3K Oil changes

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Het whats up my fellow BITOG DOGs! I'm a new BITGO Dawg. Man you guys are oil crazy! I like it! I feel at home. I've been looking around on the forums and i see you guys recommend that the oil change should be changed every 5-6k miles, instead of the old school recommendation of 3k. I wanted to know why is that? I also wanted to know if Sea Foam is any good. Also where can i get ARX besides ordering it, is there any store that sells it? Its not in the local parts stores down here in San Antonio, TX. Thanks!
 
what is the vehicle in question? the reason that 3k isnt recommended anymore is that by then the oil still has a lot more life left in it usually.
 
- Oil now is more stable and has better quality additives and base stocks. 5,000 miles/6 month is a reasonable oil change interval based on most conditions and manufacturer reccomended quality oil. If the company that built it tells you to go shorter (such as turbocharged Subarus), go shorter, otherwise it should be fine.

- SeaFoam works as a combustion chamber cleaner but is mostly light mineral oil and rubbing alcohol, so I wouldn't add it to the oil.

- AutoRX is only sold online.
 
Originally Posted By: SAMSATX
Het whats up my fellow BITOG DOGs! I'm a new BITGO Dawg. Man you guys are oil crazy! I like it! I feel at home. I've been looking around on the forums and i see you guys recommend that the oil change should be changed every 5-6k miles, instead of the old school recommendation of 3k. I wanted to know why is that? I also wanted to know if Sea Foam is any good. Also where can i get ARX besides ordering it, is there any store that sells it? Its not in the local parts stores down here in San Antonio, TX. Thanks!


That's because UOAs show that oils can last longer. Cars run more clean these days too so the "3000 mile oil change" is very old school. In fact, i recommend you use synthetic oil from now on...Personally, i wouldnt use dino oil anymore. Read the UOAs...u will learn alot there.

SeaFoam: I wouldnt personally use it.

AutoRX: I have had xlnt results with this. I recommend it.
 
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For the 3K OCI is so outdated and a waste of money. If your engine is in good condition at 3K normally it has only used less than 50% of it's service life. The 3 months 3 thousand miles myth is something quick lube places push for higher profits. Go to the UOA section and see how conventional oils hold up on 5-6K OCI'S. If you really want to know something I only change my oil when the OLM tell's me to on my 08 Tahoe. That is about 7-9K. For my 03 Explorer it gets changed twice a year. May and Nov. Seafoam I do not use but that is my due to my personal reasons and I do not recommend it. It does not seem to cause too much harm.
 
I'm (by no means) an expert but have worked on a few engines in recent history that were running 5,000+ oil change intervals. One was my Daughter's '00 1.7L CVIC. She routinely goes 5-7k and gets yelled at by yours truly. The oil is changed at whichever place has a coupon.

Well I pulled the valve cover whilst changing the cam belt at 159,xxx and it looked clean enough to eat off. A fact that I DID NOT share with her. Obviously, 1.7L Honda engines are easy on oil.

However - there are a few engines out there that are still prone to sludge..... Chrysler 2.7L V-6, VW 1.8 turbo, some Toyota, etc. etc.

In my mind, a good idea to search the web to see if there are any sludge problems with the particular autos that you own (as a precaution)
 
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: SAMSATX
Het whats up my fellow BITOG DOGs! I'm a new BITGO Dawg. Man you guys are oil crazy! I like it! I feel at home. I've been looking around on the forums and i see you guys recommend that the oil change should be changed every 5-6k miles, instead of the old school recommendation of 3k. I wanted to know why is that? I also wanted to know if Sea Foam is any good. Also where can i get ARX besides ordering it, is there any store that sells it? Its not in the local parts stores down here in San Antonio, TX. Thanks!


That's because UOAs show that oils can last longer. Cars run more clean these days too so the "3000 mile oil change" is very old school. In fact, i recommend you use synthetic oil from now on...Personally, i wouldnt use dino oil anymore. Read the UOAs...u will learn alot there.

SeaFoam: I wouldnt personally use it.

AutoRX: I have had xlnt results with this. I recommend it.


What is going on with the infatuation with synthetic oil's on here? Unless you are going to extend your OCI'S or have a high performance vehicle I have yet to see a reason to use them.
 
This is what ive learned from BITOG...any Honda or Toyota 4 cylinder that is mechanically sound will probably run on mud if you wanted it to. That's how good i personally think these engines are.

Yes you can go 5k to 7k using dino oil and you should be fine...but for me and any obsessed BITOG member who only wants to put the best in there...i would use synthetic.

Let's put it this way...if you put a bottle of Mobil 1 or PP or Royal Purple on one side of a room and you put another bottle of regular yellow bottle of Pennzoil on the other side of the room...and you put a "long time" BITOG member in the middle of the room and you tell him to "choose one"....im pretty sure 98 out of 100 wont be walking towards that regular yellow bottle any time soon.
 
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Originally Posted By: MBCLK
This is what ive learned from BITOG...any Honda or Toyota 4 cylinder that is mechanically sound will probably run on mud if you wanted it to. That's how good i personally think these engines are.

Yes you can go 5k to 7k using dino oil and you should be fine...but for me and any obsessed BITOG member who only wants to put the best in there...i would use synthetic.

Let's put it this way...if you put a bottle of Mobil 1 or PP or Royal Purple on one side of a room and you put another bottle of regular yellow bottle of Pennzoil on the other side of the room...and you put a "long time" BITOG member in the middle of the room and you tell him to "choose one"....im pretty sure 98 out of 100 wont be walking towards that regular yellow bottle any time soon.


It funny you would say that. I haved used synthetic oil in the past. Synpower, Pennzoil synthetic in the cute grey handle bottles, M-1. But I only use conventional oils for the last 4 years. Most of the time is it YB. But I have used GTX, Valvoline, Chevron, Trop Artic which is a semi-synthetic at a convential cost. I could use synthetic but I do not see a point at my OCI. Nothing has proved to me that synthetic will make my vehical's last longer. They will more than likely be scrapped before the engine dies. But I do not own a corvette or a benz so the need to use synthetic is not there. Also there are many exotic cars on the road that the recommended oil is synthetic but do just fine on conventional oil.
 
3,000 mile oil changes are outdated because:

1. Oils are better these days.
2. Fuels are better.
3. Fuel injection/computers have made vehicles run cleaner.
4. Metal technology has gotten better
5. Tolerances are tighter in engines.
 
Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
This is what ive learned from BITOG...any Honda or Toyota 4 cylinder that is mechanically sound will probably run on mud if you wanted it to. That's how good i personally think these engines are.

Yes you can go 5k to 7k using dino oil and you should be fine...but for me and any obsessed BITOG member who only wants to put the best in there...i would use synthetic.

Let's put it this way...if you put a bottle of Mobil 1 or PP or Royal Purple on one side of a room and you put another bottle of regular yellow bottle of Pennzoil on the other side of the room...and you put a "long time" BITOG member in the middle of the room and you tell him to "choose one"....im pretty sure 98 out of 100 wont be walking towards that regular yellow bottle any time soon.


It funny you would say that. I haved used synthetic oil in the past. Synpower, Pennzoil synthetic in the cute grey handle bottles, M-1. But I only use conventional oils for the last 4 years. Most of the time is it YB. But I have used GTX, Valvoline, Chevron, Trop Artic which is a semi-synthetic at a convential cost. I could use synthetic but I do not see a point at my OCI. Nothing has proved to me that synthetic will make my vehical's last longer. They will more than likely be scrapped before the engine dies. But I do not own a corvette or a benz so the need to use synthetic is not there. Also there are many exotic cars on the road that the recommended oil is synthetic but do just fine on conventional oil.


dave, quick question for you though...if synthetic oil was the same price as the conventional oil you use...which would you pick?
 
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: dave1251
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
This is what ive learned from BITOG...any Honda or Toyota 4 cylinder that is mechanically sound will probably run on mud if you wanted it to. That's how good i personally think these engines are.

Yes you can go 5k to 7k using dino oil and you should be fine...but for me and any obsessed BITOG member who only wants to put the best in there...i would use synthetic.

Let's put it this way...if you put a bottle of Mobil 1 or PP or Royal Purple on one side of a room and you put another bottle of regular yellow bottle of Pennzoil on the other side of the room...and you put a "long time" BITOG member in the middle of the room and you tell him to "choose one"....im pretty sure 98 out of 100 wont be walking towards that regular yellow bottle any time soon.


It funny you would say that. I haved used synthetic oil in the past. Synpower, Pennzoil synthetic in the cute grey handle bottles, M-1. But I only use conventional oils for the last 4 years. Most of the time is it YB. But I have used GTX, Valvoline, Chevron, Trop Artic which is a semi-synthetic at a convential cost. I could use synthetic but I do not see a point at my OCI. Nothing has proved to me that synthetic will make my vehical's last longer. They will more than likely be scrapped before the engine dies. But I do not own a corvette or a benz so the need to use synthetic is not there. Also there are many exotic cars on the road that the recommended oil is synthetic but do just fine on conventional oil.


dave, quick question for you though...if synthetic oil was the same price as the conventional oil you use...which would you pick?


If where the same price yeah. But it is not and the extra investment does not justify the means.
 
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: SAMSATX
Het whats up my fellow BITOG DOGs! I'm a new BITGO Dawg. Man you guys are oil crazy! I like it! I feel at home. I've been looking around on the forums and i see you guys recommend that the oil change should be changed every 5-6k miles, instead of the old school recommendation of 3k. I wanted to know why is that? I also wanted to know if Sea Foam is any good. Also where can i get ARX besides ordering it, is there any store that sells it? Its not in the local parts stores down here in San Antonio, TX. Thanks!


That's because UOAs show that oils can last longer. Cars run more clean these days too so the "3000 mile oil change" is very old school. In fact, i recommend you use synthetic oil from now on...Personally, i wouldnt use dino oil anymore. Read the UOAs...u will learn alot there.

SeaFoam: I wouldnt personally use it.

AutoRX: I have had xlnt results with this. I recommend it.


Hold on now, why would you not run conventional oil? Generalization is the biggest problem on this board.

Seafoam has been around for a long long time and I don't think I have ever heard anybody say a bad thing about it other than the fact that you'll leave a trail of smoke half a mile long and pollute the enviornment. What is your experience with Seafoam that you'd never use it? What did it do exactly that you'll never use it? Just curious?
 
I personally would use a Dino oil if I could because I have the confidence to know that it has more than enough "umph" to protect my engine properly...

In my situation I use a full synthetic that contains lots of PAO and other additives to make it flow at extremely cold temperatures like -50oC because my engine is picky and will suffer from lifter ticking on cold-start if I don't and this is really amplified in the brutally cold winter weather and can last up to 10 minutes and this is way too long for my comfort level.

I also drive a lot of miles for my job and it's nicer to be able to extend my OCI safely using Syn and not have to crawl under the car as often.

Also this engine seems to run a lot smoother with Synthetic so I keep using it.

Otherwise I would be a whatever is the cheapest dino on the shelf that meets the current spec's. I would run it to 5K miles without a problem or less if specified in my owners manual.
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In my '89 VW Cabriolet and '91 imported Austin Mini I run whatever is the cheapest dino that's a good deal and gets the job done. I occasionally switch to synthetic if I get it for a steal.

As for what weight of oil to use, I would look in your owners manual at the temperature vs. viscosity chart and choose the oil based on what fits the best temperature range for the region you drive the car in. Eg: Winter/Summer - perhaps a 5w30 year round.

Don't get caught up in the thicker/thinner is better, use what's recommended by the engineers that built your engine and that's what's in the owners manual and not on the filler cap or from everyone here at BITOG. (No offense to anyone, I just think the best choice is specified in the manual)
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Good luck with your oil choice...
 
Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: SAMSATX
Het whats up my fellow BITOG DOGs! I'm a new BITGO Dawg. Man you guys are oil crazy! I like it! I feel at home. I've been looking around on the forums and i see you guys recommend that the oil change should be changed every 5-6k miles, instead of the old school recommendation of 3k. I wanted to know why is that? I also wanted to know if Sea Foam is any good. Also where can i get ARX besides ordering it, is there any store that sells it? Its not in the local parts stores down here in San Antonio, TX. Thanks!


That's because UOAs show that oils can last longer. Cars run more clean these days too so the "3000 mile oil change" is very old school. In fact, i recommend you use synthetic oil from now on...Personally, i wouldnt use dino oil anymore. Read the UOAs...u will learn alot there.

SeaFoam: I wouldnt personally use it.

AutoRX: I have had xlnt results with this. I recommend it.


Hold on now, why would you not run conventional oil? Generalization is the biggest problem on this board.

Seafoam has been around for a long long time and I don't think I have ever heard anybody say a bad thing about it other than the fact that you'll leave a trail of smoke half a mile long and pollute the enviornment. What is your experience with Seafoam that you'd never use it? What did it do exactly that you'll never use it? Just curious?



I have no personal experience with Seafoam. But from what ive read as a whole i think Seafoam is too concentrated of an application.
 
Originally Posted By: deven

Hold on now, why would you not run conventional oil? Generalization is the biggest problem on this board.


Well, from what ive read in UOAs...there are more additives in synthetics than conventional oil. From what ive read in UOAs..there are more recommendations to "try to extend your OCI to 9k." or "oil still looks great. keep it in there for a longer time." etc etc. Just the overall pattern of people who use synthetics compared to conventional is more positive.
 
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