How often should I UOA my 20k mi OCI?

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Correction to my car's info:
The current oil filter is, in fact, the ACDelco PF13 (not the Purolator PureOne equivalent as previously mentioned).

Gary Allen,
I've been running 10k mi syn OCIs since 120k mi on the odometer. (I bought the car with 113k mi on it.) The 20k mi goal was precipitated by the Long Life design of this oil. Don't forget that GM/Opel has spec'd this oil for 2yr/18k mi use in gasoline engines & 2yr/30k mi use in diesel engines. In reality, this is Mobil's first EP oil before they came out with their current line of EP oils. To be brutally honest, it's a biased selection based on the early 0W-40 nay-saying that went on around here. I'm convinced of its ability to provide superior long life protection in a non-turbo engine, & I figgerd we'd never know for sure unless someone took it all the way out. But I do agree with you that M1 5W-40 is a better longevity choice. Since our '99 9³ likes M1 5W-40 so much, I'll switch over to that once the 2nd A-Rx clean & rinse is done on this car.

LVHospiceRN,
Like you, I also keep a close watch on fluid levels. If a leak develops then I'll catch it the same way on a short 3k-5k OCI as I would on an extended 10k-20k OCI. My UOAs only cost me $13 ea, & I don't believe TBN tells me anything at the relatively short OCIs I run.

Al,
Yeah, I know it's not a huge environmental savings. But any savings is a good achievement in my book. Blame it on my '60's-era, no-nukes, solar-powered mom. Sometimes I wonder if she's looking down & smiling with pride ("That's my boy!") or with amusement ("What a buffoon!"). Oh well... If I stay with 20k mi OCIs I'll also continue to change the filter 1/2 way thru. It may not be the best solution, but it's agreeable to me & I can sleep at night with it.

Bryanccfshr & rshaw125,
This is what I thought as well. At my current rate of driving I won't hit 12k mi until Sept/Oct, so any data is still a while away.

cheers.gif
 
This may be a dumb question, but, would it be better on a 20K OCI to change the filter sooner? Say..every 5K and top off?
dunno.gif
I know filters (some) can run fairly high on the mileage, but, me, I wouldn't feel comfortable running a filter for 10K. Just a thought...
 
mechanic with oil filter wrench to car
"Is it safe?"

car, hysterically
"I don't know what you're talking about!"

mechanic
"Is it safe?"

(oh, sweet Running Man reference!)
 
"...it was a much harder mental jump going from 3K mile changes to 10K mile changes..."

Ain't THAT the TRUTH!
lol.gif


And here I was worrying about getting 10K out of Amsoil AME 15W-40 in my 420SEL! With a filter change planned @ 5,000
freak2.gif


Cheers!
cheers.gif
 
Well, when I first went to 10k mi changes I did that. But I quickly became convinced that a "better" (or "best") filter would easily last 1yr/10k mi. I also use the original-sized, larger capacity filters on this car, so they hold about double the amount of dirt as the current filter spec.

Another factor was cost/convenience. If I'm not using premium products, then yeah, I can see replacing the filter every 5k. I've then decided that I'm willing to not pay so much money up front, & instead commit more of my own time (& money) later to keeping the quality level high enough to continue. But if I'm paying more up front for premium oil & filters, I'm doing so because I trust the products to provide a higher quality & protection level that I won't need to nurse along.

My plan was to change the filter at 10k mi (the 1/2-way point), but I was also planning on taking the first UOA sample at that point. Since I'm waiting a little bit longer to take the first sample, I decided it wouldn't hurt to wait that same bit longer on the filter, too.

Let me also add that it was a much harder mental jump going from 3k mi changes to 10k mi changes, than it was deciding to go from 10k mi changes to 20k mi changes.

cheers.gif

__________

(And later on, the car throws lugnuts at the mechanic & tells him to "Eat them!")
 
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