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Thanks. The good thing about having a bad motor...a little problem with oil level last October...in my current Camry, is that it has taught me to drive more moderately. I had the tendency to jack-rabbit out of intersections. Having a bad knock and wanting to stretch out the replacement for another few thousand miles has forced me to learn to accelerate smoothly and to keep it under 65 MPH on the highway (which is sometimes difficult on the less congested Chicagoland highways--people drive fast around here).
I feel better about the idea of buying a used car with some new information about oil changes and synthetics. Now if used car prices would come back down a bit. Its almost not worth it to buy used at this point. That new 2015 Accord is really nice, but I'm nervous about this being the first year they are putting CVT's into their gas cars.
The oil in my diesel is changed every 3,000 miles. And it sure comes out dirty! My Lexus hybrid oil change interval is 5,000 miles and I stick to that schedule. It has almost 200,000 miles on it now and continues to run well.
My mazda protege has 124,234 miles. I sent the oil out for testing. Whan the results came back They said the oil cane be used much more longer. Instead of 3,000 miles, you can push it more to 5,000-6,000. That is conventional oil. YMMV because every car is different. So send your oil for a test to see where it is at.
As usual, this thread getting mostly bad info comments from people with Screwball opinions. Forums bring out this kind of confusion.
My mechanic is, without a doubt, as sharp on anything Automobile savvy...from 40 yrs ago up to Today.
He, like Edd China, can perform brilliant surgery on ANY vehicle. Known everywhere as BEST in the business. He's been my family's Car guy for 35 HAPPY, Amazing car years.
He simply tells us, Oil needs changing every 3,000 miles/ filter, air filter, etc. He uses Havoline in his family vehicles. He stresses that the oil filter breaks down and the oil does too. CHANGE OIL and filter, along with Air filter, every 3000 miles....and you've done it right.
He changes his every 2000 - 2500. His wife loves her 25 year old Grand Marq so well....she won't let him buy her a new one.
I've read a bunch of posts on this topic, but no one seems to get into the details of why you might follow the manufacturers oil schedule vs. doing it more frequently. I'm not finding a lot of useful information out there and I'd like to understand the reason's for either doing it more often or less often.
Most used 2011+ Accords and Camrys being sold had oil changes on average 8-10,000 miles. The dealers all stated that this is fine so long as you change the oil when the indicator light comes on.
My mechanic says this is wrong and its a conspiracy by the dealers to drive more frequent sales. He says if you want to have a high miles / +15 year car, then stick to a 3000 mile/3 mo schedule.
When I press dealers about this point, I do get some agreement that dealership mechanics who have high miles cars all stick to the 3000/3 mo schedule. BUT, those cars will all have been made prior to 2010, so I'm not sure it counts.
I'm don't know who to believe in this debate. My mechanic stands to make money in more frequent oil changes or the dealer stands to make money in more frequent sales. The idea that it may be bad to change it every 8-10K miles has shied me away from buying used at all--that and the fact that used cars seem to be over-priced in the market at the moment.
Last question: if I should change it every 3000/3 mo, do I switch to regular oil from synthetic.
I can offer 2 things:
1st, I have been, among other things, a certified mechanic since 1978. But that doesn't not make me an engineer; only a person with an opinion.
2nd, I drive a vehicle with 400,000 miles on it 91990 model) and have put over 100,000 miles on several vehicles.
Oil change:
I change every 5,000 miles. But I don't just change the oil. I put a quart of Motor Flush (by Gunk) in the engine and warm it up on the way to have the oil changed. And I do that every single time. Regular oil.
Getting high mileage out of a vehicle is not just a matter of oil change, though. You have to buy into the whole package of radiator maintenance, ignition tune up, transmission maintenance, a belts & hose changes. 125,000 miles is no problem with most vehicles.
As usual, this thread getting mostly bad info comments from people with Screwball opinions. Forums bring out this kind of confusion.
My mechanic is, without a doubt, as sharp on anything Automobile savvy...from 40 yrs ago up to Today.
He, like Edd China, can perform brilliant surgery on ANY vehicle. Known everywhere as BEST in the business. He's been my family's Car guy for 35 HAPPY, Amazing car years.
He simply tells us, Oil needs changing every 3,000 miles/ filter, air filter, etc. He uses Havoline in his family vehicles. He stresses that the oil filter breaks down and the oil does too. CHANGE OIL and filter, along with Air filter, every 3000 miles....and you've done it right.
He changes his every 2000 - 2500. His wife loves her 25 year old Grand Marq so well....she won't let him buy her a new one.
Guess he knows more than mfg's who these days recommend 7,500 or 10K or even 15K oil change intervals. Or Blacklabs which examines oil and most come back still fine after 3,000 miles.
Oil development has changed. Synthetics these days can and will last beyond 3,000 miles for most people.
Yes, you can continue changing at 3,000 but I'll be honest you are throwing money away.
And I have to laugh at the notion of changing air filter after 3,000 miles
Guess he knows more than mfg's who these days recommend 7,500 or 10K or even 15K oil change intervals. Or Blacklabs which examines oil and most come back still fine after 3,000 miles.
Oil development has changed. Synthetics these days can and will last beyond 3,000 miles for most people.
Yes, you can continue changing at 3,000 but I'll be honest you are throwing money away.
And I have to laugh at the notion of changing air filter after 3,000 miles
hahaha...I'm the one LAUGHING, PAL.
I'm gonna trust you, a stranger big talker on a forum....Or, my proven, OUTSTANDING ...perhaps the best mechanic on Earth. LOL YEAH, RIGHT. HAHA
After owning over 35 cars thru out the years and many of them over 250,000 miles, I can say i change the oil per the manufacturer specs..... And have never had a problem at all...
I'm gonna trust you, a stranger big talker on a forum....Or, my proven, OUTSTANDING ...perhaps the best mechanic on Earth. LOL YEAH, RIGHT. HAHA
You do what you have to do. I'll trust what the manufacturer of the car recommends. And I'm pretty sure he is the one laughing, all the way to the bank with your hard earned money.
Seriously, 3,000 change intervals on an AIR FILTER?
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