Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Facts? It's up to driver to look at the dipstick once in a while....while there's nothing wrong with a blanket OCI, it's really going to depend on the conditions in which one drives.
In my wife's case, I can barely get my wife's M1 past a 5k OCI, due to the city driving that she does. Stop and go traffic can really put the smackdown on oil in times like that ...and she has an ecotec, an engine tha is easy on oil. I'm debating on an UOA just to see how spent the oil is..
Next time, be more specific. If you cited oil consumption as a reason why the oil change interval should not be 7500 miles, then say so.
Blanket OCIs are made after extensive testing to ensure that they are appropriate for the worst case scenario. So provided that the oil level is maintained, the oil will go the distance as long as it is the correct oil for the application.
According to the GM owner's manual, the appropriate interval for your Cavalier is 3 months or 3,000 miles if you operate in city driving and stop-and-go traffic, or 1 year or 7,500 miles if you do long distance driving. So, those intervals should be followed without question. A single UOA does not compare to the amount of oil testing done by a vehicle manufacturer during development testing.
Besides, on what basis did you determine that you cannot get your wife's Ecotec past 5k on Mobil 1? By appearance?