Oil change based on oil life monitor?

[2SSRS@Gen5diy]

Good for you guys i go by the indicator on all my GM cars my 1996 Impala had 254,000 mi on it and i sold it to a guy that works for me and he still drives it work every day, My 2004 GMC denali yukon xl has 207,500 mi on it and it runs all the time and that is all on the indicator, So all my cars run all most 10,000 mi before a oil change.

[Mr_Draco]

I've always been told by my mechanics and some mechanic friends as well as the techs at my local Chevy dealer to change the oil every 1,000 miles per quart of dino oil and 2,000 miles per quart of synthetic oil. I was told this is where the 5,000 mile mark for for dino and 10,000 miles mark for synthetic came from as most engine take around 5 quarts of oil. With a 8.6 quart capacity, the SS will easily go 10,000 miles before needing a oil change.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by earn88hardt

The engine oil monitor is based on the hours the engine is run not teh miles on it

actually, its based of the hours, the operating temps, the loads put on the motor, the miles, oil press, and other inputs.
its not how long the motor was ran, its HOW the motor was ran.

Originally Posted by trm0002

You're telling me that if your indicator didn't tell you to change your oil until 14,000 miles you'd be ok with that? I sure as hell wouldn't be.

I'd change it at 10k personally.

but modern engine technology as well as modern oil technology has surpassed the old school "3000 mile oil change" requirement. my 94Z still gets the oil changed every 3k during the off season and every 500 miles during the racing season. but I thrash the living piss out of that car.
my 98 pickup with 191k miles on her gets the oil changed around 7k miles, the 08 pickup got the first oil change at 1500 miles and a second one at 11k.... when the OLM indicated it needed an oil change (was at 28%)

Originally Posted by 2SSRS

Good for you guys i go by the indicator on all my GM cars my 1996 Impala had 254,000 mi on it and i sold it to a guy that works for me and he still drives it work every day, My 2004 GMC denali yukon xl has 207,500 mi on it and it runs all the time and that is all on the indicator, So all my cars run all most 10,000 mi before a oil change.

another thing to keep in mind...

the OLM is not going to register the oil life directly proportional to the miles you travel. sometimes it will be 7k, sometimes it will be 12k, etc. it all depends on HOW the miles are driven. if you cruise the highway 90% of the time, your oil will last you longer than someone who is thrashing on the car all the time. just part of the way it works.

[wullger]

I wait until the OLI on my Sierra tells me I have about 20% life left, then take it in. It's about that time I notice gas mileage going down, too.

Your mileage may vary, since Camaros and Sierras are two VERY different animals, but it's been my experience the OLI is pretty reliable

Here's the OnStar page about the OLI: http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp...s/oil_life.jsp

[GrnMchin]

Originally Posted by UCF w00t

No, I wouldn't. I'd certainly change it before then. But the idea of not changing it til the thing tells you to isn't that crazy... I'll probably do my first change around 1000 or 1500 miles but 6k-8k after that, depending on what the OLMS says.

+1

I don't fear the oil breaking down rather the dirt that it picks up. Yes the filter should take care of most but not 100%.

[UCF w00t]

Came across this today in the OnStar maintenance report...

http://www.goodwrench.com/_res/pdf/OLS1.pdf

[surferbarney]

My cousin has a corvette and uses mobil 1 synthetic and he changes his oil only every $12K miles or so.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by surferbarney

My cousin has a corvette and uses mobil 1 synthetic and he changes his oil only every $12K miles or so.

thats some expensive miles...

[GMtothecore]

I'm comfortable at 10K miles between oil changes after the break in.

[69 Hugger]

I'll need therapy if I let it go anymore than 4000 tics without changing, 125K on the S-10 and 147K on the Silverado. But at 80 to 90 dollar a oil changes I might be able to let go bit further. (Ufc woot) good information

[KJS]

I usally change it when the wife goes on the warpath. Takes about 5-6 hours to do.
Sometimes it needs changing every other weekend.

[LSP2010]

Originally Posted by five-oh

I've done a little research on this and what I've heard is that today's oils are so good compared to where they were years ago that changing oil at 3,000 miles is nothing more than a waste of money. By changing the oil so soon, the oil never actually "breaks in" to its maximum viscosity. With longer, even lifetime, powertrain warranties I don't think the manufacturers would be calling for such long intervals if they didn't feel confident in the abilities of today's oil. The manual on my work Impala specifically says not to change the oil until the monitor indicates to do so.

i been told the same thing yesterday
i guess the man was right

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by 69 Hugger

I'll need therapy if I let it go anymore than 4000 tics without changing, 125K on the S-10 and 147K on the Silverado. But at 80 to 90 dollar a oil changes I might be able to let go bit further. (Ufc woot) good information

dont forget, we are running ~8 qt of oil in this motor compared to the 5-6qt in previous generations... more oil allows for longer OCI's

[bono83]

I was always a 3000 mile faithful changer until I got my 2007 Pontiac G6. I switched to Castrol Snytec at the first oil change at 3000 miles and waited for the Oil Life Monitor's recommendation for the next one. It was at about 7000 miles when it recommended the change. Because it made me so uncomfortable to wait that long, I took a sample of the oil and sent it to Blackstone Lab in Indiana. I was relieved to find out that there was still life left in the oil and all wear indicators were well within range. I would recommend trying Blackstone or another independent lab yourself if your sitting on the fence.