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Changing oil on a $20,000 car often is a lot cheaper then buying (1-2) 6 packs of BEER every week. Whats more important, the oil change at 5000 miles or a 6 pack of BEER or more each week? Remember, DIRTY oil is DIRTY oil what ever the mileage. Steve
Remember, DIRTY oil is DIRTY oil what ever the mileage. Steve
When its black, it's acidic, and it slowly eats away the metals in your engine.
If you idle your car in traffic jams for twenty hours a week and spend most of your time in second gear, the wear on the oil is different than if you go cross country in overdrive. When the oil gets dirty you should change it. How often that is depends on how you use your car.
Just for grins, (and because it was sunny and nice) today I decided to change the oil on both my '07 Subaru Outback, and my '02 Chevy S-10. Both have had about 4000 miles put on them, since last oil change, and over the course of the fall and winter. The Subi has just short of 7000 miles on the odometer and this was it's 2nd oil change since new, and the Chevy has over 87,000 and has had countless oil changes. When I drained the oil on the Subaru, I noticed it was hardly discolored at all from new oil. It was a darker amber color, like some jars of honey you see, but a LONG ways from being black and filthy dirty. On the other hand, the oil from the truck was BLACK! Couldn't see through it at all. What makes one car dirty oil so much faster than another? The Subi had Mobil 1 syn oil in it, but I don't think that's the reason it was cleaner...I think it's because the engine is way newer and tighter...therefore less blow-by, etc.
Anybody else notice how one vehicle will dirty oil WAY faster than another? Maybe the Chevy should have the oil changed more often than the Subi?
The reality of the oil color (via dipstick) can be misleading to the average person. As a former mechanic (retired), have made many oil changes for customers and also my own. In pulling the dip stick, you can wipe it with a rag/tissue or in some cases like myself with two fingers to feel the consistency/thickness of the oil. With greasy hands this is possible some times. Anyway, the oil may appear to be only grey in color but in reality deep inside the pan it is a different story....BLACK and THICK.Stop the engine, check the dip stick for color and leave the vehicle parked for say 2-3 months and then again check the oil for color and you should see a difference. It will be lighter in color. What happens is the contaminets/carbon etc settle to the bottom of the oil pan. What you see is the cleaner part of the oil. This why when a pan is removed by a mechanic there is so much SLUDGE at the bottom. SOLUTION for this is to change oil more OFTEN so as to keep the PAN CLEAN and a healthy running engine. Oil does not really BREAK down, only gets DIRTY and the tiny particles of metal wear EAT at the moving engine parts. CHEAPEST expense on the engine is a oil/filter change " OFTEN " and not by mileage numbers. GEEEZ, did mean this to be a lecture. Steve
I have a 1994 Crown Vic and never change the oil in it. It changes itself by using one quart every 500 miles and it doesn't leak just alittle smoke. It has 137,000 miles on it but we only drive 6000 miles a year now and if it dies it is no great loss. In my previous newer vehicles I used Mobil-1 and changed every 5000 miles and drove 40,000 miles a year.
I go about 5,000 miles between oil changes. I usually get my tires rotated at the same time. I've done this oil change and tire rotation routine with my car since it was new (95 Mazda Protege with over 197,000 miles). No problems with the car ever.
MOBIL1 synthetic every 3000 miles even though the user manual says 6000 and decent/good gas, car runs like a whistle if you feed it right.
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