Compulsive Irrational Desire to Change Oil

[serious II.5]

OK. Do you ever get a nagging but totally irrational "need" to change your oil and filter, even though you KNOW you are well within your OCI?

Is it just me? Is there a name for this disorder? "Lubricophilia" ( "love for oil") perhaps? How about Compulsive Oil and Filter Change Syndrome (COFCS)? Is there any hope?

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

It happens to me all the time.

 

[Kestas]

We just had a lively thread on this that got locked, mainly because the original poster tried to label all of us here as having a compulsive disorder:
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=42;t=002851

On the other hand, some people DO develop a problem of changing oil when they know it's not needed. You're not the first one that has been looking for help. Fight the urge. Stick with a reasonable OCI... it'll help conserve natural resources and your pocketbook.

 

[Black Thunder]

i guess i don't mind changing oil and i do enjoy doing simple maintenance on mine and my families vehicles.

lets see thats 6 or 7 vehicles so i guess i don't really need to wait to do an oil change, plus i'm going to school right now so i'm putting on at least 400 miles a week.

 

[beanoil]

Between my wife's Montana being a taxi for my daughter, my work vehicle, and the neighbors Jeep, I'm changing something every few weeks. There is nothing wrong with spending a little quality time with my Craftsman's and that old UHaul moving blanket, draining, filling.I like cutting open old filters, and sniffing the fresh oil before pouring it in. I am a BITOG member, and I change oil.. If there is a 12 step for this, I'd much rather be in this one than a couple my friends have been in, AA, and GA specifically.

 

[speedtc]

I had the same feeling when i heard about GC. I changed from mobil1 5w30 to GC. It was a waste of money. I shouldn't have.

 

[Al]

I think it runs in cycles. I used to love to change oil. Then I started going extended intervals. Then I started doing oil analysis. Because of oil analysis, I wanted jto see the results so I shortened up my intervals. Now I run about 5 to 6 k miles.

 

[ARB1977]

That would be cool if there was a meeting for us oilholoics. Today i wanted to stop by at VW to get an oil fitler for my fiance's jetta eventhough she is still about 1500 miles till her next oil change. I want to try some gold GC but i guess ill have to wait.

 

[mikemc]

Used oil analysis cured me of wanting to change oil early. It showed me beyond a doubt that 3K was a waste of time, money and resources.

 

[TallPaul]

There is also the compulsive irrational desire to buy clearance oil. I have 180 quarts of oil. Enough to last 5 to 7 years and now am fighting the temptation to buy the Chevron Delo SAE 30 at 99 cents a gallon jug at Autozone. If I see an Autozone I probably will not be able to help myself.

 

[beanoil]

TP,
I stopped at all 3 local Zones today...
As usual, I'm late to the party, no Delo..

 

[Mr Nice]

"There is also the compulsive irrational desire to buy clearance oil."

Me too, but I got a good excuse.

I maintain 3 Hondas (mom, dad & wife's car). My sister's Saturn and my car. I only have 122 Qts from clearance/blowout sales.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Be shure to check in the computer, it will tell you if nearby stores have it. I gave the product number to use on the Promotions Forum. Remember, it was a slow seller and usually is in the back with a bunch of dust on it. One jug I got was leaking w/o a top. I took a top off a sealed jug and it was fixed.

 

[Audi Junkie]

BTW- TIME intervals are best. 2-3-4 times a year. Schedule for holidays, days off or seasonal temp changes when you do a visc change too. Determining miles driven per OC is very ambigous, time intervals allows you to pick an approx miles and do the change on-time. No more guessing OCIs, organize your stash for seasons, etc. TIME IS BEST!

 

[TallPaul]

Brilliant Audi Junkie. I have always been mile driven, but time intervals are perfect for a seasonal climate. Two of my vehicles run 10w30 year round, but the F150 gets 10w40 summer and 10w30 winter (yeah, or SAE 30 if I see an AutoZone soon). I like it.

Back on topic, yes sometimes I get the irresistable urge to change the oil and if I plan to do it on Tuesday, I don't care rain or shine or snow, I will do it.

Now someone convince me that 10 successive 100 mile oil changes with HEMO will totally clean my engine out and I will have an excuse for a month of fun, and a good excuse to hit AutoZone!

 

[Jim 5]

Do like I do....I found a buddy who runs a delivery business. He's kind enough to let me change his oil....and he racks up the miles really quickly. It helps give me my "fix". My wife also racks up the miles pretty quickly, and I get to maintain her car as well.

Finally, if I'm really strung out, I'll just change the oil in my lawn mower. It's pretty harmless really, it takes only 1/2 quart, and I can use all my orphan 1/2 quart bottles for that purpose.

Yes..I'm a whacko.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I've done OC both at 12:00 midnight and in a parking lot 100 mi from home on a just-purchased used car. However, I don't do it on a whim. Being a cheapskate and running synth oil will cure that. I can't even remember my mechanic ever doing a change for me, and my car is there a lot. I did run to the Audi dealer for a few changes when I got my recent car, but really, I now do all changes myself, but never early unless I am desludgeing. Time intervals definately takes away the anexiety of "do I do it now or in a 1000 miles?". I do it on-time and ON-SCHEDULE. 3 times a year. Dec/Apr/Aug. Dec is synth the other changes are dino.

 

[wavinwayne]

As sort of a flip-side to the early-oil-change flavor of this thread, I thought I'd add this:

One night last week, I had a dream that I aquired a '69 Olds Cutlass, with the Rocket 350, that my Dad had when I was a kid. Anyway, I found out that the oil was cheapo oil & had not been changed in 25k miles. I woke up shortly thereafter very disturbed. That kind of dream does not help those afflicted with the POCS (Premature Oil Changing Syndrome).

 

[Audity]

Man, do I relate, and it's not just oil changes. It comes and goes, sometimes I comfortably let things go longer than recommended, almost always with no ill effect. I've driven my cars well over a million miles combined, and have never had an oil-related problem.

I've thought about it. I think it has to do with wanting to do something, anything, that will make the car, the engine in particular, function better and longer. It's a personal desire to be effective.

In reality, there's not much to do that will help, other than follow good practices and the factory recommendations. But we have a need to do SOMETHING, not just sit around. People here are doers, not sitters.

Contributing to it is the fact we can't see what is going on inside our engines, and it makes us crazy. We - and I mean we - sure can imagine all sorts of horrible things in there. Oil analysys helps in a way, but also give us something else to obsess about.

Of course, I could be wrong...

 

[Bror Jace]

Count me in.

I just did a change using Schaeffer and one quart of Red Line ... and a month later I was thinking how many more days until my next change.

Good thing we have lots of outdoor power equipment around here. One lawn tractor and one push mower that gets changed each fall, two snowblowers that get changed each spring. One power washer, one roto-tiller, one sickle-bar mower, three generators, a 200cc 3-wheeler and a new wood splitter that get changed whenever I feel like it.

And as you can imagine, that can be pretty often.

I ran our new wood splitter (12.5hp B&S engine) for just 1.5 hours before changing it the first time. If the next time we run it we only go 2-3 hours, I'll change it again.

Oh yeah, I've got it bad.

--- Bror Jace