Extended oil change intervals
Changing oil too often is a waste of money, resources, and adds to the pollution stream.
Vehicle manufacturers have extended oil change intervals as engines run cleaner and synthetic oil is more durable. With the exception of Toyota, which has shortened the oil change interval which makes no sense other than to bolster the profit stream, all major vehicle manufactures have extended their oil change interval. Adding up the cost of needless oil changes can add to the cost of running a vehicle.
Automaker----------2008 model recommendations
General Motors----Variable/indicator light
Honda-----------------Variable/indicator light
Chrysler--------------Variable/indicator light
BMW------------------15,000 miles
Mercedes-Benz----12,000 miles
Porsche---------------12,000 miles
Volkswagen---------10,000 miles
Ford--------------------7,500 miles
Hyundai---------------7,500 miles
Nissan----------------7,500 miles
Toyota----------------5,000 miles
usatoday.com/money
Determining the oil maintenance interval can be difficult when changing oil is a steady revenue stream for dealerships. To maintain your warranty, follow the maintenance schedule in the book that came with your car.
My own experience at the local Honda dealer has been somewhat bazaar...
The book for my 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid calls for a maintenance interval between 5,000 and 10,000 miles using Honda 0w-20 oil. The oil service light begins to be noticed at about 6,500 miles, going steady by 10,000 miles.
I would assume that this is a synthetic oil though the bottle I saw at the dealership doesn't say so. Generally an oil can't reach a spec of "0w" without it being synthetic.
The dealership sends me a notice for a change every 3,000 miles. The sticker placed on the windshield is for 3,000 miles. When I questioned the service desk they said, i can go 10,000 miles. Adding to this, an oil change for a Civic Hybrid costs more, the dealership citing, "it's a hybrid spec oil."
Taking all this into account, adding my mostly stop-and-go driving, I go for about 7,500 mile intervals.. which makes my $48 oil change, less than a 3,000 miles $24 oil change, also skipping the waste of time of having to do it and adding to the pollution stream of a traditional 3,000 oil change.
There is a Mobile 1 0w-20 and an Amsoil product that is speced for the Honda, but with the cost interval and just me having to get under there and get a filter too, seems a waste for a couple bucks.
I would love to hear from some Toyota Prius owners about their experience with the 5,000 mile oil change interval, what they are told, the spec of the oil and the cost of an oil change.
KenBob · July 31, 2007 2:02 AM
I'm pretty much in the same boat as far as oil changes go. Since I telecommute, I don't put on too much mileage over the course of 3 months so I usually change it every 6 months or 5k miles...give or take a few. My changes cost 32 bucks, and it's not synthetic.
I too have wondered about the discrepency between manufacturer recommended intervals and those recommended by dealer/oil shops. I have a feeling the 3k or 3 month mantra that Jiffy Lube spits out is just to drum up more business. I remember seeing a Motorweek episode where Pat Goss (SP?) said you're pouring your money down the drain and just hurting the environment by getting the oil changed that frequently. He said 3k/3mo. might be okay but only if you're driving under severe conditions. I believe he also said you could actually harm a new engine by prematurely draining the oil due to the fact that some manufacturers put special break-in blends to protect the engine during this period.
I also wonder if a hybrid can get away with even longer times between changes since the engine isn't always on. 3k for a regular car that idles might not be the same as 3k for a hybrid.
paul kuehnel · August 3, 2007 1:27 AM
Aside from not running all the time, you would think a hybrid engine would have less load to deal with and less RPMs to make the horsepower that translates into torque. I have been in Civics and they are pretty high strung engines, mine is geared much higher so the RPM much lower.
I think even Jiffy Lube has dropped their 3K line.