About to hit 3000
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here's a suggestion
actually, i have several:
1. re-evaluate your "oil has to be changed at 3000 miles" belief. no, it does not. read manual carefully. what dealer tells you is dealer's job and profit. there are no 07 cars that need oil to be changed every 3K miles, unless you are driving in the Goby desert all the time. search on the internet for a book called "car oils bible", it might shad some light on the 3K oil change. myth
2. i am a firm belever into synthetics. FIRM. engines run much better, oil changes need not to be done as often, less sludge formed. in 2004 i bought a brand new honda cr-v, and put 54K miles on her in one year. based on the 3K theory, i did oil changes every 2.5 weeks, as it was nothing for me to get 1200 miles a week. ergo, i went through every oil they had on the market. until i found royal purple. that was it! it's the best oil out there, i have multiple vehicles, at certain point, all of them ran on RP with fantastic results. if the engine is done right and you have no blow-by exhaust going into crankcase (lord save me from even thinking that chevy could possibly make something like this!), RP will easily last for 10K miles. yes, it's pricy. well, you always get what you pay for. also, you can pay now, or you will pay later. trivial.
3. slowly, i ventured from RP to amsoil. mostly due to the same OIL BIBLE, as guy who wrote it "proves" that it's the best oil out there. ok, here's the scoop on amsoil: my wife's RX300 really likes it. i lost track of miles i have on the last refill, engine runs nice, smooth, and quiet, oil is just dark caramel; i had it in my ranger for some 12K miles, and changed it as engine got to the point of slight noiseness; my honda could not tell any difference; my chevy truck does not like it! it's been only 7K miles on refill, and oil is already dark and i start sensing some noise on the cold engine. so, RP it'll be in few weeks.
of course, i am far from assuming that out of all the cars, chevy's engine has the worst piston rings seal and oil is burnt due to blow-by gasses. that would have been a prepostorous idea!
4. by the way, when i do my oil changes, i do them myself and do flush with flush oil. now that is something that will extend your engine/oil life greatly! i simply drain used one, refill with the cheapest one in the right weight i can find at walmart, and run engine for 15 minutes, with the last 2 at maybe 2500 rpm. then drain it. you know what - comes out pitch black! then i change filter and refill with good oil. beat that, quick lube. or even dealership.
5. use MOBIL1 filter only! it's been proven that it's the 2nd best filter out there. 1st best can not be purchased nationally, as it's made for japan use only.
actually, i have several:
1. re-evaluate your "oil has to be changed at 3000 miles" belief. no, it does not. read manual carefully. what dealer tells you is dealer's job and profit. there are no 07 cars that need oil to be changed every 3K miles, unless you are driving in the Goby desert all the time. search on the internet for a book called "car oils bible", it might shad some light on the 3K oil change. myth
2. i am a firm belever into synthetics. FIRM. engines run much better, oil changes need not to be done as often, less sludge formed. in 2004 i bought a brand new honda cr-v, and put 54K miles on her in one year. based on the 3K theory, i did oil changes every 2.5 weeks, as it was nothing for me to get 1200 miles a week. ergo, i went through every oil they had on the market. until i found royal purple. that was it! it's the best oil out there, i have multiple vehicles, at certain point, all of them ran on RP with fantastic results. if the engine is done right and you have no blow-by exhaust going into crankcase (lord save me from even thinking that chevy could possibly make something like this!), RP will easily last for 10K miles. yes, it's pricy. well, you always get what you pay for. also, you can pay now, or you will pay later. trivial.
3. slowly, i ventured from RP to amsoil. mostly due to the same OIL BIBLE, as guy who wrote it "proves" that it's the best oil out there. ok, here's the scoop on amsoil: my wife's RX300 really likes it. i lost track of miles i have on the last refill, engine runs nice, smooth, and quiet, oil is just dark caramel; i had it in my ranger for some 12K miles, and changed it as engine got to the point of slight noiseness; my honda could not tell any difference; my chevy truck does not like it! it's been only 7K miles on refill, and oil is already dark and i start sensing some noise on the cold engine. so, RP it'll be in few weeks.
of course, i am far from assuming that out of all the cars, chevy's engine has the worst piston rings seal and oil is burnt due to blow-by gasses. that would have been a prepostorous idea!
4. by the way, when i do my oil changes, i do them myself and do flush with flush oil. now that is something that will extend your engine/oil life greatly! i simply drain used one, refill with the cheapest one in the right weight i can find at walmart, and run engine for 15 minutes, with the last 2 at maybe 2500 rpm. then drain it. you know what - comes out pitch black! then i change filter and refill with good oil. beat that, quick lube. or even dealership.
5. use MOBIL1 filter only! it's been proven that it's the 2nd best filter out there. 1st best can not be purchased nationally, as it's made for japan use only.
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4,163 Posts
Awesome knowledge and info on oil changes!:great: What about diesels?
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163 Posts
The above reply is a good one overall. Your new truck has an oil life monitor so the days of 3K OC's are past. My only issue with OLM's is they can have you going 7-10K on an OC and that is too much for a filter. The oil itself may be okay for that length but filters are not. 5K is as long as I am comfortable going on a filter and I have yet to meet one, including a Mobil 1, that I would push past 7K. Synthetic oil mfg's that advocate extended oil change intervals of 10K or more always recommend changing the fiilter between 4-5K and topping off the oil. I personally do my OC's, even with synthetic, at 5K because I am there doing the filter anyway and at least 1/2-1qt of oil. I just do it period. 5K also is a convenient mileage figure to keep track of and I can rotate the tires at the same time.
Couple points. The first is don't go by the color of the oil to determine when to change it. It has nothing to do with whether or not it is still good. Only if it is milky white or a cloudy tan, which indicates water in it, does the color tell you anything. Carmel colored oil can actually test bad and dark black oil can still test good. Oil gets black because the detergents in it are doing their job and cleaning the engine that is all. It can still be good however and being black or very dark does not mean the oil is bad. The only way to know for sure if the oil is good is to have oil analysis done or with a synthetic you change it around 5-7K which any brand should most definitely be good for.
Royal Purple is an EXCELLENT oil and I highly recommend it. Amsoil is very good as well but be leary of claims on their fluids. "Most" are their own tests and are very biased. They are also famous for 1/2 truths, misleading claims about their products and competitors, and out right falsehoods. Their products are good don't get me wrong but the company is not very ethical.
Mobil 1 filters are good but they are very expensive. If I am spending $10-$11+ a filter I would run a K&N which is every bit as good or better than the Mobil 1 filters. K&N is also not made by Mobil 1 which is owned by ExxonMobil. They are the biggest gas gougers out there and I try like hell not to give them any of my money. A K&N will do the job every bit as good as a Mobil1 filter but you don't support any crooks when buying it. AC and Wix/Napa Gold( same filter - different labels )are two excellent filters that are good for 5-6K at 1/2 the price of the K&N or Mobil 1.
thanks for the info guys, and yeah i read the manual front to back and understand that there is a sensor but i figured it would go off around 3k since ive only ever owned used vehicles.. also is it ok to run synthetic in with the first change, i always thought that the engine needed to be thoroughly broken in..
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I have been researching oil for about 5 years, I only use three oils.
1. Schaeffer google it (best) they even send you a pill bottle looking bottle to send your oil in to be tested and they break it down chemically of what is in your oil, such as glycol, iron, aluminum, and where it could possibly come from. Most major taxi companies use this oil
2. Royal purple, great oil nothing much more can be said
3. Mobil 1
When i get my engines broke in i usually use a synthetic blend to get my engine and gaskets used to the smaller molecules of synthetic oil, after that i change over to full synthetic. At the time of full synthetic oil change i also change out the transfer case/trans, and the PIG (rear end) as well.
1. Schaeffer google it (best) they even send you a pill bottle looking bottle to send your oil in to be tested and they break it down chemically of what is in your oil, such as glycol, iron, aluminum, and where it could possibly come from. Most major taxi companies use this oil
2. Royal purple, great oil nothing much more can be said
3. Mobil 1
When i get my engines broke in i usually use a synthetic blend to get my engine and gaskets used to the smaller molecules of synthetic oil, after that i change over to full synthetic. At the time of full synthetic oil change i also change out the transfer case/trans, and the PIG (rear end) as well.
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163 Posts
I am not sure where that theory came from about an engine needing to break in before swapping to synthetic? Probably something that came out when synthetics 1st did and people didn't understand them as well. I think it is a theory that has held on long past the time when it has been shown to be false much like 3K OC's. Bottom line is you can use synthetic oil in a brand new engine from the get go and be fine. While true that it may take a little longer to fully break in, as synthetic does reduce friction, heat, and wear, no harm is done by it at all.
Many high end auto mfg's use synthetic oil as factory fill. GM themselves use it on hi-perf vehicles like the Vette and GTO. I have personally used synthetic( RP )from day one on engines I have built for my muscle cars & drag cars and the engines did fine on them. On a new vehicle I tend to swap out to synthetic around 2500 miles only because there is fresh oil in there and no need wasting it. I do another swap at 5000 and then do my OC's with it every 5000 thereafter.
The only Synthetic myth or theory out there that is really true is the one that says be careful swapping a high mileage vehicle to it for the 1st time. Vehicles with 75-100K+ should not be swapped over the synthetic if they have any current oil leaks or consume more than 1qt of oil over 3000 miles. If so those issues will likely worsen. It is also highly possible that one or both conditions, if not previously present, will develope within say 1000-1500 miles after the swap. I have seen it happen. Not a 100% "will" happen but I would personally put the odds at least 40/60 that it will.
The detergents used in synthetic oil are so good/strong they will eat through sludge and build up as well as or even better than engine flush chemicals. As a result it can lead to leaks and increased consumption of oil. The sludge and build up seals off the gaskets and seals from oil and they can dry out and crack( cork mainly - not as big an issue with rubber although rubber can dry rot as well ). Once that stuff is desolved you suddenly have leaks. Internal leaks( consumption )can happen around valve seals and such and the same problem occurs. The sludge and build up seals internal leak avenues and once eaten away = leaks. I have actually seen an increase in valve train noise when a high mileage engine is swapped to synthetic too. The sludge and build up acts like insulation and helps to mask worn valve train components. Once it is eaten away you suddenly can hear it. Using synthetic on a high mileage engine never run on it is dangerous.
In your situation there is NOTHING wrong with swapping to a synthetic at your 1st OC @ 3000 miles. Your engine will still break in just fine( actually IMO it is pretty well broken in anyway by then ) and you have added countless thousands of miles of "wear" to it's life by swapping to the superior product. Nothing it can do about faulty parts( ie; piston, rings, seals, etc... )that may cause premature engine failure but it sure as heck will extend the wear life of your enngine.
Make the swap, hopefully to RP :lol: , and don't look back.
Volkswagen uses synthetic 5w40 from the get go dont they??? and I know the cobalts SS come with mobil 1 and every oil change is reccomended use of Mobil1 (wonder how much money they made off that lol) I have an 07 Classic Silverado, i did my first oil change at 2500 KMS, Synthetic Mobil 1, and then right after my dad thought he was doing me a favour one day when he took the truck and took the free oil change coupon they gave me, it was time for one (every 5000kms is what is reccomended here), and he got my oil change done, of course a free oil change wasnt synthetic. I started to watch the oil gauge. Man what a difference synthetic makes, my truck with synthetic, would idle at 150ish and when i was pushing the gas it would be at 275 (normal operating psi) with the regular AC DELCO oil, my truck would ilde at like 250-275ish and when it was going would go near 350ish! as soon as i seen that i said screw this fresh oil or not i changed it 3000 kms later, and my chevys seem to like fram double guard (made specifically for trucks i believe) (synthetic filter i think too)
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