Comments on: Consumer Rant – Oil Change Interval http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/ The official blog of the Skeptologists Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:38:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: McKenzie Thomas http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-73445 McKenzie Thomas Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:46:10 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-73445 Consumer Alert: Big problem with oil-life monitors they can't tell the difference between oil quality. Consumer Alert: Big problem with oil-life monitors they can’t tell the difference between oil quality.

]]> By: CaseyJ http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-73350 CaseyJ Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:52:33 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-73350 Did you mean to say "unscrupulous" dealers? Or might this be a different sense or meaning of the word, in Indian English? Myself, I speak only plain 'Merican, if you know what I mean. So, I need to ask. Did you mean to say “unscrupulous” dealers? Or might this be a different sense or meaning of the word, in Indian English?

Myself, I speak only plain ‘Merican, if you know what I mean. So, I need to ask.

]]> By: Victor http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-71233 Victor Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:48:24 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-71233 I completely disagree, For one I own a small local repair shop in my area and have been in business for 30 years. I would never ever EVER change my oil every 10,000 miles and I don't even care what the manufacturer recommends. For example some early 2000 model Toyota cars were having problems because TOYOTA stated in the owners manual to get the oil changed every 8,000 miles, Needless to say the engines got "sludgy" and TOYOTA was paying for brand new engines to be put in the customers car free of charge because they were blowing up. The one thing that the little company does not test for is the general "dirtyness" of the oil. I recommend to my personal customers to change regular engine oil every 3,000 and synthetic oil every 5,000. The longer you wait to change your oil the dirtyer it gets producing engine sludge and coating the engine with sludge, and if you dont maintain your car regualrly you will be buying a new engine for your car like the gentlemen who has his Mercedes Benz getting a new engine ($8,000 parts and labor) because he never changed his oil! I have customers whom have been coming here since I opened my business and been servicing/ repairing there car since they have gotten out of warranty. And the cars that get there oil changed every 3,000 or 5,000 depending on what oil you use look brand new inside even after the car is 15 years old, and I know this for a fact because I am honest and therefore I have loyal customers who only bring their car to my business and whoms car's have only been worked on by me. So you can listen to who you want... The gentlemen who wrote this article who has probably zero experience in the automotive industry, or a fellow small business owner with 30+ years of experience. I completely disagree, For one I own a small local repair shop in my area and have been in business for 30 years. I would never ever EVER change my oil every 10,000 miles and I don’t even care what the manufacturer recommends. For example some early 2000 model Toyota cars were having problems because TOYOTA stated in the owners manual to get the oil changed every 8,000 miles, Needless to say the engines got “sludgy” and TOYOTA was paying for brand new engines to be put in the customers car free of charge because they were blowing up. The one thing that the little company does not test for is the general “dirtyness” of the oil. I recommend to my personal customers to change regular engine oil every 3,000 and synthetic oil every 5,000. The longer you wait to change your oil the dirtyer it gets producing engine sludge and coating the engine with sludge, and if you dont maintain your car regualrly you will be buying a new engine for your car like the gentlemen who has his Mercedes Benz getting a new engine ($8,000 parts and labor) because he never changed his oil! I have customers whom have been coming here since I opened my business and been servicing/ repairing there car since they have gotten out of warranty. And the cars that get there oil changed every 3,000 or 5,000 depending on what oil you use look brand new inside even after the car is 15 years old, and I know this for a fact because I am honest and therefore I have loyal customers who only bring their car to my business and whoms car’s have only been worked on by me.
So you can listen to who you want… The gentlemen who wrote this article who has probably zero experience in the automotive industry, or a fellow small business owner with 30+ years of experience.

]]> By: James http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-67060 James Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:16:46 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-67060 Lots of variables play into how often oil needs to be changed. Miles, time, driving habits. With a new vehicle you should change the oil after only maybe 1000 miles since the engine is breaking in. Of course people can do what they want. With all the new vehicles I've purchased I do an oil change at 1000 miles, then again at 3000 miles. After that I ususally run at least 5000 miles between changes and use full synthetic. The number of miles does sometimes go well beyond 5000 depending on how the miles were put on the vehicle. If it's mostly highway, 7500 miles is fine but, lots of city driving and short trips shorten oil life and require shorter oil change intervals. There are a lot of people out there who are totally oblivious to oil changes. This is why it's scary to buy a used vehicle, you have no idea how it was treated. Lots of variables play into how often oil needs to be changed. Miles, time, driving habits. With a new vehicle you should change the oil after only maybe 1000 miles since the engine is breaking in. Of course people can do what they want. With all the new vehicles I’ve purchased I do an oil change at 1000 miles, then again at 3000 miles. After that I ususally run at least 5000 miles between changes and use full synthetic. The number of miles does sometimes go well beyond 5000 depending on how the miles were put on the vehicle. If it’s mostly highway, 7500 miles is fine but, lots of city driving and short trips shorten oil life and require shorter oil change intervals. There are a lot of people out there who are totally oblivious to oil changes. This is why it’s scary to buy a used vehicle, you have no idea how it was treated.

]]> By: Joe Nial http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-53904 Joe Nial Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:02:35 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-53904 It is all about operating time and driving conditions. Maybe we should tell the National Hot Rod Association that Top Fuel dragsters are not allowed to do a complete engine over haul and oil change after each quarter mile pass down the drag strip. I routinely added oil to hard driven service vehicles on a daily to weekly bases, quarts per week and or gallons per week. That's how hard a vehicle can be driven and how much oil can be consumed in the combustion cycle. Similarly, aircraft engines can consume oil at the rate of gallons per hour and they operate routinely at "red line" revolutions per minute which consumes high amounts of oil. Service limits based only on miles driven are only adequate only for light use passenger cars and does not take into account total operating hours. Vehicles that spend their entire life out of doors have the winter months to contend with as well. Unless you keep the vehicle parked in a garage where temperatures never drop below 50F, the winter driving season will decrease the over all service life of an engine. Henceforth the creation of lighter oils for year round use as it flows easier to critical engine parts in cold and extreme cold temperatures. Ideal operating temperature for motor oils is 200F. It is all about operating time and driving conditions. Maybe we should tell the National Hot Rod Association that Top Fuel dragsters are not allowed to do a complete engine over haul and oil change after each quarter mile pass down the drag strip. I routinely added oil to hard driven service vehicles on a daily to weekly bases, quarts per week and or gallons per week. That’s how hard a vehicle can be driven and how much oil can be consumed in the combustion cycle. Similarly, aircraft engines can consume oil at the rate of gallons per hour and they operate routinely at “red line” revolutions per minute which consumes high amounts of oil. Service limits based only on miles driven are only adequate only for light use passenger cars and does not take into account total operating hours. Vehicles that spend their entire life out of doors have the winter months to contend with as well. Unless you keep the vehicle parked in a garage where temperatures never drop below 50F, the winter driving season will decrease the over all service life of an engine. Henceforth the creation of lighter oils for year round use as it flows easier to critical engine parts in cold and extreme cold temperatures. Ideal operating temperature for motor oils is 200F.

]]> By: Phillip Holmes http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-31502 Phillip Holmes Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:54:01 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-31502 I bought a 2007 Mitsubishi Raider with 14k miles on it about four months ago. It seems to run great but as I changed the oil myself 3weeks ago I noticed a small leak around the engine seal. I took the truck in to the local Mitsubishi dealer for service yesterday. They told me that the engine oil had built up sludge (due to lack of oil changes)and that my 5-year/50K mile warranty was void . I bought a 2007 Mitsubishi Raider with 14k miles on it about four months ago. It seems to run great but as I changed the oil myself 3weeks ago I noticed a small leak around the engine seal. I took the truck in to the local Mitsubishi dealer for service yesterday. They told me that the engine oil had built up sludge (due to lack of oil changes)and that my 5-year/50K mile warranty was void .

]]> By: Marcelino Sharkey http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-31308 Marcelino Sharkey Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:36:27 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-31308 oil change needs to be done as often as possible to maintain the good performance of any kind of machinery :;~ oil change needs to be done as often as possible to maintain the good performance of any kind of machinery :;~

]]> By: Nahan http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-27974 Nahan Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:38:59 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-27974 Oil over seas like in europe has ASH in it US oil does not that is why US oil breaks down faster and you need to change it sooner. If you want european oil tell the gov't where to go and maybe they will make it legal? Oil over seas like in europe has ASH in it US oil does not that is why US oil breaks down faster and you need to change it sooner. If you want european oil tell the gov’t where to go and maybe they will make it legal?

]]> By: J Michaels http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-27364 J Michaels Fri, 17 Sep 2010 16:43:39 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-27364 Most of what you wrote is correct and has meaning, When it comes to your crack about Amsoil, you don't know what the hell you're talking about. Check out the specs man, that's what a "real" engineer would do. Most of what you wrote is correct and has meaning, When it comes to your crack about Amsoil, you don’t know what the hell
you’re talking about. Check out the specs man, that’s what a “real” engineer would do.

]]> By: john reimann http://www.skepticblog.org/2009/02/22/oilchange-rant/#comment-26869 john reimann Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:55:39 +0000 http://skepticblog.org/?p=1293#comment-26869 To Mark Fendley--- WHAT? 100 Pounds ($200) for an oil change?? No wonder you do not change your oil. I am an ex Brit and in the 60's and 70's British cars either leaked or burned oil to the point you just add oil. Those vehicles lasted maybe 70,000 miles if you were lucky. To Mark Fendley— WHAT? 100 Pounds ($200) for an oil change?? No wonder you do not change your oil. I am an ex Brit and in the 60′s and 70′s British cars either leaked or burned oil to the point you just add oil. Those vehicles lasted maybe 70,000 miles if you were lucky.

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