D.I. engine w/ free OCs: What to do

[Benzadmiral]

I posted this in a discussion of direct injection engines, but I suspect nobody saw it.

I'd read a little about this before, and now, having just purchased a CPO 2011 Buick Regal with the NA 2.4 DI engine, I'm concerned. The manual says to follow the OLM for oil changes or to change at one year at the outside. The dealership changed the oil at ~40K miles; now, at ~41K, the OLM is reporting 93% oil life left. So, 7% used in 1000 miles. This suggests a 13K to 14K OCI! And the impression I get reading here is that people with this engine have found the OLM to be overly optimistic.

Now the Regal has the "4 free oil changes in 24K miles" package, and I intend to use it. But if I go to the dealer at, say, 5K on the oil (for me, about 6 months of driving), and they say to keep going on the current fill, should I:

1) insist on my free change; or

2) quietly change the oil with the proper Dexos-approved grade, not reset the OLM, and go on to 10K/1 year? (This, I recall, was what some cautious Mercedes drivers were doing when MB first installed the Flexible Service System and instituted 10K OCIs.) Or:

3) follow the OLM out to the bitter end, up to 1 year?

 

[demarpaint]

Since you want to use the 4 free oil changes, if option 1 doesn't work, then I'd go with option 2.

 

[sparky123]

Insist on 6k oil changes. 46k/52k/58k/64k mi. OCI's. You'll use your "free" 4 dealer oil changes. Don't see any problem unless the dealer is a ding-a-ling......INSIST!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: sparky123
Insist on 6k oil changes. 46k/52k/58k/64k mi. OCI's. You'll use your "free" 4 dealer oil changes. Don't see any problem unless the dealer is a ding-a-ling......INSIST!

Right; in 24K miles, the only way I can get all 4 is to do this. The dealer from whom I bought the Park Avenue 6 years ago has always been accommodating.

 

[zeuloa]

I would follow the OLM, and just verify thet dealer is using correct oil. Remember GM uses a smart OLM which will adjust based on your driving conditions, therefore because 1000 miles brought it down to 93% it doesn't mean that it will continue at this rate. It might ask you for a change at say 7k miles.

Congratulations on your new purchase!

 

[accent2012]

It would be interesting to see how well the OLM is designed. One year with typical quality oil sounds dangerous as most oils are not guaranteed beyond 5,000 except for the boutique oils (i.e., amsoil, etc.). I wonder how the valve cover would look like at 100k miles.

 

[Kuato]

6k sounds like a good plan, and get them to fill a sample bottle, too.

 

[Benzadmiral]

If the OLM in the Regal is like that in the Park Avenue, yes, it will adjust for my driving. Six months of my usual 70% city driving, about 4500-5000 miles, in a lot of hot weather and very little cold, would bring the OLM down to about 40% life remaining. I chose to change at that point because it was easy for me to remember. In about 2 months the weather will get hot here, and by April I'll have some better idea of where I stand with the Regal's OLM.

I ask in this case because of what I've read here, about fuel dilution of the oil in DI engines making extended OCIs possibly problematic.

 

[2KBMW]

Don't worry. Do the changes every 6000 miles or 6 months
to use up your free oil changes. I myself don't follow the OLM
on our 09 Saturn. I get it changed around 4000 miles which I
feel comfortable with.

 

[A_Harman]

Go to the dealer with 6k miles on the oil and insist on the 4 free oil changes over 24 miles package. I'm assuming they'll use AC Delco dexos1, which is pretty good oil to use on 6k intervals.

At some point you should ask them to confirm that your car has the correct OLM programming for the DI 2.4. I recall that GM changed OLM programming on the 3.6 V6. It wouldn't hurt to be sure that the 2.4 is also up to date.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Our local stealership requires the OLM to be below 30% for the free services. Since they cannot seem to agree on the oil they use out of the big drum in the back I only use theirs for about half an interval.

The GM OLM is not linear, it can vary quite a bit, it even takes into account our fleet trucks stationary operations...

 

[Norm Olt]

INSIST: just be nice about it. Is the 4 changes in 24k miles a CPO program or a dealer-specific program?

Cheers!

p.s. Personally I like "what's behind DOOR #2?" IFF ("If, and ONLY IF!") they won't cooperate, if you are really concerned about fuel dilution. Maybe even try to get them to do one later on?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Norm Olt
INSIST: just be nice about it. Is the 4 changes in 24k miles a CPO program or a dealer-specific program?

Cheers!

p.s. Personally I like "what's behind DOOR #2?" IFF ("If, and ONLY IF!") they won't cooperate, if you are really concerned about fuel dilution. Maybe even try to get them to do one later on?


I checked, and the "up to 4 changes and tire rotations in 24K" is part of the CPO program, not specific to any dealer. If it were, I'd have to drive nearly an hour to get to the selling dealer, so it wouldn't be worth my while.