RAP

Interesting reading. Long term study of Mobile 1

FULL STORY

Jeff92se

Um okay. Doesn't make any sense. There is no way in hell:
1) I'd keep any type of oil in this Toyota V6 for 18k
2) I'd even come CLOSE to NOT changing my oil filter for 18k.

Oil looses it's additive package as it ages. No if/and/buts about it. EVERY long change interval type oil (of which Mobil is not but Amsoil is), NEVER suggests NOT changing the oil filter at anything more than 5k. Even if you use the oil for 10k, you change the filter at 5k.


If you want to varnish up your engine's valvetrain and oil gallies feel free to not change the oil for 18k miles.

HarrierAWD

I don't get it. Why would Ford Motor Co and ConocoPhilips test Mobil One on a Chevy Camero???

Needlessly to say, I didn't bother to read on.

I use dino oil every 5,000 miles. Period.

Fern

I've posted this before numerous times, so once more won't hurt...

My owner's manual for the Rx says, " the use of synthetic oil does not extend the oil service interval".

Treat synthetic the same as you would conventional oil and you will obtain superior anti-wear caracteristics..

Cheers,

Fern

HarrierAWD

Agree. It doesn't mattter what kind of oil is used (dino or syn.), the amount of combustion contaminates is the same. Extending the change interval will simply let these contaminates settle on engine parts. Lab oil test won't show any problem because the contaminates are not in the oil, but on engine parts.

I suggest everyone not to waste time on this issue, just do what the owner's manual says. Toyota engineers have tested their engines in the lab and on the road. They know what is best for your vehicle.

Jeff92se

Actually, synthetics have much better additive packages and don't have the other misc ingredients that dino oil has. So when the miles pile up, a dino oil will start to break down faster. And when that happens, the misc ingredients turn into sludge. Also dino oil doesn't hold it's viscosity rating as long. Contaminates in the oil from combustion are much, much smaller now days. Also contaminates that are large enough to do damage get caught by the filter. Particles that are too small are held in suspension(one of the oil's jobs) and don't do any damage. The only thing that would harm oil would be contaminates that thin it. ie.. gas..(modern cars run MUCH cleaner now) and coolant (which would indicate a much larger problem anyway)

The owners manual's instructions about oil change interval is just to cover their ****. Mostly because some of today's "synthetics" aren't really true synthetics. ie.. blends and what some other companies tried to pass as synthetics. So since they can't control the synthetic's quality, they just default to the normal change.

scottsRX

BMW's change oil every 15k.

Jeff92se

BMWs have a much larger oil capacity.

MellonC00

Audi also recommends oil change every 10K miles.
Mercedes also recommends oil change whenever the light goes on which seems to be between 8K and 13K.
Even the new Honda Accords adheres to the 10K intervals
Same with the new Caddilacs.

MellonC00

Audi also recommends oil change every 10K miles.
Mercedes also recommends oil change whenever the light goes on which seems to be between 8K and 13K.
Same with the new Caddilacs.

RAP

Many GM cars now use an oil life system. This system is programmed with a certain number of revolutions. The number of revs changes with the conditions the auto is operating under. Rather than assuming you operate under “normal” or “severe” conditions, the on board computer will monitor conditions such as temp, load and calculate the oil change interval. So, depending on conditions, the oil indicator could signal a change at 3,000 or even 10,000 miles.

I think that most car manufacturers will move to a similar system if they haven’t already done so. With advancements in engines and lubricants aided by on board computers to monitor conditions, oil change intervals of every X number miles will soon be a thing of the past.

HarrierAWD

These systems do not actually check the condition of the oil. So if the system got reset somehow (like disconnecting a battery,) the engine would be in a world of hurt.

Also, I don't want to see the oil change light come up on the 2nd day of a 2-week long family road trip.

I think that I'll stick to the owner's manual recommendation. Thanks.

Jeff92se

Harrier is 100% right. These systems only "estimate" the oil's condition based on how you drive. Can these systems account for dusty conditions leading high silicone content? Can these systems see a possible coolant leak that degrades the oil? Can these systems detect an abnormal bearing wear leading to high metal contamination in the oil?

Let's say you got a coolant leak into the oil and you just keep happily motoring along relying on the monitor(that's oblivious to this). Next thing you know, you have zero film strength in the oil and and all your main bearing journals on the crank give up the ghost. But guess what? No oil change light!

The only way to monitor the oil is to have it analyzed by Blackstone labs or similar.

kenne74

Well i use mobil one in my porsche and my mechanic recommends replacing it every 12,000 and the oil filter every 6,000 miles that is what he does to his Mercedes. I usually just replace it around 6,000 miles and the oil still looks new. He just laughs at me but figures its not his problem if i want to waste the extra money on oil changes. Its just i'm not 100% confortable changing my oil every 12,000 miles and you know he is probably right he's been fixing cars longer than i've been driving.

My wife just purchased an 04 RX 330 and i'm probably going to change the oil every 5000-6000 miles with mobil one. Used it in our Durango and it ran like a champ.

Remember once you switch to mobil one it will burn some oil for a bit then you won't have to worry about it anymore.


Ken

Jeff92se

How many quarts of oil did your Porsche and Mercedes take?? I bet it was about 2x as much as the RX.