^^
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrnickleye
Try this, then see if you still need to add oil between 3000 miles changes.
If you are changing your oil at less than 5,000 miles, you are just adding to the profit margins of the big oil companies. Modern dino oils have no problem providing full capability at this mileage on a modern motor. Synthetic oils will go 7-8,000 miles plus...I know guys who run syn oils, do a Blackstone oil analysis every 5,000 and run a true synthetic oil 15K miles and more. The key is get a good filter and keeping it changed.
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Fact...
MOST people don't maintain their vehicles properly.
I see this every day, because I manage a smog & repair shop.
It's simply a matter of priorities. Car runs ok, gets from point A to point B...so they spend $$$ on other things (movies, games, restaraunts, BEER, etc). They are too busy...shopping at the mall...and they don't get some 'cool' new 'thing' in their hands if they get work done on the car.
Most people wait till it breaks before they spend $$$ on the car. If it weren't for the smog test every 2 years, they wouldn't even know that their V6 was running on 5 cylinders.
Many, many drive for months with a 'check engine' light on, because it still gets them from point A to point B.
They don't EVEN know that they could be getting MUCH better MPG if they just did the maintenance things.
When I change oil (other people's, not mine) and it's got 5000 miles on it (or MORE), and it comes out so thin it's running like hot coffee, and it smells like a gas tank,(because there ain't no stopping the unburned fuel in the combustion chamber from slipping past the rings and down into the oil)....and because most of their driving is short trips, with lots of cold starts.... well...
I just know it ain't doing a good job lubricating.
I've had cars fail a smog test because the PCV system pulled in so much hydrocarbons (gasoline) from saturated engine oil that had not been changed for 5-6k miles.
I recommend an oil change before a smog test.
But...it is true that I've always told my customers, that with today's quality oils, and filters, they can go 5000 miles if they need to (like they forgot to do it sooner).
Hey, and guess what, here's something else I could not believe, most owners manuals for newer cars say the transmission and differential, and power steering oil is lifetime. RRRRrrriiiggghhhtttt !!!:biglaugh: