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Honda actually uses break-in oil or additive in their new cars and strongly recommends not to change oil until its time.
If this had any bearing on the life span of the engine then I should of had at least 1 engine that failed early. It's never happened! I have been hearing that auto manufacturers used special break-in oil for the last 50 years and have never been able to find any documentation that identifies what oil it is or what they add to the oil. This must be the best kept secret in the history of man.
I will say that I have heard that some experts do not recommend synthetic oil in new engines. Another expert will say that synthetics are OK.
I have never had an engine burn oil even with 300,000 miles it if I had changed the oil the first 100 miles (new). If you think this makes no sense then the next time you have a new engine dump the oil at 100 miles and then shine a light into the oil, the oil will have thousands on shiny metal flakes in it from the manufacturing process. The first 100 miles of operation knocks lose metal flakes of the engine casting and it floats around inside the engine causing damage. This 100 mile oil is always the dirties oil I ever take out of an engine. By changing the oil early, the metal flakes can be removed before they do any damage.
It makes all the sense in the world, for break-in.
Yeah, actually do a particulate and viscosity analysis of said-new oil, it's even more amusing. I've done that on new engines (race motorcycles) at some arbitrary break-in mark (less than 600 miles, standard street break-in; and/or after coming off a dyno & after a few hard load/unload break-in track sessions), and later on at higher mileage (interval varies). Amsoil sells kits, I'm sure others do too. Helped that I worked with chemists and engineers at the time, too (1990s).
Drag racers and others serious about the sport do this all the time, it's a great way to spot trouble and figure out where the engine is on a wear-cycle.
Point being there isn't a completely reliable way to know...not think, know...how a specific oil breaks down over time and load, in a specific vehicle, absent some sort of testing. Which makes it all rather subjective and rule-of-thumb for most of us.
This is interesting as I have always wondered myself. I work from home and have put approx 7500 miles on my car in 18mos. In fact I got it changed with 26800 in August and currently have 29200. (2010 I bought in 2012 with 22K miles on it) I just change it when i get it inspected (full synthetic of course) and wondered if once a year would be ok since I always grew up with 3mos/3k miles
If this had any bearing on the life span of the engine then I should of had at least 1 engine that failed early. It's never happened! I have been hearing that auto manufacturers used special break-in oil for the last 50 years and have never been able to find any documentation that identifies what oil it is or what they add to the oil. This must be the best kept secret in the history of man.
I will say that I have heard that some experts do not recommend synthetic oil in new engines. Another expert will say that synthetics are OK.
back when synthetic oils were first introduced to the market, it was recommended that they not be used in new or freshly rebuilt engines because they were considered too slippery to allow for proper break in and ring seating. that has changed somewhat with synthetic break in oils that some manufacturers have created. royal purple for instance has a break in synthetic oil on the market.
I have a 2010 honda accord that I hardly drive, I have only put 6000 miles on it since buying it new in 2010. It uses synthetic oil that only has to be changed every 7000 miles, I already changed it once in 2011. How often do I have to change it? Does it break down over time or am I good to wait awile more. It has been about a year and a half since I last changed it at about 3500 miles.
Great question, Tar . . .
Due to living in town and no more regular commuting, I have two vehicles that average about 2k to 3k miles per year and, to be on the safe side, the oil is changed every January regardless of the mileage.
The 1986 Jeep CJ-7 gets regular oil but General Motors recommends Mobil 1 for the 2005 Chevy LS2 engine.
while at my trusted and widely reputable mechanic about to get an oil change after 1 year, he said it could probably go 2 without one given my 6k/year driving. Actually the condition-based-service (CBS) system even said 2 after a few initial yearlys.
The following is from Mobil website on Mobil 1 Extended Performance
Mobil 1 Extended Performance motor oils provide guaranteed protection of critical engine parts for 15,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first. Excluded service includes: commercial and racing applications; frequent towing or hauling; extremely dusty or dirty conditions; or excessive idling.
Marketing and nothing more. Mobile 1 doesn't break down like dino it just gets jet black
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