About 6 months ago a friend of mine bought a new Honda Civic. Shortly after he bought this car, he told me he was going to use Mobil 1 full syn and Mobil 1 filters and change his oil and filter every 3K miles. I wanted to tell him to send me the oil every time he drained it because it will still be good, but I didn't want to sound rude. How do I explain to this guy that if he changes his oil and filter this often he could use the cheapest oil and filters out there and never have any oil related problems without making him feel like a dumba$$?
Changing Mobil 1 every 3K miles
- Thread starter bottgers
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I too was a 3k M1 changer until the Mobil rep came to my work and I started picking his brain..I told him I changed every 3k and he asked if I would save it for him.When I asked why he said he would be more than happy to run my waste oil in his car which I might add had over 300k with no engine work other than routine maint...Hey just give him a little info,if he balks he's out the cash not you...
How long does he keep his cars? That would be a good one to buy used in a few years.
How do you know that the "the cheapest oil and filters" will protect his engine just as well as M1?
Sure there are a few good UOA on dino oil at 3k out there, but that's making a leap to say that it would be that way for everyone.
Every car and every driver is different.
-T
Sure there are a few good UOA on dino oil at 3k out there, but that's making a leap to say that it would be that way for everyone.
Every car and every driver is different.
-T
Bottgears, Some info for your friend. My wifes Acura 3.2TL V6(a snooty Honda Accord) has 87,000 miles on M1 10w30 with 6,000 miles OCI. The valve gear still looks like new, not even a hint of discoloration. The head still looks like a new head that someone just poured some fresh oil on.
"...a new Honda Civic...he was going to use Mobil 1 full syn...and change his oil and filter every 3K miles."
If his oil doesn't appear dirty at 3K, but is still a semi-clear "root beer" color, I'd use that approach with him. "Your oil isn't even dirty yet -- look at it -- why change it out so soon when there's still life left in it." That might be an easy and effective way of influencing him.
(Yes, I know that color is not the best way to judge an oil's lifespan. But in this open-and-shut case, it might be the easiest argument to try.)
If his oil doesn't appear dirty at 3K, but is still a semi-clear "root beer" color, I'd use that approach with him. "Your oil isn't even dirty yet -- look at it -- why change it out so soon when there's still life left in it." That might be an easy and effective way of influencing him.
(Yes, I know that color is not the best way to judge an oil's lifespan. But in this open-and-shut case, it might be the easiest argument to try.)
I don't, and I never said it would. What I did say, and I firmly believe this, is that if you change your oil and filter every 3K miles you could use the cheapest oil and filters and never have any oil related problems with that engine. I think changing Mobil 1 every 3K is massive overkill, a waste of money, and waste of perfectly good oil.
I knew you guys would have some good advice. I will suggest that he reads the threads in this site and I'll also urge him to have UOA's done to determine the condition of his oil. When he sees the oil is as good when he drains it as it was when he put it in, this may encourage him to extend his intervals.
Show him A4NCARs UOA of Mobil 1 0w-40 after 19,000mi original fill in a Porsche Cayenne S twin turbo.
I guess you could offer to accept the very lightly used Mobil-1 from the guy 'free of charge'.
Store up a couple 5-gallon pails worth, send in a sample for oil analysis, and so long as its not contaminated with coolant, put it in your own engines.
If the theories espoused by participants on this website are correct, your wear rates should be even lower, as the Mobil-1 will already be broken-in.
Just a thought for a cheap source of Mobil-1 if your friend is too stubborn to deviate from the archaic 3000mile/3 month scheme.
Store up a couple 5-gallon pails worth, send in a sample for oil analysis, and so long as its not contaminated with coolant, put it in your own engines.
If the theories espoused by participants on this website are correct, your wear rates should be even lower, as the Mobil-1 will already be broken-in.
Just a thought for a cheap source of Mobil-1 if your friend is too stubborn to deviate from the archaic 3000mile/3 month scheme.
I did the M1 3000 mile interval on our Dogde Caravan up to 100k miles then switched to Delo 15w40. It may have been a waste but at 100k, that motor ran and sounded like it was new. Since then I've switched the 2 newer vehicles in the fleet to a 5k interval of Mobil 1. 3000 mile changes on Mobil 1 is great piece of mind. It may be a waste, but don't knock it. His car will run 300k miles. I'm near 200k miles on my '84 Land Cruiser, and I'm looking forward another 100k of excellent service. Even synthetic oil is starting to seem cheap for very long term service.
I like changing at 5k...partly because I'm a wimp and like the peace of mind, but mostly because I like it changing the oil! It makes me feel at one with my car
I had a '98 Intrepid with a 2.7 liter engine I leased new. I used M1 oil and filters with an OCI of 6K. It's a good thing it was a lease vehicle because it started using oil at just 60K. I highly doubt this problem arose because of the type of oil and filter I was using or because of my OCI. I think the problem was a poorly designed/built engine.
You say his car will run for 300K by doing this? I would say he could drive it for 300K miles without having any oil related problems, of course I believe he could do the same with a 3K OCI using ANY type of oil and filter. Non-oil related components are still going to wear out and need replacement within that time frame.
BTW, it sounds like you're satisfied with the results of the M1, so why then would you switch to the Delo?
[ September 18, 2004, 08:06 AM: Message edited by: bottgers ]
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