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For engines which can go long distances between oil changes, it highly depends on the quality of the oil. My BMW gets oil changes every 12,000 miles but has high grade synthetic oil.
I just did my Inspection II where they analyze engine performance, scrutinize all the sensors, and a guy I know has a dyno that I put mine on.
After 10,000 miles, it was getting 180 hp and 170 ft-lb of torque out of a 2.5 liter engine.
After nearly 95,000 miles, it gets pretty much the same.
Further, my emissions have not suffered, and never have I seen my oil temperature guage fluctuate.
So, while run-of-the-mill Nissans and other commuter cars require 3000-3500 miles between service, higher performance oils need less, but never get oil that wasn't designed for your engine.
Well if you think about it, it makes sense. Cars that don't have the oil changed ever will eventually start to burn oil. As long as you replenish it fully you can pretty much go on perpetually running the car as there will be always fresh oil in there. At some point it will equalize.
Nope. Not one word of this post could ever be true.
In fact, if a person would follow this idea the engine rebuild business would boom!
For engines which can go long distances between oil changes, it highly depends on the quality of the oil and the additive package in said oil. My BMW gets oil changes every 12,000 miles but has high grade synthetic oil and a filter change with add of one quart.
I just did my Inspection II where they analyze engine performance, scrutinize all the sensors, and a guy I know has a dyno that I put mine on.
After 10,000 miles, it was getting 180 hp and 170 ft-lb of torque out of a 2.5 liter engine.
After nearly 95,000 miles, it gets pretty much the same.
Further, my emissions have not suffered, and never have I seen my oil temperature guage fluctuate.
So, while run-of-the-mill Nissans and other commuter cars require 3000-3500 miles between service, higher performance oils need less, but never get oil that wasn't designed for your engine.
All syn oils will perform well. The down fall is the oil filter none of which are designed to go much past 3,000 miles. The added back syn oil will re-charge the additive package.
There is a way to lengthen any oil change for both diesel and gas engines that has a well proven history. A Franz bypass filter aftermarket add on. With care it's possible to go insane time periods between oil changes if changed at all. I've tested this at the factory where we built engines for industry with much success as long as the owner followed the plan to service the bypass AND engine filter on time.
Reasons to change oil, can be a lot of city driving where it is stop and go traffics. Another is many short rides in colder weather where you condense water inside the crank case, and may discover a tan crud at the filler cap, engine breather hose, or flame trap if any. A short ride is one where the engine doesn't get to come to full warm, and then doesn't get to turn the consendsed water into steam and be breathed thru the intake as crank case gasses.
If you drive and see water at the tail pipe this can be a tell tail if the engine has been in use an hour or more.
Other reasons might be if you know there was a problem with injection and the engine has suffered several floodings, where gasoline would have passed the piston rings and diluted the oil, called gas/oil and you can smell it on the dip stick and the oil level may seem to be higher in fact than it should be.
A car that over heated for any reason will over heat oil, and that will tend to cook and break oil down, and any type of oil.
Since blow by occurs in any engine, there is a point where it will effect the oil, which not only lubricates moving parts, but suspends contaminates.
Most of these contaminates are acids, that can and will eat babbit bearings and alloy, others are metalic contaminates from worn parts like bearings, steel chips from pumps, and other metals. it is surprising to read a test sheet of metals from oil tests.
I found trace metals I wouldn't have expected to be inside any engine.
in all seriousness, 5000 miles is a nice number too. I like 3000 but 5000 is still a good mileage to change the oil. I am leery of anymore though..
Quote:
Originally Posted by rosecitywanderer
Tightwads? Ha! How about actually being smart with your money? There is no reason to change your oil every 3,000 miles, especially with synthetic. You're throwing your money away. I check my oil at 3,000 miles and it's still golden brown. Even at 5K it isn't completely black and the car runs like a champ. In fact I was told by my shop that the inside of my engine is the cleanest they've ever seen and that the engine is healthy as a horse.
My dad's Acura goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 31,000 miles on it.
My Hyundai goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 134,000 miles on it.
My mom's Lexus goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 110,000 miles on it.
My friend's BMW goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 147,000 miles on it.
Another friend's Audi goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 92,000 miles on it (and his computer tells him it's a 10,000-mile change interval).
Yet another friend's Ford F-150 goes 5,000 miles in between changes and has 62,000 miles on it.
I have seen 10K engines picked apart actually, and they looked absolutely flawless.
The fact that the oil still has it's viscosity at that change cycle is also a good sign that it works.
Of course, it's part of the story that no ones in their right mind over here would use anything other than full synthetic on a 1996 or newer. My own is a 98 and has always had full synthetic. Engine runs smooth as silk, even now, when it's technically overdue for a change.
And $$ is more scarce? I live in the second richest country (per capita) in the world. You'll make $70-90K a year working a warehouse, so I'd say we're good on money.
good money but everything is more expensive over there. By a wide margin. 6 quarts of good oil and a quality filter is $16 here.. How much over there?? Ive rebuilt many engines and I can tell you every time if a person changed the oil at 3-5k or 7500-10k miles as soon as I open her up too..
Well if you think about it, it makes sense. Cars that don't have the oil changed ever will eventually start to burn oil. As long as you replenish it fully you can pretty much go on perpetually running the car as there will be always fresh oil in there. At some point it will equalize.
This cannot be serious!
Funny though...
I used to be religious about 3K changes but when my ex's called for 7500 years ago I started to rethink it, and research it.
I now go 5K for a number of reasons, but one is that it is easy to remember once I got on the actual multiple.
But, I also go by time on a couple of my cars because they don't get that many miles on 'em.
good money but everything is more expensive over there. By a wide margin. 6 quarts of good oil and a quality filter is $16 here.. How much over there?? Ive rebuilt many engines and I can tell you every time if a person changed the oil at 3-5k or 7500-10k miles as soon as I open her up too..
Kind of engines are they?
That's beside the point though.
When a manufacturer guarantees the car will live with 9000 mile changes, and I've seen, driven and known car to run well past the 200.000 mark with that change cycle, in no better weather conditions than you have.
What's the point in changing the oil every 3-5000 miles when it'll go above 200.000 without problem, when you go with the manufacturer standard?
Hell my mom drove her 1982 Corolla on NO oil for an entire month, and even that didn't kill it!
Tightwad gains gratification from arguing the most extreme position possible. Someone will then point out the flaws in his position, which leads to tightwad arguing that his position is the absolute truth. This irritates a bunch of people, which is ultimately what he wants.
Then, he starts the process up all over again in another thread for his own amusement. He's our neighborhood troll, so don't worry...
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I live in the second richest country (per capita) in the world. You'll make $70-90K a year working a warehouse, so I'd say we're good on money. 
