. Phosphorous also "poisons" catalysts in catalytic converters, leading to their expiration. This annoys the EPA, which would like emission control systems to last up to and beyond 100,000 miles (160,000 klicks).

So the US EPA has been encouraging oil makers to shift to oils that contain other critical additives, such as Moly Di-sulfide. Will these substitutes work in the long term? Who can say? Molydisulfide is a great grease additive and dry lubricant, but oils are not dry lubricants and do other things besides lubricate.

Engine oil serves many functions in an automobile. Besides lubricating the crankshaft, bearings and inside walls of cylinders it also removes heat and combustion products. Which of these functions fails first? I do not know. I do know that Yaris do run kind of hot and do need protection.

I rarely go above 6,000 miles on synthetic. To me saving twenty or thirty bucks a year for oil and slightly raising the risk of reduced reliability is not worth it to me. I make a decent living and insist upon a reliable form of transportation, especially as I am out and about into the wee hours of the morning.

There is not even the awful practice of pouring oil down storm drains or burning it in incinerators to deter us today. Quite a few firms will recycle old oil, returning it to service. Castrol, for example, uses a lot of recycled oil. So to me pouring used oil into the tanks of Advance Auto or other firms does not cause me any worries.

We have a member here who achieved 300,000 miles of engine wear, apparently a lot of it at high speeds. He claims to have changed the oil every 5,000 miles. FWIW.

Gene

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by PetersRedYaris

I agree, but that's the US oil change interval... I find it very interesting that the European Yari have longer intervals, like Andies 9,000 mile (15,000 Km) recommended change from post #18. His TS has the same motor as the new Corolla, so whats the difference?

You have to question why US yari have shorter recommended oil changes compared to the rest of the world.

Yes, I'm quite curious to know why the intervals are different.