99 Chevy P/U with over 400,000 miles

[N Heat]

This was posted over at gm-trucks.com Pic of odometer included.

http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71812

Owner does 5000 mile OCI with dino.

 

[Steve S]

The more miles driven per warm up cycle the longer an engine will last. It is not the oil.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

I'm sure the engine stays warm driving 50,000 miles per year.

 

[Patman]

Whenever I read stories of high mileage vehicles like this and I find out they do 3k oil changes or even 5k oil changes, I wonder why the person doesn't just go with synthetic and do 20k oil changes? Wouldn't you eventually get real tired of changing your oil (or paying someone to change your oil) every month?

 

[mpvue]

that's what I wonder, but some people continue w/ the 3mo/3K because that's what they've always done, and they see 400K trucks as proof they are doing something right.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: mpvue
that's what I wonder, but some people continue w/ the 3mo/3K because that's what they've always done, and they see 400K trucks as proof they are doing something right.


That's another problem I have with stories like this, because then people read into it that the 3-5k oil changes are the main reason why these engines last this long. But truth be told, the engines would've most likely still gone just as long even if they'd done longer OCIs. In every story like this of high mileage engines, we find out the person is doing all highway driving and adding 50k a year. In all honesty, the oil has very little responsibility for the high mileage, it's the driving conditions. As we all know, there is very little stress on an oil in an engine that is fully warmed up and at a steady speed on the highway.

 

[DevilDisco]

Don't know any better. This past summer I did alot of driving. I think I had to change my oil once a month doing 3k oil changes. Didn't know about BITOG the. I'm about to my first UOA and hopefully I can get out to 7500 OCI's like my manual says. Dealer suggested against it even when I was under warranty with free oil changes every 7500miles they said change it at 3k and bring it to them for the 7500 mile OCI. Now changes aren't free. I'd like to go to 7,500. My vehicle doesn't use any oil between the 3k OCI and the oil never comes out black. Dark Brown, but never black. I ran the vehicle out to 7,500 miles once and it tapped and was a quart low, but that was when I first got it. I check the oil regularly now, and its always full.

 

[wlkjr1951]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Whenever I read stories of high mileage vehicles like this and I find out they do 3k oil changes or even 5k oil changes, I wonder why the person doesn't just go with synthetic and do 20k oil changes? Wouldn't you eventually get real tired of changing your oil (or paying someone to change your oil) every month?


Probably not. I don't get tired of chaning mine and I've been doing it myself since 1971. I've changed the oil in my Grand Prix every 5000 miles and it now has 335,000 miles on it. Why suggest someone else change frequencies when it obviously works for them? Someone always says "it's not the oil or it's not how often they change it, it's the engine." Well how come they all don't last that long?

 

[Merkava_4]

Quote:
Wouldn't you eventually get real tired of changing your oil (or paying someone to change your oil) every month?


Some of us thoroughly enjoy changing our oil; that's something you long drain guys wouldn't understand.

 

[coffee]

Amen, Merkava

 

[Beachboy]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Whenever I read stories of high mileage vehicles like this and I find out they do 3k oil changes or even 5k oil changes, I wonder why the person doesn't just go with synthetic and do 20k oil changes? Wouldn't you eventually get real tired of changing your oil (or paying someone to change your oil) every month?


I'm one of those guys that pays the dealer to change my oil every month or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. I know I could easily extend my oil change intervals, but my reasoning is that the mechanic's inspection during the oil change is the only time things like fluid levels and tire pressures get checked. I'm not one to spend any time under the hood of my car, in fact, I'm lucky if I remember how to open the hood. I lost my interest in working on cars many years ago, so now all I do is drive them, as a necessary evil to get to and from work. Right now, I'm at 242,000 on a '99 Mercury Mystique, which some mechanics consider a "throwaway car".

 

[kokopelli]

i'm in the 3k miles/3 month oci club! For me, 3 mos comes before 3k miles; I avg about 25 miles/day, at that rate, it would take 120 days to reach 3k miles... not sure if that's good for an oil or not, so I stick with 3-4 month OCIs.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Beachboy


I'm one of those guys that pays the dealer to change my oil every month or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. I know I could easily extend my oil change intervals, but my reasoning is that the mechanic's inspection during the oil change is the only time things like fluid levels and tire pressures get checked.


But my point is that you could've still extended it out to 5k and that would've been more than sufficient for getting those inspections done. Most people don't get a mechanic to look over their car at all and they manage to get high mileage from their vehicles, so even getting it checked over every 5k you're still ahead of the game.

I've said it many times in the past, but it bears repeating: 5k is the new 3k.

 

[Yary]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: Beachboy


I'm one of those guys that pays the dealer to change my oil every month or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first. I know I could easily extend my oil change intervals, but my reasoning is that the mechanic's inspection during the oil change is the only time things like fluid levels and tire pressures get checked.


But my point is that you could've still extended it out to 5k and that would've been more than sufficient for getting those inspections done. Most people don't get a mechanic to look over their car at all and they manage to get high mileage from their vehicles, so even getting it checked over every 5k you're still ahead of the game.

I've said it many times in the past, but it bears repeating: 5k is the new 3k.

Yes with today's oils and engines, 5k is more than conservative.