I have worked on vehicles almost every week for the past 12 years and sell car parts. The general consensus of the professionals is every 5-6k miles no matter what the manufacturer says.
Thanks for the comment, appreciate it....and mechanics are my favorite people....have worked with and educated them for years. Definitely not saying any person or group is wrong, rather getting people to think about the bigger picture than just mileage. Two people drive the same mileage between oil changes (say 6k miles), but one averages 20mph and the other averages 40mph over that 6k miles.....the first engine had double the run time and oil abuse as the second (making assumption the engines operate at the same average RPM for the example). Engine hours, and even a service life indicator can help to push a person to an oil change. Take care, and thank for keeping people's cars rolling!
Thanks for watching. Yes, recommendations have changed over the years for many reasons, and vary widely depending on engine type (gas/diesel), oil capacity, etc. Any idea how many engine hours it takes for you to hit your 5k miles / 8k kilometers?
Nowadays, engine replacements on these new vehicles are quite expensive! The costs can go up to $30,000. Using your example of an approximate oil change cost of around $125, it would take approximately 240 oil changes to reach $30,000. 30,000/125 =240 240*5000 miles would give you 1.2 million miles out of your engine Oil breaks down and degrades over time. If you plan on getting rid of the vehicle after the warranty runs out by all means do as little maintenance to save as much money possible. But if you want to keep your vehicle for as long as possible I would not recommend following the manufacturers recommendations. They have long service intervals for a reason. In my opinion those intervals are just enough to get you past your warranty period.
I don't even own a diesel but i got caught up watching Dave Auto channel where they have a lot of diesel trucks in Utah. I didn't realize that they often pull the cabs to get to those motors. ruclips.net/video/86uGn9GzjI0/видео.html Cha-ching$!
You bet, fully understand, sooo many variables when it comes to intervals. I really wish all engines had hour meters to better show actual use. The average miles per hour of use can vary so widely. In my case, I'm 90% highway, from driveway to work and most everywhere in between, so I was only 70% of Cummins' recommended hour interval. Would have been a lot different for most others. And then, all the other variables. I was a few weeks beyond where I wanted to change it, but life got in the way. Thanks for sharing.
I change my oil every 2800 to 3k miles. I still got a 2012 Camry SE with 439k miles. Still runs like the day I purchased it new. Same with my 2019 Tundra and 2020 Camry XSE.
Thanks for the comment. That's awesome you nearing 500k on your Camary....and over 12yrs....wow! Definitely not saying a 3k mile oil change is bad, I definitely hope nobody feels I was insulting their choice, because I certainly wasn't trying to. Rather, wishing people to think about the different what oil does (lube the moving parts) and things to consider for when to change. There can be a lot of variables if only miles were ever watched, due to things like average speed during that oil change period. We uses to have construction foremen who's trucks ran for 10-12hrs per day, and putter around a job site. If only miles were considered, those poor engines would have huge hour intervals over even a 3k mile change interval. Good luck on the journey to 1 million miles!
For gasoline engines the easiest way is to simply keep your oil clean, use your eyeballs and common sense! By dropping some oil on a piece of paper from the dip stick you can see the oils condition, (the oil blotter test) if it is turning a brownish color then it is time to change. On diesles the oil get´s black pretty quick so going by the milage might be a good idea. Today´s motor oil holds up very well, it´s the deposites that are the problem, by changeing every 5000mi you can be pretty sure the oil is not worn out. Oil and Filters are cheap, there is no need to buy the most expencive BRAND! As long as it meets the manufactuers API Spec. you can use the cheapest oil you can find. Keep it simple........Keep it clean.
Thanks for the comment. Agree, keep it clean. Great maintenance is important. Good comment regarding blotter test. Hopefully the filter is doing its job, isn't clogged, and opening the (potentially present) by-pass. And, I appreciate your comment about ignoring all the 'marketing' gimic, and price not identifying quality.......follow the API/testing standards. One thing I was really hoping people would discuss more is engine hours as a means of engine use. I know miles has always been king, because that's what we've had for years in passenger vehicles (no hours shown), but engine hours is what really identifies the amount of time/use that engine has had on that oil change interval. I mean, I've never seen a generator or power unit accumulate any miles :) Of course there are all the micro nuisances like trip interval, hot/cold cycles, environment, etc, but I see those as more fringe influencers. Any thoughts on engine hours, versus miles, when it comes to change interval? I personally like to keep an eye on both (I idle very little and drove 90% highway).
@@LearnedFromDad On the Blotter Test you can see the condition of the oil, impurities will be floating in the middle, the outside will be clear, thta mean the oil is still funtionalble but.....if it is black in the middle then means the filter is no longer filtering but the oil is going through the by-pass. As I said when you see the oil is getting brown then it´s a good time to change both oil/filter. You can google motor oil blotter test, the photos will show you what too look for. Hours: I worked many years on the docks driving machinery, all diesles, we went by hour service, I do not remember the interval (I think 1000hr.) as we had a shop that did our service. You can belive me the oil 15w40 took a real beating, those terminal trackors with VOLVO ENGINES pulling 40tons on FULL GAS, 16hr and more. We used the same oil in our cars, one of the guys tore down his VW engin....completly clean, no sludge at all. I believe Long Haulers here in the EU go by the hour servis.
Every 3K is auto makers trying to void warranties. I change my hybrid synthetic oil once a year at the inspection, all my cars have way over 200K miles on them.
Interesting! Tell me more....how many miles and engine hours (if you know) would typically be on your vehicle at the annual inspection? Thanks for the comment!
For the last 40 years I have always changed our oil as soon as it gets close to being non transparent. I just hold the dip stick up to the sun and if I can't see light through the drop of oil on the end I have gone to long. I can see it building up because I check it weekly, I can see the contamination building up week to week. Most of the time it's around 5000 miles. We have cars that we don't drive very much, I never let them go past six months, no matter how little they are driven. Think of the oil as being a cleaner, if the oil has become contaminated it has done it's job and needs to be changed.
Thanks for watching and the comment! Glad to hear your minimally used engines are still getting changed (based on calendar time, I feel that is often overlooked. Regarding clarity of oil, definitely a means to understand 'getting dirty', although a little tough with diesel engines as that color change can happen quickly....especially with older engines. Curious, have you ever done an oil analysis at that point of color change? Just for fun, to see what the oil condition actually is? I should have taken a sample from my last oil change.....would have been a fun follow-up. Take care!
When I follow what the computer recommends on my Honda Civic, the oil does not look good at all. My mechanic’s recommends doing at 50-40% instead of 10%. Manufacturers recommendation are just good enough for the engine to last until end of warranty.
Thanks for watching and the discussion. Relative to oil not looking good, have you ever done an oil analysis, to get some lab data on actual quality? When I drained mine this time, I should have grabbed a sample and sent it in, would have been a good follow-up for everyone. Definitely not suggesting to only watch a single metric, rather be aware of the different variables involved and make an educated maintenance decision. I do feel that engine use (hours) is often heavily overlooked and miles is focused on too often. While miles is a great historical indicator, there is a huge difference in engine use depending upon avg miles per hour driven during that time. I'm 90% highway miles, so my miles get high compared to engine hours. That said, I was a little further in my oil change interval that I would have liked to be, life got away from me, but particularly based upon engine hour requirement I was only at 70%. Take good care!
RUclips is full of videos of people who tell us to follow the manufacturer's recommandation when it comes to maintenance but it only aims toward allowing the car to live up until the end of the warranty. So I follow engine builders' advices when they tell to perform maintenance at half the recommandation provided in the service manual. That's why I change my oil every 8000km or twice a year; it's cheaper than filling my fuel tank and I do this every 2 weeks without thinking about it.
Thanks for the comment. I completely agree, there is no better people to take additional advice from that an engine mechanic, I'm friends with many, they're great (and talented). Definitely just wanted people to think about the different ways to look at engine oil change intervals as, for example, the engine movement (hours) is significantly different for a person who changes at 8,000km who averages 35kph and the person who averages 55kph over that oil change. Cheers!
The manufacturers lie through their teeth. If you changing oil every 15K miles you are shortening it's life. That is a selling point telling people like you that you saving money by going so long between oil changes. No oil on earth will perform well when it is pitch black with carbon. The carbon turns into an abrasive and will prematurely wear out your bearings and timing chains if your vehicle has them. They expect you to trade it in between 100K and 140K miles so it will last to that milestone. I have opened hundreds of engines where people change oil every 10K miles and it's full of carbon. So good luck with that.
Appreciate the comment. And, was definitely hoping for mechanics to comments.....I work with and have trained them for years in ag, nothing but respect. I'm definitely not saying only following Ram/Cummins 15k mile indicator is right (I was several thousand late on where I originally wanted to change, but life got away from me), rather also wanted people to think about the other elements beyond just miles. I drive 90% highway, and idle not a lot,, so the ratio of engine use (hours) to mileage is significantly different for me than say a person who drives 20% highway. I definitely should have talked about that more. Any thoughts on engine hour triggers for oil change internal, gas versus diesel? I honestly wish there was a better way for people to know the engine use, oil condition, etc so it wasn't such a guessing game for people. Take good care, and thanks for what you do keeping engines rolling.
The reality is it all depends on a lot of factors. I wouldn't follow anyone's recommendations without them being very, very familiar with that motors inner workings. Most manufacturers extend the intervals well beyond reality. This is for government mandates, as well as driving down ownership costs. While oil change places typically say 3k to get more profits. Oil quality, driving habits, and environment play big roles. I'm pretty sure all oils are way better than they were 20+ years ago. But still, better quality oils stand out in today's market. Driving is probably the biggest factor. Unless you start your car, warm it up for a minute or two. Then do 50 mph non stop for 30+ minutes and park it. You're probably driving like most of us, in varying combinations of conditions. The shorter the trips, the more stop and go driving, even engine load shorten everything. Lastly dust and moisture. It'll always make it's way in. The more you've got, the worse off you'll be. For the average driver trying to balance the most out of their vehicles. I would say no more than 5 to 6k between oil changes. That's using a pretty good quality oil. This is obviously gasoline driven engines, and naturally aspirated, non performance engines. Diesel is different. Even after 6k miles, your oil may still be fine as far as it's ability to lubricate and suspend contamination. However, chances are, the oil filter is at, or close to bypass. The bottom line is. Oil changes are a cheap insurance for an engine. The more often you do them, the fewer problems youll have.
I love this comment, and 100% agree with you. What I was really trying to highlight with this video is exactly what you were stating (without making to too awful long), is there are more factors than just miles, and that it's important to think about the big picture of your scenario. I definitely wasn't trying to imply anyone's opinions or actions were wrong.....my title may have been a bit misleading (lesson learned)....rather I was hoping for great comment conversation because it IS a complex topic. I'm actually one of those very unique cases....live on a highway, drive all highway to work, spend very little time in town, drive long duration road trips. So, my avg miles per hour is way higher than most. Hence, in my case, while I was near the Ram/Cummins suggested 15k miles, I was only ~70% on hours. Little later change than I'd planned, but life got away from me. Hope to see you back again, I appreciate your sound logic.
Oh. I'm not sure if you took this as criticism of your video. It wasn't. Your video was fine. I was just kind of adding to it, I guess you could say. More or less throwing out what I would figure a good equivalent or average for gas engines. Seemed like you liked my comment but thought you may have thought I was critical. Maybe im overthinking it. Regardless, I appreciate the reply. I'm no expert. I just tinker. I've never designed an engine. Nor have I ever formulated any oil. I work on my own equipment, but I'm not a trained mechanic. So, to anyone who read my original comment. This is all personal experience, talking with mechanic friends, watching oil analysis videos, and seeing what extended oil change intervals do to friends vehicles. That's my disclaimer, and I'm sticking to it. And no. I can't work on your car for you. And no. You can't borrow my truck to move next weekend.
Thanks for viewing and the comment! Definitely no right or wrong, but an opportunity for people to think about what that engine oil is doing and different metrics to consider when determining oil change interval.
Thanks for the comment, do appreciate it. Any thoughts on engine hours versus mileage when it comes to the topic of change interval? I know so many vehicles don't display hours, at least historically, so mileage really had to be used as the engine 'runtime' indicator. Take care!!
Any thoughts on engine hours versus miles for change interval? Seeing more vehicles showing hours, which I think is a good things, give us a broader picture of engine use. Thanks for sharing!
@LearnedFromDad I agree with you that we need to look into it but we just don't have enough information about the hours yet but if he is having lots of hours and still it's not telling him to change oil for 14000 miles I have problem with that so until more information I know on our company equipment we change oil every 200 hours just because of the abuse it gets but right now I don't believe it is an affective way for vehicles only time will tell
In a future video you might want to discuss how and when to change your car air filter, your furnace filter, and any other air filters you can think of.
any good mechanic will tell you never to follow the owner’s manual intervals because it’s way…. too long. manufacturers only care about the warranty period not the life expectancy you want from the car.
Thanks for sharing. Understand your point. I work with and train mechanics for a living, lots of horror stories but also many non-negative. One of the key things I was hoping to get more conversation was the difference in change interval based on hours (which I believe is superior), versus miles (just an estimate of engine use). All good though, great discussion. Cheers!
Everyone is going to debate about this until the day the technology dies because the problem is that your engine would love it if you changed the oil once per week, but nobody wants to pay for that, so the eternal argument is about how cheap that the oil change interval can be. Change it once per year, at least, twice a year if money is good, excess engine maintenance is always a winning game, but you won't feel it until you sell the running car away.
Thanks for the comment. Agree, a very debatable and (potentially) controversial topic. 100% not telling anyone they're wrong, just hoping all think about what engine oil does, what we're trying to protect, and understand mileage has always been used as a directional indicator of engine use (rotations), but understand other things like hours, service life indicators (which use various elements), and general time. Take good care!
you're going to get a lot of comments that are adamant about car manufacturers using too long of intervals. i speculate that those intervals are fine for ideal conditions. the owners manuals usually have a 1/2 as long interval for "severe" conditions, which i think a lot of car owners probably qualify for. the problem is that this info is often in tiny print in the footnotes.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I knew it would be an interesting topic. I'm definitely not impressing my tactic/opinion on anyone, more importantly wanting people to consider that mileage alone really shouldn't be the only indicator of an oil change, the ratio of it to engine use (hours) can vary widely. Plus, as you say, things like use/load, climate, etc. Take good care.
I have an SL500 costs me $60 to change the oil and it takes 8 synthetic quarts. Not sure where you buy your stuff? The manufacturer only cares about getting you past the warranty. I have the car 18 years now and the valves look new, 87000 miles. If you plan on keeping your car, change the oil at least at 5000, and if you don't drive that many miles and it's garage kept once a year. If it sits out in harsh weather, every 6 months. Just my opinion and experience.
Thanks for the comment and sharing. Agree, sooner maintenance (rarely) ever hurt. Definitely wanted people to thi k bigger picture, beyond just mileage, as an indicator for change......otherwise a generator or power unit would never require an oil change, right? 😀 Mileage has always been a good directional indicator, on vehicles, but other things are valuable to consider, such a engine run time. I drive 90% highway, so my distance traveled to engine use (hours) is quite a bit different than others. Your thoughts on engine use/hours as an indicator of oil change internal instead of, or supplement to, mileage? Cheers!
All Dodge cares about is that your engine gets past the 60K mile warranty period. If you want the engine to last 200K+ miles, change your oil at half the manufacture's recommendation time. Oil is cheap. New diesel motors are very expensive.
Thanks for watching. Understand your comment. Definitely just wanting people to think broader that 'distance' for oil change internal since what we ultimately should worry about (my opinion) is the amount of movement in that engine, which is where the wear comes from. Part of the reason I also went straight to Cummins to see what they said. Other thing about my scenario, I drove 85% highway, so my average mph is high, so at 14k miles, I was at 350 engine hours, which is about 70% of the recommended 500hr interval. But, 100% agree, more frequent maintenance isn't bad. Take care!
A company I recently worked for never wanted to allocate time for me to properly maintain my work truck. I never ran it harder than I needed to and avoided any unnecessary idling, but it was constantly over loaded and I spent about a third of my time in the mountains. It was a ford E450 cut away boxtruck with the gas V10. The oil was routinely changed at twice the recommended intervals. That made me cringed but it was their decision and their truck. All that said they still use it and when I left it had just over 300,000 miles and ran like the day I started driving it. So I don't know what to think when it comes to regular oil change intervals and using an engine hard. Just a note though, that it never sat any amount of time. Previous to this experience, I would have thought an engine could not last 300,000 miles with that kind of hard use and abuse, so now I just don't know.
Hi there! Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I looked many times at Ram, Cummins, other info about break in oil change....it's always been a thing. I (somewhat reluctantly) decided to go with their recommendations this time. Hopefully not the wrong decision.....I definitely was a few thousand miles later than I had planned, life got away from me 😕
Yeah, I got a little further in use than I planned, life got away from me. I was close on mile suggestion, but only 70% of hour suggestion, so I wasn't quite worried yet. I drive probably 90% highway, so my engine hours to mileage ratio is far different than most people.
I have my oil changed every 6 months, which for me is about 1700-1800 total miles driven, since I normally only use my vehicle twice per week & a lot more than simply drive-wear breaks down engine oil & makes it less effective. In terms of miles-driven change intervals & getting maximum lifespan from an engine, naturally-aspirated engines should be changed at least every 5000 miles, & turbo engines every 3000-4000 miles. 10K+ oil changes are for people who only care about meeting the absolute MINIMUM to maintain their vehicle warranty, don't plan to keep the vehicle beyond the powertrain warranty period, & don't mind passing along a more heavily-worn/abused engine to the next buyer/owner of the vehicle. NEVER buy a used car that has had 10K+ mile oil changes unless you are prepared to pay the price in engine repairs sooner rather than later. Also, NEVER buy a used car that hasn't had the transmission fluid drained/refilled every 25K-30K miles.
Thanks for sharing. Lots of variability on the topic for sure. Any thoughts on engine hours versus miles for an indicator? I pay attention to both. I drive 90% highway, so my miles per engine hour is a lot higher than many people, and I don't have a much idle time. The actual engine hours (which I wish all vehicles showed) I feel is very overlooked. Take good care.
I have worked on vehicles almost every week for the past 12 years and sell car parts. The general consensus of the professionals is every 5-6k miles no matter what the manufacturer says.
Thanks for the comment, appreciate it....and mechanics are my favorite people....have worked with and educated them for years. Definitely not saying any person or group is wrong, rather getting people to think about the bigger picture than just mileage. Two people drive the same mileage between oil changes (say 6k miles), but one averages 20mph and the other averages 40mph over that 6k miles.....the first engine had double the run time and oil abuse as the second (making assumption the engines operate at the same average RPM for the example). Engine hours, and even a service life indicator can help to push a person to an oil change. Take care, and thank for keeping people's cars rolling!
Every 5000 miles/ 8k kilometers or every 6 months. Toyota recommended for my 2005 Camry. Still driving it 20 years later. Toronto Canada
Thanks for watching. Yes, recommendations have changed over the years for many reasons, and vary widely depending on engine type (gas/diesel), oil capacity, etc. Any idea how many engine hours it takes for you to hit your 5k miles / 8k kilometers?
Fellow Canadian here, I change the oil on my winter and summer tire swops, every 6 months roughly 10K 13 Camry and oil is never very dirty!
@@davidcampbell1899that's a great way to never forget when to change! Thanks for the comment!
Nowadays, engine replacements on these new vehicles are quite expensive! The costs can go up to $30,000. Using your example of an approximate oil change cost of around $125, it would take approximately 240 oil changes to reach $30,000.
30,000/125 =240
240*5000 miles would give you 1.2 million miles out of your engine
Oil breaks down and degrades over time. If you plan on getting rid of the vehicle after the warranty runs out by all means do as little maintenance to save as much money possible. But if you want to keep your vehicle for as long as possible I would not recommend following the manufacturers recommendations. They have long service intervals for a reason. In my opinion those intervals are just enough to get you past your warranty period.
I don't even own a diesel but i got caught up watching Dave Auto channel where they have a lot of diesel trucks in Utah. I didn't realize that they often pull the cabs to get to those motors. ruclips.net/video/86uGn9GzjI0/видео.html
Cha-ching$!
You bet, fully understand, sooo many variables when it comes to intervals. I really wish all engines had hour meters to better show actual use. The average miles per hour of use can vary so widely. In my case, I'm 90% highway, from driveway to work and most everywhere in between, so I was only 70% of Cummins' recommended hour interval. Would have been a lot different for most others. And then, all the other variables. I was a few weeks beyond where I wanted to change it, but life got in the way. Thanks for sharing.
I change my oil every 2800 to 3k miles. I still got a 2012 Camry SE with 439k miles. Still runs like the day I purchased it new. Same with my 2019 Tundra and 2020 Camry XSE.
Thanks for the comment. That's awesome you nearing 500k on your Camary....and over 12yrs....wow! Definitely not saying a 3k mile oil change is bad, I definitely hope nobody feels I was insulting their choice, because I certainly wasn't trying to. Rather, wishing people to think about the different what oil does (lube the moving parts) and things to consider for when to change. There can be a lot of variables if only miles were ever watched, due to things like average speed during that oil change period. We uses to have construction foremen who's trucks ran for 10-12hrs per day, and putter around a job site. If only miles were considered, those poor engines would have huge hour intervals over even a 3k mile change interval. Good luck on the journey to 1 million miles!
For gasoline engines the easiest way is to simply keep your oil clean, use your eyeballs and common sense! By dropping some oil on a piece of paper from the dip stick you can see the oils condition, (the oil blotter test) if it is turning a brownish color then it is time to change.
On diesles the oil get´s black pretty quick so going by the milage might be a good idea. Today´s motor oil holds up very well, it´s the deposites that are the problem, by changeing every 5000mi you can be pretty sure the oil is not worn out.
Oil and Filters are cheap, there is no need to buy the most expencive BRAND! As long as it meets the manufactuers API Spec. you can use the cheapest oil you can find.
Keep it simple........Keep it clean.
Thanks for the comment. Agree, keep it clean. Great maintenance is important. Good comment regarding blotter test. Hopefully the filter is doing its job, isn't clogged, and opening the (potentially present) by-pass.
And, I appreciate your comment about ignoring all the 'marketing' gimic, and price not identifying quality.......follow the API/testing standards.
One thing I was really hoping people would discuss more is engine hours as a means of engine use. I know miles has always been king, because that's what we've had for years in passenger vehicles (no hours shown), but engine hours is what really identifies the amount of time/use that engine has had on that oil change interval. I mean, I've never seen a generator or power unit accumulate any miles :) Of course there are all the micro nuisances like trip interval, hot/cold cycles, environment, etc, but I see those as more fringe influencers.
Any thoughts on engine hours, versus miles, when it comes to change interval? I personally like to keep an eye on both (I idle very little and drove 90% highway).
@@LearnedFromDad On the Blotter Test you can see the condition of the oil, impurities will be floating in the middle, the outside will be clear, thta mean the oil is still funtionalble but.....if it is black in the middle then means the filter is no longer filtering but the oil is going through the by-pass. As I said when you see the oil is getting brown then it´s a good time to change both oil/filter. You can google motor oil blotter test, the photos will show you what too look for.
Hours: I worked many years on the docks driving machinery, all diesles, we went by hour service, I do not remember the interval (I think 1000hr.) as we had a shop that did our service. You can belive me the oil 15w40 took a real beating, those terminal trackors with VOLVO ENGINES pulling 40tons on FULL GAS, 16hr and more. We used the same oil in our cars, one of the guys tore down his VW engin....completly clean, no sludge at all. I believe Long Haulers here in the EU go by the hour servis.
@@markwarnberg9504I can only imagine the abuse those poor trucks took! Great comment, thanks!
Every 3K is auto makers trying to void warranties. I change my hybrid synthetic oil once a year at the inspection, all my cars have way over 200K miles on them.
Interesting! Tell me more....how many miles and engine hours (if you know) would typically be on your vehicle at the annual inspection? Thanks for the comment!
I changed my oil every 5k km. I have a tune and can feel a small difference/improvment after changing the oil
Tuned......hmmmm.....you have my attention 😁😁. I did the same in my younger years, man, I hope I'm not getting boring!!
For the last 40 years I have always changed our oil as soon as it gets close to being non transparent. I just hold the dip stick up to the sun and if I can't see light through the drop of oil on the end I have gone to long. I can see it building up because I check it weekly, I can see the contamination building up week to week. Most of the time it's around 5000 miles. We have cars that we don't drive very much, I never let them go past six months, no matter how little they are driven. Think of the oil as being a cleaner, if the oil has become contaminated it has done it's job and needs to be changed.
Thanks for watching and the comment! Glad to hear your minimally used engines are still getting changed (based on calendar time, I feel that is often overlooked.
Regarding clarity of oil, definitely a means to understand 'getting dirty', although a little tough with diesel engines as that color change can happen quickly....especially with older engines.
Curious, have you ever done an oil analysis at that point of color change? Just for fun, to see what the oil condition actually is? I should have taken a sample from my last oil change.....would have been a fun follow-up.
Take care!
When I follow what the computer recommends on my Honda Civic, the oil does not look good at all. My mechanic’s recommends doing at 50-40% instead of 10%.
Manufacturers recommendation are just good enough for the engine to last until end of warranty.
Thanks for watching and the discussion. Relative to oil not looking good, have you ever done an oil analysis, to get some lab data on actual quality? When I drained mine this time, I should have grabbed a sample and sent it in, would have been a good follow-up for everyone.
Definitely not suggesting to only watch a single metric, rather be aware of the different variables involved and make an educated maintenance decision. I do feel that engine use (hours) is often heavily overlooked and miles is focused on too often. While miles is a great historical indicator, there is a huge difference in engine use depending upon avg miles per hour driven during that time. I'm 90% highway miles, so my miles get high compared to engine hours.
That said, I was a little further in my oil change interval that I would have liked to be, life got away from me, but particularly based upon engine hour requirement I was only at 70%.
Take good care!
RUclips is full of videos of people who tell us to follow the manufacturer's recommandation when it comes to maintenance but it only aims toward allowing the car to live up until the end of the warranty. So I follow engine builders' advices when they tell to perform maintenance at half the recommandation provided in the service manual. That's why I change my oil every 8000km or twice a year; it's cheaper than filling my fuel tank and I do this every 2 weeks without thinking about it.
Thanks for the comment. I completely agree, there is no better people to take additional advice from that an engine mechanic, I'm friends with many, they're great (and talented). Definitely just wanted people to think about the different ways to look at engine oil change intervals as, for example, the engine movement (hours) is significantly different for a person who changes at 8,000km who averages 35kph and the person who averages 55kph over that oil change. Cheers!
The manufacturers lie through their teeth. If you changing oil every 15K miles you are shortening it's life. That is a selling point telling people like you that you saving money by going so long between oil changes. No oil on earth will perform well when it is pitch black with carbon. The carbon turns into an abrasive and will prematurely wear out your bearings and timing chains if your vehicle has them. They expect you to trade it in between 100K and 140K miles so it will last to that milestone. I have opened hundreds of engines where people change oil every 10K miles and it's full of carbon. So good luck with that.
You are 100% right.
Appreciate the comment. And, was definitely hoping for mechanics to comments.....I work with and have trained them for years in ag, nothing but respect. I'm definitely not saying only following Ram/Cummins 15k mile indicator is right (I was several thousand late on where I originally wanted to change, but life got away from me), rather also wanted people to think about the other elements beyond just miles. I drive 90% highway, and idle not a lot,, so the ratio of engine use (hours) to mileage is significantly different for me than say a person who drives 20% highway. I definitely should have talked about that more. Any thoughts on engine hour triggers for oil change internal, gas versus diesel? I honestly wish there was a better way for people to know the engine use, oil condition, etc so it wasn't such a guessing game for people. Take good care, and thanks for what you do keeping engines rolling.
Japanese top engine builder says if you want to keep your car running for the life of your life…. 2000 miles!!! CLEAN OIL!!! Yeeeeehaw!!!
You bet!! Thanks for watching.
The reality is it all depends on a lot of factors. I wouldn't follow anyone's recommendations without them being very, very familiar with that motors inner workings.
Most manufacturers extend the intervals well beyond reality. This is for government mandates, as well as driving down ownership costs. While oil change places typically say 3k to get more profits.
Oil quality, driving habits, and environment play big roles. I'm pretty sure all oils are way better than they were 20+ years ago. But still, better quality oils stand out in today's market. Driving is probably the biggest factor. Unless you start your car, warm it up for a minute or two. Then do 50 mph non stop for 30+ minutes and park it. You're probably driving like most of us, in varying combinations of conditions. The shorter the trips, the more stop and go driving, even engine load shorten everything. Lastly dust and moisture. It'll always make it's way in. The more you've got, the worse off you'll be.
For the average driver trying to balance the most out of their vehicles. I would say no more than 5 to 6k between oil changes. That's using a pretty good quality oil. This is obviously gasoline driven engines, and naturally aspirated, non performance engines. Diesel is different.
Even after 6k miles, your oil may still be fine as far as it's ability to lubricate and suspend contamination. However, chances are, the oil filter is at, or close to bypass. The bottom line is. Oil changes are a cheap insurance for an engine. The more often you do them, the fewer problems youll have.
I love this comment, and 100% agree with you. What I was really trying to highlight with this video is exactly what you were stating (without making to too awful long), is there are more factors than just miles, and that it's important to think about the big picture of your scenario.
I definitely wasn't trying to imply anyone's opinions or actions were wrong.....my title may have been a bit misleading (lesson learned)....rather I was hoping for great comment conversation because it IS a complex topic.
I'm actually one of those very unique cases....live on a highway, drive all highway to work, spend very little time in town, drive long duration road trips. So, my avg miles per hour is way higher than most. Hence, in my case, while I was near the Ram/Cummins suggested 15k miles, I was only ~70% on hours. Little later change than I'd planned, but life got away from me.
Hope to see you back again, I appreciate your sound logic.
Oh. I'm not sure if you took this as criticism of your video. It wasn't. Your video was fine. I was just kind of adding to it, I guess you could say. More or less throwing out what I would figure a good equivalent or average for gas engines.
Seemed like you liked my comment but thought you may have thought I was critical. Maybe im overthinking it. Regardless, I appreciate the reply.
I'm no expert. I just tinker. I've never designed an engine. Nor have I ever formulated any oil. I work on my own equipment, but I'm not a trained mechanic.
So, to anyone who read my original comment. This is all personal experience, talking with mechanic friends, watching oil analysis videos, and seeing what extended oil change intervals do to friends vehicles. That's my disclaimer, and I'm sticking to it.
And no. I can't work on your car for you. And no. You can't borrow my truck to move next weekend.
I change oil every 5000 kms.
Thanks for viewing and the comment! Definitely no right or wrong, but an opportunity for people to think about what that engine oil is doing and different metrics to consider when determining oil change interval.
@@LearnedFromDad Thank you, keep up the great work!
5000 full synthetic period
Thanks for the comment, do appreciate it. Any thoughts on engine hours versus mileage when it comes to the topic of change interval? I know so many vehicles don't display hours, at least historically, so mileage really had to be used as the engine 'runtime' indicator. Take care!!
every 5000 miles if use full synthetic less if don't period
oil and filter is cheap maintenance
Any thoughts on engine hours versus miles for change interval? Seeing more vehicles showing hours, which I think is a good things, give us a broader picture of engine use. Thanks for sharing!
@LearnedFromDad I agree with you that we need to look into it but we just don't have enough information about the hours yet but if he is having lots of hours and still it's not telling him to change oil for 14000 miles I have problem with that so until more information I know on our company equipment we change oil every 200 hours just because of the abuse it gets but right now I don't believe it is an affective way for vehicles only time will tell
In a future video you might want to discuss how and when to change your car air filter, your furnace filter, and any other air filters you can think of.
Absolutely! Great minds think alike, all those key maintenance elements are on my list. Thanks for the suggestion!
With synthetic oil 5k to 6k miles
Any idea how many engine hours it takes you to accumulate your 5-6k miles? I'm always curious to hear that.....if your vehicle tracks them. Cheers!
any good mechanic will tell you never to follow the owner’s manual intervals because it’s way…. too long. manufacturers only care about the warranty period not the life expectancy you want from the car.
Thanks for sharing. Understand your point. I work with and train mechanics for a living, lots of horror stories but also many non-negative.
One of the key things I was hoping to get more conversation was the difference in change interval based on hours (which I believe is superior), versus miles (just an estimate of engine use).
All good though, great discussion. Cheers!
Everyone is going to debate about this until the day the technology dies because the problem is that your engine would love it if you changed the oil once per week, but nobody wants to pay for that, so the eternal argument is about how cheap that the oil change interval can be. Change it once per year, at least, twice a year if money is good, excess engine maintenance is always a winning game, but you won't feel it until you sell the running car away.
Thanks for the comment. Agree, a very debatable and (potentially) controversial topic. 100% not telling anyone they're wrong, just hoping all think about what engine oil does, what we're trying to protect, and understand mileage has always been used as a directional indicator of engine use (rotations), but understand other things like hours, service life indicators (which use various elements), and general time. Take good care!
you're going to get a lot of comments that are adamant about car manufacturers using too long of intervals. i speculate that those intervals are fine for ideal conditions. the owners manuals usually have a 1/2 as long interval for "severe" conditions, which i think a lot of car owners probably qualify for. the problem is that this info is often in tiny print in the footnotes.
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I knew it would be an interesting topic. I'm definitely not impressing my tactic/opinion on anyone, more importantly wanting people to consider that mileage alone really shouldn't be the only indicator of an oil change, the ratio of it to engine use (hours) can vary widely. Plus, as you say, things like use/load, climate, etc. Take good care.
I have an SL500 costs me $60 to change the oil and it takes 8 synthetic quarts. Not sure where you buy your stuff? The manufacturer only cares about getting you past the warranty. I have the car 18 years now and the valves look new, 87000 miles. If you plan on keeping your car, change the oil at least at 5000, and if you don't drive that many miles and it's garage kept once a year. If it sits out in harsh weather, every 6 months. Just my opinion and experience.
Thanks for the comment and sharing. Agree, sooner maintenance (rarely) ever hurt. Definitely wanted people to thi k bigger picture, beyond just mileage, as an indicator for change......otherwise a generator or power unit would never require an oil change, right? 😀
Mileage has always been a good directional indicator, on vehicles, but other things are valuable to consider, such a engine run time. I drive 90% highway, so my distance traveled to engine use (hours) is quite a bit different than others.
Your thoughts on engine use/hours as an indicator of oil change internal instead of, or supplement to, mileage? Cheers!
All Dodge cares about is that your engine gets past the 60K mile warranty period. If you want the engine to last 200K+ miles, change your oil at half the manufacture's recommendation time. Oil is cheap. New diesel motors are very expensive.
Thanks for watching. Understand your comment. Definitely just wanting people to think broader that 'distance' for oil change internal since what we ultimately should worry about (my opinion) is the amount of movement in that engine, which is where the wear comes from. Part of the reason I also went straight to Cummins to see what they said. Other thing about my scenario, I drove 85% highway, so my average mph is high, so at 14k miles, I was at 350 engine hours, which is about 70% of the recommended 500hr interval. But, 100% agree, more frequent maintenance isn't bad. Take care!
A company I recently worked for never wanted to allocate time for me to properly maintain my work truck. I never ran it harder than I needed to and avoided any unnecessary idling, but it was constantly over loaded and I spent about a third of my time in the mountains. It was a ford E450 cut away boxtruck with the gas V10. The oil was routinely changed at twice the recommended intervals. That made me cringed but it was their decision and their truck. All that said they still use it and when I left it had just over 300,000 miles and ran like the day I started driving it. So I don't know what to think when it comes to regular oil change intervals and using an engine hard. Just a note though, that it never sat any amount of time. Previous to this experience, I would have thought an engine could not last 300,000 miles with that kind of hard use and abuse, so now I just don't know.
Woah! That's wild! And, sounds like that engine is pure stubborn.....I know some humans like that! Thanks for sharing!
The old fart in me says your first oil change should be no later than1500 miles. After that, whatever the manufacture recommends.
Hi there! Thanks for the comment. Yeah, I looked many times at Ram, Cummins, other info about break in oil change....it's always been a thing. I (somewhat reluctantly) decided to go with their recommendations this time. Hopefully not the wrong decision.....I definitely was a few thousand miles later than I had planned, life got away from me 😕
Manual says 7500 miles. I just do 6000 just to be safe.
Yeah, I got a little further in use than I planned, life got away from me. I was close on mile suggestion, but only 70% of hour suggestion, so I wasn't quite worried yet. I drive probably 90% highway, so my engine hours to mileage ratio is far different than most people.
The car may cost $5K, $10K, $20K? I wish.
Hahaha, you and me both. I remember my favorite car ever, bought it for $300! 1971 Buick LeSabre......beautiful 4-door boat!
I have my oil changed every 6 months, which for me is about 1700-1800 total miles driven, since I normally only use my vehicle twice per week & a lot more than simply drive-wear breaks down engine oil & makes it less effective. In terms of miles-driven change intervals & getting maximum lifespan from an engine, naturally-aspirated engines should be changed at least every 5000 miles, & turbo engines every 3000-4000 miles. 10K+ oil changes are for people who only care about meeting the absolute MINIMUM to maintain their vehicle warranty, don't plan to keep the vehicle beyond the powertrain warranty period, & don't mind passing along a more heavily-worn/abused engine to the next buyer/owner of the vehicle. NEVER buy a used car that has had 10K+ mile oil changes unless you are prepared to pay the price in engine repairs sooner rather than later. Also, NEVER buy a used car that hasn't had the transmission fluid drained/refilled every 25K-30K miles.
Thanks for sharing. Lots of variability on the topic for sure.
Any thoughts on engine hours versus miles for an indicator? I pay attention to both. I drive 90% highway, so my miles per engine hour is a lot higher than many people, and I don't have a much idle time.
The actual engine hours (which I wish all vehicles showed) I feel is very overlooked.
Take good care.