3000 mile oil drains

[widman]

Just got this in the latest Light & Medium Truck magazine

"Automakers Lengthen Oil Change Intervals

Most major automakers agree: The adage that you should change your car's oil every 3,000 miles is outdated, and even 5,000 miles may be too often, The Associated Press reported.

Ford Motor Co. became the latest manufacturer to extend its oil life guidelines, making public that it is raising the recommended oil change interval from 5,000 miles to 7,500 miles on its newly redesigned 2007 models and all subsequent redesigned or new models, AP said.

The company, like many other manufacturers, said last week that higher oil quality standards and new engine designs were responsible for the change, which affects vehicles driven under normal conditions. L&MT"

 

[RacerE7773]

Now I don't have to feel guilty when I go to 4000 by accident.

Now all I can hope for is to someday afford such a vehicle with the mfr saying it's ok to lengthen the OCI.

 

[frank44]

"...vehicles driven under normal conditions..."...we will probably find out that cold starts, short trips, heavy loads, and towing are considered "severe" conditions by Ford...

 

[Johnny]

You can count on it. 5K severe, 7.5K normal. Just the way you listed it. I believe that is also GM and DMC recommendations.

 

[Steve S]

My 06 Toyota 4 cyl p/u oci is 5,000 miles I wonder why?

 

[PT1]

ALL Toyotas should be 5000 oci or Mr. Sludgemonster will spoil your day.

 

[ThirdeYe]

My Acura (Honda) is 7500/3750. Not bad for a '94 motor.

 

[Big Jim]

Quote:

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"...vehicles driven under normal conditions..."...we will probably find out that cold starts, short trips, heavy loads, and towing are considered "severe" conditions by Ford...

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Ford revised some of that wording back when they went to 5,000 mile intervals. It isn't as strict as it was before then.

Here is a quote from my 1998 Contour Service Guide that came with the owner's manual. By 1998 they were well into their 5,000 mile normal service routine and greatly de-emphasised the "severe duty" schedule:

"Normal Schedule

Follow the Normal Schedule for most normal everyday driving conditions.

Severe Duty Schedule

Follow the Severe Duty Schedule if your driving habits FREQUENTLY include one or more of the following conditions:

)Towing a trailer or using a car-top carrier.
)Operating in severe dust conditions.
)Extensive idling, such as police, taxi or door-to-door delivery service.
)Short trips of less than 16 km (10 miles) when outside temperatures remain below -18 C (0 F)."

I don't have the manual in front of me for the 2003 Escape, but it is similar in wording. The Service Guide in it doesn't even have a 3,000 mile schedule. Instead, it just gives you the guidlines. The only schedule in it is the 5,000 mile schedule.

Ford has been pushing its dealers to encourage the 5,000 mile interval. Some dealers have responded better than others.

I have not seen the schedule for the 2007 and 2008 with the new schedule so I can only suspect that the wording is similar to the 2003 except for the change to 7500/5000.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Quote:

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ALL Toyotas should be 5000 oci or Mr. Sludgemonster will spoil your day.

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Here is a 5,800 mile UOA with Castrol GTX.

5,800 mile UOA Castrol GTX

Low to no wear metals, no sludge, cut open every filter and a TBN of 4.4...

So much for your statement...

I'm not concerned with any sludge.

Please POST your sludge in a Toyota when you went over 5000 miles.

Bill

 

[Merkava_4]

I still say oil is cheep insurance; unless you live in Canada.

 

[SrDriver]

We both being retired make a lot of short trips around town with one vehicle while the other sits in the garage and is driven on long trips. We will stick with changing the oil and filter ever 3,000 miles or every 6 months whichever comes first. + Both vehicles are under factory warranty and even with low mileage require an oil change every 6 months.

We use Motorcraft semi-synthetic 5W20 oil although I bought a bunch of Havoline Synthetic 5w20 at Big Lots on sale and will use it the next oil change.

Coming back from a 2,500 mile trip last month in the "road vehicle" had 4,000 miles on the oil when I changed it.

Cost of oil is not all that expensive.

 

[Rico567]

Why is oil "cheap insurance" when an oil change isn't required. That is the point at issue here. There's plenty of UOA information on this site, and for many vehicles, that shows very clearly that the 3K OCI is factually dead. I'm not talking here about people who are just too conservative to change (I admit it took me a while, and doing my extended OCIs in a leased car), and for all I know maybe people who love to be out in the garage draining oil out of their engine. All these things may be possible, yet it is very difficult to argue with the proposition that with contemporary oils, matched to a particular engine, that more extended oil changes are now the norm.

 

[Kestas]

I think people do it in part because it's easy to do. Some of these same people don't flush their transmission fluid or ps fluid because it's harder to do. They opt for the easy partial fluid change and call it good. Yet they squeeze every drop of oil from the crankcase during an oil change.

If changing motor oil was as difficult as changing ps fluid, you'd see a lot of owners taking it to the maximum allowable OCI.

 

[sprintman]

3,000 mile OCI's are idiotic. Nuff said

 

[Patman]

My new motto is that 5k is the new 3k. If only Jiffy Lube would stop brainwashing people and adopt this as their new motto too, a lot of people would probably begin to wise up.

 

[miked2]

Quote:

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My new motto is that 5k is the new 3k. If only Jiffy Lube would stop brainwashing people and adopt this as their new motto too, a lot of people would probably begin to wise up.

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Never happen...Money, money, money & more money!!!

 

[KieferS]

when i worked there, we told them they could do 5k on synthetic.