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Anyone who knows anything about internal combustion engines or mechanics in general is going to tell you that your friend is an idiot. There is no telling the severity of premature wear his engine may have suffered without taking it apart. What I do know is that the people I have known who have owned automobiles that ran for years with little to no major mechanical failures were the ones who followed the manufacturer's recommended maintenance procedures, starting with changing the oil every 3000 miles.
On another note, stories like this are why I NEVER buy used vehicles.
No manufacturer of a mainstream vehicle recommends 3000 mile oil changes.
.....the manufacturer's recommended maintenance procedures, starting with changing the oil every 3000 miles...........
Few if any manufacturers recommend 3000 mile oil changes these days except maybe for exotic turbo engines, or severe service. Routine service intervals are 5000 miles, 7500, or even 10,000 or more.
What I do know is that the people I have known who have owned automobiles that ran for years with little to no major mechanical failures were the ones who followed the manufacturer's recommended maintenance procedures, starting with changing the oil every 3000 miles.
On another note, stories like this are why I NEVER buy used vehicles.
Does anyone besides the quick lube place recommend 3k mile oil changes anymore?
Sounds like a big waste of money to me. Most vehicle these days are 5k+ for oil changes like my Scion and Toyota did (same manufacturer, I know). BMW recommends 10k miles. GM has the oil life meter.
What other things I'd want to know about the OP's friend driving 19k miles were the conditions he drove in (hot & dusty, did he tow) etc...
My father has driven oil to 14k miles before on a Yukon Denali and it ran fine for years until my father ended up trading it in for something smaller and more fuel efficient.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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On our 2014 Escape Ford recommends changing it when the Vehicle Health Report says to, or the message comes on. The oil life is based on miles, time, and driving conditions as stored by the computer. I run the report 2-3 times between changes and so far have always changed it at 7,500 despite the report showing the life still at 30-35% at that point. Probably would go 10,000 but I just can't bring myself to wait that long. And that's regular oil, not synthetic.
So you don't think that the heat from the engine brakes down oil viscosity over time?
Of course it does. But you're continually adding fresh oil as you top it up, which you'd be doing anyhow even with complete oil changes, unless you're one of those who changes their oil at 3,000 or wherever and then forgets about it until the next service.
There are some current car engines that are notorious for building up sludge and affecting oil pump pick-up or oil circulation leading to catastrophic engine failure, but I don't recall the KIA engine having those problems.
The Hyundai/Kia Theta engine has been known to have some sludge issues if neglected. I know they've denied a few warranty claims because of it.
Some additional information - we are from NC so this car was driven in typical NC weather - some cold, some hot, dust a minimum, and no towing. My friend has had a tough year - some things going on and just let me tell you, was not thinking or concerned about the house, car, and other things that we normally try to take care of and enjoy.
I know it was not synthetic oil in my friend's KIA.
As for me, I am old school and still get the oil changed every 3,000-4,000 miles. My car is a new GM and it uses that new Dextrol blend but old habits die hard for me when it comes to timely oil changes.
And, as Annuvin summed up pretty well - I don't buy used cars either.
Last edited by Avantiguy; 09-21-2014 at 09:33 AM..
Some additional information - we are from NC so this car was driven in typical NC weather - some cold, some hot, dust a minimum, and no towing. My friend has had a tough year - some things going on and just let me tell you, was not thinking or concerned about the house, car, and other things that we normally try to take care of and enjoy.
As for me, I am old school and still get the oil changed every 3,000-4,000 miles. My car is a new GM and it uses that new Dextrol blend but old habits die hard for me when it comes to timely oil changes.
What does your new GM's Owner's Manual say? I know my new Ford F150's says to go by the maintenance minder instead of holding to mileage (and as someone else mentioned, only high performance engines and those under severe duty had 3000 mile changes. I had a 1979 Pontiac which recommended oil at 7500 and filter at 15000.). The reasons/justifications given in the Manual are lower operating costs and less waste of resources.
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