Advice on oil and filter

[checkairspeed]

I have a 2011 Dakota with 3.7 V6. I drive 1400 mi a month in Northern VA, 1200 of that is interstate. I'm changing at 6K intervals. Currently have 22K miles logged. I have been using Mobil 1 5W-20 and whatever the dealer puts on for a filter. My questions are: any better oil to use and if I were to do my own changes, what filter would do well? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Clevy]

Although I'm not an Mobil 1 fan the Mobil 1 0w-20 is a good oil. Stick with it if you like it. The oem filter is also decent.
There are lots of good products out there. You can't go wrong with what you are using. As far as filters go napa gold/platinum are really good,pure1 is also good quality and the new fram ultra is a top notch filter.
You can likely go right to 10000 miles with the oil you are using now however if you are under warranty I advise against doing anything that will risk it. Better safe than sorry.
Other top notch oils are pennzoil ultra,pennzoil platinum,Quaker state ultimate durability,Valvoline MaxLife.
You really can't go wrong with any of today's SN rated synthetic oils,so pick one with the coolest labels.
I'm a pennzoil fan and the ultra is an exceptional oil,ideal for direct injection engines however you are already using a great oil so if you like it don't change.

 

[checkairspeed]

Clevy,
Thanks for the reply. I had a typo; the oil is actually Mobil 1 5w-20. Dodge says 8K on the change, although the dealer says 3K. just curious, why a penz fan as opposed to Mobil 1?

 

[Clevy]

A few years ago after I got tired of paying big bucks for Amsoil I went over to Mobil 1. It made every engine louder. Then the whole castrol debacle basically putting out a lesser product but charging the same for it turned me off Mobil.
Because of tig I tried the AFE 0w-20 last year in my hemi and I can't really complain however the cost of Mobil 1 here is now within a couple bucks of amsoil(too much) I basically buy whatever I can find on sale.
I think Pennzoil ultra is a better product than Mobil 1 so when it was on sale I bought 15 jugs and pennzoil platinum/quaker state ultimate durability goes on rollback at least every 6 weeks so I stick with that stuff.
However if I was in America and could get jugs for 23 bucks at Walmart I would get over my dislike for Mobil and stock up.
I have acquired 15-20 quarts of Mobil 1 0w-40. That stuff is one of the best oils on earth,so I don't let my stubbornness completely exclude me from that stuff but I chose to support pennzoil with my dollar.
I will admit I do like the devlac elite 222 0w30 and Mobil 1 0w-40 and I can get devlac in 5 gallon pails which bring the price down to about 6 bucks a quart. That's tough to beat for top quality oil.
But that's my Mobil 1 story. I'll support pennzoil in most every grade except in those 2 grades.

And I like how pennzoil has certs for their cleanliness claims. I forget,I think its illsac or something. And I like the bottles graphics too. Hehehe

 

[Kuato]

Agree with Clevy that 10k once you are out of warranty is easy peasy with what you have. If you wanted to extend beyond that you would need to go a better filter, like the M1, Amsoil, or maybe the Fram Tough Guard.

Amsoil would probably go 15k in your engine; I had the 3.7 in my 04 full size pickup but traded it under warranty so did not get the chance to extend the OCI. But the used oil analysis looked very good after 6k.

 

[checkairspeed]

Clevy,
Thanks. Fair enough. I was using Amsoil in Germany years ago in our turbo Saabs and Volvos. Gotta love the autobahn! I guess I'll go with M1 or the Ultra based on price initially, then stick with one or the other.

 

[checkairspeed]

Kuato,
Thanks. I have the extended lifetime, bumper to bumper warranty on the truck. I expect the body will rust out before the engine quits, although the salt is not too bad bad here in NOVA. I want to drive it until it just wont run.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
...The oem filter is also decent...

OP, just to let you know, the Mopar filter is now made by Wix. they used to be a Purolator Classic w/ a black paint job, but the most recent ones I've seen, the only difference i can tell externally between the wix and the Mopar other than labels, is the ADBV. on the WIX branded, it's Silicon(red), on the Mopar, it's Nitrile (black)
I haven't gone slicing & dicing to compare internals, but I'd guess they'd be nearly spot on, and what I've seen is convincing enough for me.

I'm kinda suprised the dealer is using M1, as chrysler is using Pennzoil now, with either Platinum, or Ultra, as the FF on the SRT models IIRC.
but there aren't really any hard & fast rules that say the dealer HAS to use the company products, or can't offer other brands..
oh- and of course the stealership is saying 3,000 mi. that way they get their hands into your wallet more often. I'd stick to the dodge recommended interval for now if it were me.

 

[checkairspeed]

Hey earlyre,
Thanks for the reply. So the "dealer" filter is OK? I have to ask for M1. They want to throw in a conventional oil, but I pay the "upcharge" for synthetic. Comes out to about $15 extra on the total.

 

[earlyre]

as long as they are using the a mopar filter, you can sleep soundly.
honestly conventional would be fine for the OCI you are doing, but it's your truck you can put in what you want.
My Brother has an '07 dakota quad cab, w/ the 4.7 HO V8.
he uses whatever big name conventional he can find on sale,(Currently Mobil Super) w/ mopar filter, and changes it every 7k, regardless of time. - which takes a while, as he only really drives it when me, and/or our parents are in town. (not fun trying to fit 4 people, 2 of whom are retirees, and one who is about 300lbs into a Mustang- his DD) when we changed it last oct. i think it had been more than 2 years, and the truck had sat for the last 6 months or so.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: checkairspeed
I have a 2011 Dakota with 3.7 V6. I drive 1400 mi a month in Northern VA, 1200 of that is interstate. I'm changing at 6K intervals. Currently have 22K miles logged. I have been using Mobil 1 5W-20 and whatever the dealer puts on for a filter. My questions are: any better oil to use and if I were to do my own changes, what filter would do well? Thanks for any advice.

Your driving is easy on oil, any conventional will be more than sufficient for 6k OCI. Since you're having dealer changes your oil, and you pay to upgrade to synthetic then you can be sure that your engine will outlasted the rest of the truck in 15-20 years.

 

[checkairspeed]

HTSS_TR,
Thanks. makes me feel good with what we are using now.

 

[bubbatime]

What do you pay for your oil changes? Wal-Mart sells M1 for $22.XX. A filter cost about $6 so you should be able to get the parts for around $30 plus labor. Most oil change shops or dealers will charge around $10 to change your oil if you bring the parts in.

M1 is fine, no need to change.

 

[Eosyn]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
oh- and of course the stealership is saying 3,000 mi. that way they get their hands into your wallet more often. I'd stick to the dodge recommended interval for now if it were me.


+1 . . but if you're one of those who sleep better having the oil changed every 3k miles, there's nothing wrong with that either. It's just a huge waste of money, especially when using synthetics.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: checkairspeed
Kuato,
Thanks. I have the extended lifetime, bumper to bumper warranty on the truck. I expect the body will rust out before the engine quits, although the salt is not too bad bad here in NOVA. I want to drive it until it just wont run.


Heh heh, I grew up in Annandale.

The 3.7 is a good engine(if a little low on power); it should last a long long time.