Seriously, when to change oil?

[MadMav]

Guys, we can put this post to rest. I have edited my original post.

There are just to many oppions on this to lead me in any direction, and there is very little factual proof to point in any direction either.

Thanks,
Mav

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by MadMav

Guys, we can put this post to rest. I have edited my original post.

There are just to many oppions on this to lead me in any direction, and there is very little factual proof to point in any direction either.

Thanks,
Mav

I say change it early the first time, then do as the car tells you after that. There is likely to be more stuff in that first batch of oil than in any others afterward. Besides, how much does ~9 quarts of oil (and a new filter) cost anyway?

[Doc]

I changed mine at 60 miles, 600 miles, and 1,700 miles. Here's why:

The greatest amount of particles that are going to be found in the engine happen in the first 50 miles due to whatever "stuff" might have been left in the engine during assembly and the high amount of wear-in/ring seating that takes place at that time. The cylinder walls are cross-hatched honed to make them function like a file so the rings will literally wear themselves down against that surface which also wears down to "seat" or seal the rings against the cylinder walls.

All the leftovers from assembly plus the particles worn off the rings are in your oil. The filter catches most of it but any silicone or items from assembly will also get in there and have the possibility of clogging the filter which goes into bypass mode allowing the oil to circulate as-is. Whatever metal particles are in your oil are splashing over all the moving components. Replacing the oil and filter in the first 50 miles or so clears all that out and gives you a clean filter to catch the next wave which happens in the first 500 miles or so. I switched to non-synthetic at 60 miles because synthetic does too good a job at protecting the cylinder walls and I wanted mine to seat correctly.

I changed it with non-synthetic again at 600 miles for the same reasons as above; to remove the wear-in particles from breaking it in. At 1,700 miles I changed it again except this time I put synthetic; I used Royal Purple because it's my preference but you'll always find the Amsoil distributer chiming in whenever you mention RP and the guys who righteously post about how "the owner's manual says..." and how they've never had a problem in 50 years of driving. That's fine; use whatever oil you prefer. Mobil 1 is great stuff, I just prefer Royal Purple.

I also changed the transmission and differential fluids at the 1,700 mile mark. Same reasons; clearing out stuff left over from the assembly line and initial wear-in. When you see what the fluid looks like as you drain it; especially the differential, you'll be glad you changed it. Once again I used Royal Purple fluids because I've had great results with their products for years; use whatever you prefer.

My car now runs smoothly and quietly and just glides along compared to when it was brand new. The main value in doing changes like these outlined above is to remove the bulk of the wear-in material and whatever might have been left over from assembly. I spent less than $100 on the first 2 changes which to me is no big deal when taking care of a $35,000 car. I spent less than $200 on the 3rd change which included engine, filter, trans and diff plus labor. Again no biggie to me considering what I'm protecting. My car is now set for it's life and I plan on keeping this one.

[jwjk]

Originally Posted by Doc

I changed mine at 60 miles, 600 miles, and 1,700 miles. Here's why:

The greatest amount of particles that are going to be found in the engine happen in the first 50 miles due to whatever "stuff" might have been left in the engine during assembly and the high amount of wear-in/ring seating that takes place at that time. The cylinder walls are cross-hatched honed to make them function like a file so the rings will literally wear themselves down against that surface which also wears down to "seat" or seal the rings against the cylinder walls.

All the leftovers from assembly plus the particles worn off the rings are in your oil. The filter catches most of it but any silicone or items from assembly will also get in there and have the possibility of clogging the filter which goes into bypass mode allowing the oil to circulate as-is. Whatever metal particles are in your oil are splashing over all the moving components. Replacing the oil and filter in the first 50 miles or so clears all that out and gives you a clean filter to catch the next wave which happens in the first 500 miles or so. I switched to non-synthetic at 60 miles because synthetic does too good a job at protecting the cylinder walls and I wanted mine to seat correctly.

I changed it with non-synthetic again at 600 miles for the same reasons as above; to remove the wear-in particles from breaking it in. At 1,700 miles I changed it again except this time I put synthetic; I used Royal Purple because it's my preference but you'll always find the Amsoil distributer chiming in whenever you mention RP and the guys who righteously post about how "the owner's manual says..." and how they've never had a problem in 50 years of driving. That's fine; use whatever oil you prefer. Mobil 1 is great stuff, I just prefer Royal Purple.

I also changed the transmission and differential fluids at the 1,700 mile mark. Same reasons; clearing out stuff left over from the assembly line and initial wear-in. When you see what the fluid looks like as you drain it; especially the differential, you'll be glad you changed it. Once again I used Royal Purple fluids because I've had great results with their products for years; use whatever you prefer.

My car now runs smoothly and quietly and just glides along compared to when it was brand new. The main value in doing changes like these outlined above is to remove the bulk of the wear-in material and whatever might have been left over from assembly. I spent less than $100 on the first 2 changes which to me is no big deal when taking care of a $35,000 car. I spent less than $200 on the 3rd change which included engine, filter, trans and diff plus labor. Again no biggie to me considering what I'm protecting. My car is now set for it's life and I plan on keeping this one.

When mine comes in, this is EXACTLY how I'll be handling it. Nice post, Doc. Informative, precise, and descriptive. Just how we like it.


Jason

[skuttduck]

I'm bad. I have 4000 and still haven't changed the oil.

The manual and the dealer both said do it when the car tells me to. Which according to the onstar email that will be at about 10,000 miles.

From my understanding 10,000 miles or once a year is what Europe has been doing for years. A lot of the oil change intervals were set by the oil companies.

I seriously doubt I will lose my warranty or anything as I followed the regular maintenance interval.

That being said, if it gives you piece of mind to change it sooner than do it.

I'll probably get my first change in the spring, before I hit 10,000 miles.

[USIRON]

As my dealer is providing my first two changes I changed oil at 3000 mi as per my dealer recommendation. Oil was visably as clean as when installed with no metal residue detected. Next change will be as per Chevy guide lines.

[SilverIce1]

My opinion: No less than required to maintain your warranty. No more often than you can afford to spend money on oil and filters.

If you keep your car for 200,000 miles, and the engine should reasonably last that long, you need to execute at least 40 oil/filter changes with Mobile 1 full synthetic if you run 5,000 mile intervals. At $90 and oil change, you will invest $3,600 over that mileage to maintain your engine. Beyond that you need to estimate how much more you want to spend for a somewhat diminishing return. How many more miles will the engine last and compare that to the cost of each additional change, or will you be better off replacing the engine block? Cost - Benefit analysis. I'd contend that a few extra changes in the early miles posses the most significant possibly of extending the life of your engine - thus if there is a time to exceed the factory recommendations, it is early and often.

[Michael_Js]

Just do it! You'll get rid of the break-in stuff and run clean new stuff I also, like Doc, did my diff and tranny fluid! Easy changes. Many threads abound with torque values, amounts, and how to's

[2010 SSRS]

Do it now

[Cmaro214]

Originally Posted by MadMav

First oil change?

Did a search, and couldn't find anything really.

Manual says change it when the car tells you too.
Dealer says change it at 6K.
I'm at 2K.

When should it really be changed? Did the rear diff and it was silver! I'm guessing that with mobile 1 in the motor that it will not break in as fast as dyno oil. So, would 5K be good? Thanks,


EDIT: After reading for the last hour, there are as many oppinions on when to change it and what to change it with as there are folks on this earth. Guess I will pull from my experiance and go from there. Thanks for the help guys.

Mav

i changed the oil on my malibu for the last 4 years at the 2000-3000 mile mark and i plan on doing it at 2000 everytime since i got the maintence warranty im sure as hell gonna take advantage of those "free" oil changes. and they will surely tell me no you dont need a change for another 4000 miles but ill tell them, i change at 2k and no more.

[flyby]

MadMav,
You are right, there are many different opinions out there. You may want to check out Darrin Mogan's advice in the break in section. He is a HP engine builder with lots of experience. His post is on this same page.

[Danny5]

I don't trust Darin. He gave false information about the brakes...

[JOHNREX]

At what percentage OIL life indicator should you change the oil at 50%, 40%, or 20%?

[FLYNNZL1]

I think it tells you at 2%