A Hard Habit to Break

[BigAl]

So here it is . . . I have a 2005 Suzuki Forenza (otherwise known as a Chevrolet Optra, Buick Excelle, Daewoo Nubira, Daewoo Lacetti, Chevrolet Lacetti, or Holden Viva) with about 11k miles on the clock. The engine is warranted for 100k. Living in the rust belt, I will probably get rid of it well before 150k miles . . . maybe even trade it off at 100k.

The recommended oil change interval for "severe driving conditions" for this car is 3,750 miles. Like I've posted before, the oil takes about 2000 miles before it's even dark enough to be visible on the dipstick. I typically use a name-brand conventional oil (on-sale, of course) and am using OEM (AC or GM-DAT) filters. I shop well, and have a reasonable stash of supplies, so for now, an oil change costs me only $9.00.

A 3,750 mile oil change interval will only save me $9 a year compared to a 3,000 mile interval, but I am curious to see how well everything would hold up using the manufacturers recommendation.

I am so conditioned to the 3,000 mile change that I get jittery accepting even this modest increase in oil change interval.

WoULd soMEboDy pLEeeEeAsE heLp ME?

 

[pitzel]

Wisconsin? Seriously, you probably aren't even a 'severe' driver, so you really should be using the 'normal' schedule anyways.

3k mile intervals are a collossal waste of time, money, and resources. I suspect that even the severe service change would be a waste of money for you. It doesn't exactly get very hot in Wisconsin for a sustained length of time, and Milwaukee isn't that horrible for traffic.

 

[BigAl]

quote:

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Originally posted by pitzel:
Wisconsin? Seriously, you probably aren't even a 'severe' driver, so you really should be using the 'normal' schedule anyways.

3k mile intervals are a collossal waste of time, money, and resources. I suspect that even the severe service change would be a waste of money for you. It doesn't exactly get very hot in Wisconsin for a sustained length of time, and Milwaukee isn't that horrible for traffic.

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Short trips + high humidity + cold weather = condendation = severe service . . . not that hot or cold here right next to Lake Michigan . . . but you can wring water out of thin air some days.

 

[pitzel]

Do a UOA. I think you might very well be surprised at how little water ingress actually occurs during the conditions you describe.

Especially on the relatively small engine that is in the car you describe, it should actually heat up fairly quickly (within a block or two) enough to boil most of it off.

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

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Originally posted by BigAl:
{snip}I am so conditioned to the 3,000 mile change that I get jittery accepting even this modest increase in oil change interval.

WoULd soMEboDy pLEeeEeAsE heLp ME?

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Well, I suppose we need to run before we walk. . . I used to be that way, worse, I'd say, because for a few years, I did 3/3 with Mobil-1, no less. Those were the dark days, long before BITOG. Well, I'm up to 7500 to 10,000 intervals (with appropriate synthetics of course), and I've got UOA that demonstrate that I could actually go longer if I wanted to. Poke around here for a while, study our UOAs, and see if you can get past the cleansing your brain has suffered over the years. On the other hand, if you can't, you're not doing too bad at $9 per change (are you figuring in your associated costs, like time, disposal, etc.?).

EDIT: Rather than correct this, I'll leave the Freudian slip in there -- of course, I meant to say "walk before we run..."