Do you follow the manufacturer’s recommended oil change interval?

[Collyn]

That far more important is whether or not the engine reaches and maintains enough heat to boil off any condensation that builds up. If not an acid content will build up in the sump and gradually damage bearings etc.

Whilst working for the Vauxhall/Bedford research decades ago, I was involved in checking two fleets of identical trucks. One was delivering coal to homes in London (stopping starting 40-50 times a day and barely reaching intended running temperature). The other was long-distance transport driving virtually non-stop for most of the day.

The former fleet had an engine life of under 50,000 miles - the long-distance fleet was over 250,000 miles.

Collyn

[4x4ord]

In my truck I kind of follow the oil life monitor …. I reset it when it first comes up telling me to change the oil soon and then change it the next time I get around to it. I might go another 3000 miles or so. I just did my first oil change yesterday at about 14000 miles. I run full synthetic.

[Ldubs]

I follow the MFG maintenance schedule. In my case, that schedule prescribes more frequent maintenance when towing is involved.

Cost of maintenance at my local dealer sure went up. I'm impressed with those of you voluntarily doing even more frequent servicing. I suspect you are doing it yourselves.

[Ldubs]

Originally Posted by hemifoot

my ram has oil changes covered under my extended warranty so it gets done when i'm down to around 20% oil life left.my boats/power equipment get done every spring,my side by side gets done as soon as the service reminder lights up.i'm starting to realise i have way too much equipment to maintain these days.who really needs 2 lawn tractors and 2 snow throwers?

My boat's outboard is on a 6 mos cycle (more frequent if I put enough hours on). The water pump is changed out every 12 months or 200 hours, whichever comes first.

No snow here & synthetic lawn doesn't need a mower!! Just rubbing it in a little.

[move on]

My Cummins manual says to change oil no later than 7500 miles or 6 months whichever comes first, but at those points my oil service monitor says I still have 50% oil life remaining. What?

The best way to schedule your oil change is based on oil condition as determined by taking a sample and sending it to a laboratory like Blackstone. I think you will find that going by the factory manual will have you wasting a lot of perfectly good oil.

[Winemaker2]

These are always interesting discussion and never a concensus.
Everyone has to decide if you want to spend the extra $$ and consider it insurance (usually those DIYers as full service bills aren't inexpensive for DPs) or you believe the oil analysis and willing to go with the science.
Many trucking cos manage their fleets based on oil analysis and run their rigs a million miles before rebuilds or swapping.
If you run many short runs and engines never reach operating temps you have a different situation and need to adjust practices. Mfg almost always include recommendations for severe service... follow them.

[nicky8668]

Originally Posted by Ldubs

I follow the MFG maintenance schedule. In my case, that schedule prescribes more frequent maintenance when towing is involved.

Cost of maintenance at my local dealer sure went up. I'm impressed with those of you voluntarily doing even more frequent servicing. I suspect you are doing it yourselves.

I’ve never used dealer service before other than warranty works. How much is the oil change for an HD truck at dealer? I can do full synthetic oil + OEM filter under $30 (7.3 gas F250). If dealers ask more than $80, I surely wouldn’t change it that frequently.

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by nicky8668

I’ve never used dealer service before other than warranty works. How much is the oil change for an HD truck at dealer? I can do full synthetic oil + OEM filter under $30 (7.3 gas F250). If dealers ask more than $80, I surely wouldn’t change it that frequently.

Where do you find 8 qts of 5-30 full syn for under $30?

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Where do you find 8 qts of 5-30 full syn for under $30?

And yet people think "synthetic" actually means anything, especially for those in the USA. There are no governing bodies regulating the word and claim. Specifications and approval is where it's at.

Some oils marketed as synthetic in the USA can not be labelled as such in Canada. They definitely won't be labelled as synthetic in much of Europe save for less than a handful of brands.

I can get cheapo synthetic at 3-4$ a l, but my basic bulk Pennzoil or Total exceeds any of the "synthetic" specs and will test better in all respects.

Quality synthetic oil at under 6$ a liter is almost impossible to find.

[nicky8668]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Where do you find 8 qts of 5-30 full syn for under $30?

Costco has full synthetic 2 x 5qt jars 5w30 for $34.99. They run promotion every spring, you can get $24.99 for 10 qts. I usually buy 100-200 qts during promotion (1-2 years worth of oil for all my vehicles), averaging $2.5/qt.

I stock those oem autocraft oil filter from advance auto while they have 25% off deal. $8.49 filter becomes a bit over 6 bucks.

So for me it’s about $26.5 + tax per oil change on the F250. IDK how much dealer asks, maybe $80 with their synthetic blend? That’s too much to ask for a 15 min job IMO. F250 is the easiest to change oil among all my vehicles.

[nicky8668]

Originally Posted by kdauto

And yet people think "synthetic" actually means anything, especially for those in the USA. There are no governing bodies regulating the word and claim. Specifications and approval is where it's at.

Some oils marketed as synthetic in the USA can not be labelled as such in Canada. They definitely won't be labelled as synthetic in much of Europe save for less than a handful of brands.

I can get cheapo synthetic at 3-4$ a l, but my basic bulk Pennzoil or Total exceeds any of the "synthetic" specs and will test better in all respects.

Quality synthetic oil at under 6$ a liter is almost impossible to find.

I guess API donut is a more precise standard?

I’ve used those cheap $16/5qt Walmart Supertech full synthetic oil on many of my vehicles before Costco has their oil. Some of those vehicles run with those oil over 100-150k miles without any problem.

And it’s not hard to find the 5qt golden jar M1 extended protection 5w30 for $25 at Walmart during their roll out.

I fill redline 0W20 in my Type-R only during track day when I run over 6000rpm for more than 20 mins.

Speaking of high quality oil, are you referring to redline, amsoil, royal purple, etc?

[Ldubs]

Originally Posted by nicky8668

I’ve never used dealer service before other than warranty works. How much is the oil change for an HD truck at dealer? I can do full synthetic oil + OEM filter under $30 (7.3 gas F250). If dealers ask more than $80, I surely wouldn’t change it that frequently.

I am a strong believer in preventative maintenance. While I am at a stage in life where I prefer to not get under the truck, I am moving that direction. The specific synthetic I use would run me $60 - $70 for what I would need for a change. Adding on the filters I would still be way ahead of what the dealers charge.

What I don't have or understand is the software interface that allows me to read the health of the my truck.

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by nicky8668

I guess API donut is a more precise standard?

I’ve used those cheap $16/5qt Walmart Supertech full synthetic oil on many of my vehicles before Costco has their oil. Some of those vehicles run with those oil over 100-150k miles without any problem.

And it’s not hard to find the 5qt golden jar M1 extended protection 5w30 for $25 at Walmart during their roll out.

I fill redline 0W20 in my Type-R only during track day when I run over 6000rpm for more than 20 mins.

Speaking of high quality oil, are you referring to redline, amsoil, royal purple, etc?

API has one of the weakest standards out of the governing bodies. Ilsac is not much better. Many OEMs now have almost engine specific specs. GM had things like GM4718M and such, now all superceded with dexos1, and dexos2 for the euro based engines. dexos1 Gen2 is what you really want on most GMs sold here. Not all oils meet the Gen2 spec, and many are touting Dexos approved without the dexos swirl on the bottle, which means they didn't actually pass GM testing.

Ford will have individual specs like WSS-M2C947-A. Chrysler/Fiat/Stellantis will have a mixed bag like MS-6395 which is pretty generic, then the Euro based engines may have Euro standards (preferred) or can default too using the MS standard (less than optimal).

Lubrication has come a long way in the past 15 years, and it's impossible to explain it in a few posts. Heck, I have taken days worth of training just on that, and I STILL have questions.

The important thing is to check our owner's manual, check the required specs and make SURE the oil you buy has that spec listed and it says "Meets xxx approval", not something like Castrol and others do such as "meets the engine protection requirements of xxx" which means the oil only passes PART of the testing and approval and does not meet all the specs.

As a rule, Pennzoil, Total, Liqui Moly and Mobil all have been pretty straightforward on specs and are all good brands. House brands can be iffy, I stay away from no-name brands, but the principle is the same, it must meet all OEM approvals and specs or I'm not using it.

None of the boutique oils like Royal Purple, Amsoil etc. ever meet all manufacturer approvals. I don't deal with race cars and trucks, so maybe they're fine for that, but then none of those engines need warranty.

[rollondown]

We run a 1998 Volvo semi tractor converted to hauler statue. it holds 10.3 gallons of oil that gets changed every 15000 miles. Engine has 600,000 miles on it, never been opened beyond valve adjustments.
Oil and filters are cheap compared to engines.