3000 mile oil change - good idea or marketing?

**Steve** · 04-26-2007, 12:13 PM

Will the 3,000 mile oil change ever die?

Seriously, I'm in marketing and there are some good examples of great marketing. DeBeers invented the concept that a diamond ring is good for an engagement ring ... then they bought up all the stock, hid them and now say that they're rare.

Oil companies and quick-lube places started pushing the 3,000 mile oil change, while watchdog groups doing tests suggest that even basic oil should only be changed every 7500 miles. What's it with synthetic? 10-15000?

**abuelito** · 04-26-2007, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by Steve

Will the 3,000 mile oil change ever die?

Seriously, I'm in marketing and there are some good examples of great marketing. DeBeers invented the concept that a diamond ring is good for an engagement ring ... then they bought up all the stock, hid them and now say that they're rare.

Oil companies and quick-lube places started pushing the 3,000 mile oil change, while watchdog groups doing tests suggest that even basic oil should only be changed every 7500 miles. What's it with synthetic? 10-15000?

stevio,,,i have been running mobil 1 for years and change at 6000 or a bit more,when changing its still golden colored,,,i think you can really go to 10000,,used mobil 1 in my 2002 tundra my 2004 avalanche,my 2006 avalanche now in my yukon xl, abuelito,. On a different note I wanted to ask if anyone here uses www.gmpartsclub.com to buy parts.

**MrShorty** · 04-26-2007, 03:13 PM

A quick cost analysis.

I rebuilt the motor in my Explorer at 160K miles, doing 5k mile oil changes (after 130k miles, I don't know for sure what the previous owner did). Assuming the previous was similar: 160k/5k per change=52 oil changes. $10 per oil change (do it myself)=$520 over the life of the engine.

If I'd done 3k mile oil changes: 160k/5k*$10=$330. An additional $190 spent on oil changes over the life of the engine.

So the real question then is, would that additional $200 have bought me an addition 30-60K miles? I don't know. Maybe I've bought into the marketing, but it seems like a small price to pay for the chance at a longer lasting engine.

Do you have links/references for these studies? I expect these studies are based on chemical analysis rather than engine longevity.

Another aspect, I think, stems from the fact that those who pay for warranty work have "bought into it" in that they will use the 3k mile oil change (or lack thereof) as an excuse not to pay for warranty work. Someone who's just put $20k+ on a new car, or shelled out $1k+ for an extended warranty, doesn't want to jeopardize that warranty by not following the warrantor's maintenance schedule. It seems that a lot of the marketing for lube shops and the like is geared around, "don't void your car's warranty." As long as warrantors use the 3k mi oil change as an excuse not to perform warranty work, then there will be strong compulsion for consumers to change their oil that frequently.

**Steve** · 04-26-2007, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by MrShorty

Do you have links/references for these studies? I expect these studies are based on chemical analysis rather than engine longevity.

This was a big study done in the 90's looking at Taxi cabs in NYC. They used a large sample of vehicles, some had oil changes at 3,000 miles, some at 12000 miles (something like that) and drove them for somethine like 100,000 miles. They tore down the engines and found no mechanical differences.

Consumer Reports: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...m=oil%20change

Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.

Reality: Although oil companies and quick-lube shops like to promote this idea, it's usually not necessary. Go by the recommended oil-change schedule in your vehicle's owner's manual. Most vehicles driven under normal conditions can go 7,500 miles or more between oil changes. Some models now come with a monitoring system that alerts the driver when the oil needs changing. Depending on driving conditions, these can extend change intervals to 10,000 or 15,000 miles.

I've even read anecdotal evidence from folks that use full synthetics that go 50,000 miles + w/o changing oil, one diesel driver who goes 100,000 miles plus.

I'll do some more lookups later. Most vehicle manufacturers talk about 5,000-7,500. My TB is like 5 or 6 I think.

**Steve** · 04-26-2007, 05:18 PM

http://www.xs11.com/stories/croil96.htm

**Cableguy** · 04-26-2007, 10:18 PM

I'm guilty! I change at 3000...
For $30 a change why fret. Mine is clean as a whip coming out.

**KD7ONE** · 04-27-2007, 08:36 AM

After I get an oil change, I add Lucas Oil Stabilizer. It helps the engine run better and I don't have to have oil changes as often.

**Robbiev** · 04-27-2007, 02:24 PM

My wife has an 07 Suzuki SX-4 with a 7 year 100000 mile powertrain warranty. The book says to change the oil every 7500 miles. I think the 3000 mile oil change it is most definately a marketing ploy. The japs back up there engines with an outstanding warranty so I don't think they would recommend such a higher mileage oil change if they thought the engine could not handle it.

**98BuickRegalGS** · 04-29-2007, 11:58 PM

I go by my Oil Life Monitor.

I drive %90 freeway and at 10% oil life remaining Im at about 7,000 miles and I'll change it the weekend it hits 10%

**alex16** · 05-01-2007, 01:53 PM

My grandfather used to run a fleet of trucks, diffrent diesel engines and milage.

His rule of thumb he'd use.... change the oil as soon as he got the truck to synthetic..... keep the synthetic in it, change oil filter every 6,000 miles and add Xqts of synthetic to match what came out of the filter. He had some trucks pushing 800,000 miles using this method and never had one internal mechanical failure. There was a total of 14 trucks in his fleet ranging from 1992-2003.