GM OLM (too) aggressive?

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I have had an 09 Chevrolet Traverse (3.6 L DI) for just under two weeks. There is now 360 miles on the odometer but the OLM reads just 94% remaining. That is I am a bit surprised that it isn't closer to 100. I know when I picked up the car it read 99% at the dealership with about 25 miles on the odometer. I admit I have had no experience with an OLM. What do you think?
 
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most all reports show that the GM OLM is very reliable. you only have 360 miles, check back when you have a couple thou' on it.
 
That extrapolates to a 6,000 mile interval. That's a bit on the lower side, but not unreasonable at all.
 
Originally Posted By: mpvue
check back when you have a couple thou' on it.


Agreed.

But I cant do this for a bit as I plan to change out this factory oil at about 500 miles and start again.
 
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Much of the time on the road has been city and stop and go traffic. In fact I just stumbled across a computer reading in the car that states the average speed so far is 22 mph
crazy2.gif
. (Now that I think about it does this average speed include the time the engine is on but the wheels are not moving?)
 
My G6 had less than 20 miles on it, and the OLM read 98% when I got it. I'm sure it had been cold-started and idled a lot on the dealer's lot. It's on track for its first oil change around 5800-6000 miles. It has the 3.5L VVT V6 and a four-speed automatic.
 
The OLM is smart, it doesn't just look at mileage. It counts engine revolutions and takes driving conditions into account. Short trips and sitting in traffic will make it count down faster. Go on a long highway trip, and it will count down much slower. It counts down faster in winter than in summer.

On our '03 Montana, the OCIs have ranged from 6500 to 7300 miles. I change the oil shortly after the "Change Oil Soon" message comes up (10% remaining), so I could really go a bit longer. It's a Mom-mobile, normally lots of short trips with the occasional long family trip thrown in.
 
From what I've read, I think the OLM is pretty accurate.

My personal experience is with the Cobalt. The car is driven occasionally, but when it is it's mostly highway and the On-Star guesstimate for my next change is at about 9200 miles. I think the OLM says I'm down to 97% left and I have 1000 miles on the clock.
 
I do trust the GM OLM and more since I've done Used oil Analysis after an oil change when the OLM told me to. You can check in the UOA section for cadillac cts and you'll find my results.
 
I have been tracking the OLM on my grandparents van. Its going to trip right around 5000-5500 miles. The do alot of short trips. Occasionally they will take a long trip and it can be seen in the miles per %. Also, most of the interval was done in the dead of winter.
 
Originally Posted By: 21Rouge
I have had an 09 Chevrolet Traverse (3.6 L DI) for just under two weeks. There is now 360 miles on the odometer but the OLM reads just 94% remaining. That is I am a bit surprised that it isn't closer to 100. I know when I picked up the car it read 99% at the dealership with about 25 miles on the odometer. I admit I have had no experience with an OLM. What do you think?

My big grey monster isn't new, it has 62K miles. But after about 700 miles on the current fill of Castrol GTW, the OLM is reading 90%, and I do about 70% city driving.
 
No. It's specifically programed for your EXACT engine. Some engines that are tougher on oil (small sumps, higher temps, etc) have shorter duration OLM cycles. On the contrary, those with bigger sumps and easy on oil (4 cyl Ecotecs, etc) have much longer OLM cycles. It's also very sensitive to ambient temperature and driving cycles (highway vs city).

My 5.3 truck goes about 5500-6000 per 100%, but my 2.4 Ecotec goes about 9000. It's tough to do, but get static mileage intervals out of your head. Just let the computer do the work for you.
 
For what oil costs, I'll still change oil twice a year, and use whatever is on sale.

I can't see going 9200 miles on 10 bucks worth of oil, too long for me.

I change it around 5500-6000 miles, or twice a year..
 
Originally Posted By: 21Rouge
Much of the time on the road has been city and stop and go traffic. In fact I just stumbled across a computer reading in the car that states the average speed so far is 22 mph
crazy2.gif
. (Now that I think about it does this average speed include the time the engine is on but the wheels are not moving?)

It does.
 
Are you using dino? Any uoa's? Not arguing, just curious if conventional can do this these days.

Originally Posted By: zulu
but my 2.4 Ecotec goes about 9000.
 
Heres all the data I have. I did not keep track of dates, but it was changed 12/11/2008, which makes it 5 months today.. It will be changed shortly, as they are planning another long trip and they don't want to have to worry about it. I will do a UOA and install the same oil, Pennzoil HM 5W30+ARx and a AcDelco-Wix PF52.
http://colt45.ws/misc/vanolm.html
 
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I have an 08 Silverado I bought on April 4, 2008. I changed out the factory oil and filter, changed at 500 miles, changed at 2000 miles, and changed at 5000 miles. I used Mobil 1 synthetic and a Wix 51036 filter. The truck now has 6384 miles on it. I never reset the OLM just to see what it would say. It says I still have 32% oil life left. The OLM does not know or does not consider the time the oil is in use, does not know the HTHS or the 100C cSt of the oil in use, does not know the group of the base oil. I am assuming that it assumes a 30 grade(anywhere from 9.3 to 12.5 100C cSt and HTHS of no more than 3.2) GP II conventional oil. I also assume that is is programmed with the assumption of a vehicle life span of only 100,000 miles.

I, JUST ME, YOURS TRULY, FRANKN4, NO ARGUEMENTS, would never consider the OLM. Oil is cheep, engines are expensive, I can find the time to change.

The truck is driven on winding, twisting, mountainous back roads about 15%, open highway about 75%, and town/city about 10%.
 
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