Is it a competition?

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I think there is a happy medium of common sense here.

Do I run my synthetic oil and filter 3000 miles and change it? No.

Do I run my synthetic oil and filter 30,0000 miles and change it? No. Is it possible to do that without damaging your engine? Maybe, using top shelf products. But why push it to the hairy edge? For most, your vehicle is the 2nd biggest expenditure next to your house.
 
And a truck in my former fleet had a engine with 225K miles on twice a year oil changes with Napa HDEO 15W40. The average mileage of the fleet was 177K miles with the same engine maintenance routine 2X a year oil changes. There was no engine failures contributed to oil failure. I member brought this to my attention. Oil changes are one the few components that we can control on a auto thus we have a need to grossly overemphasize the importance of engine oils. If the oil meets current specs it will handle most engine needs out there. A GM 4.3 V6 is one of the engines that do not require a boutique, liquid ball esters, PAO, 2300PPM ZDDP, GTL, and MMO lubricant.
 
I agree with OP, extending OCI to the limit of the oil's TBN is just a **** waving contest.

I rather do more frequent changes and keep the engine varnish free. Oil is DIRT CHEAP anyways, I got 30L of 0w20 full synth for $60 and I'm sure $2/quart in USA is pretty common if you look in local classifieds. The penny pinching doesn't make sense unless you drive over 100 miles everyday.
 
Originally Posted By: telecat
And how many do you suppose are actually doing UOA as opposed to just following the current like a school of sardines?


That's a good question. There are an awful lot of posts in the UOA sub-forums so there's at least those people. Then there's the people who look at these reports and say, "Hey, I have that same engine and use that same oil. I should do that OCI too." Not something I would do, nor would I get upset about it if they did.

Originally Posted By: telecat
In addition, the cost of UOA is more than the cost of my oil change. It's close to the cost of a full-syntheic and Wix filter change. Now you're looking at $50 for a DIY oil change. Doing a cost-benefit analysis, my $17-19 oil change with a 3K oci becomes close to a wash, and UOA is probably not necessary with that interval.


I buy the 6 pack of tests from Blackstone and only get TBNs when I increase my interval, so my UOA tests average about $25, so yes, a little more than your 3k oil change. Then again, you do 3 of these changes in the same time period I do one.

I'm still not getting why this upsets you so much.
 
I view it as two different kinds of personality disorders: There is the the guy who puts high-dollar synthetic in his car and then changes it at some absurdly short interval. Then there is the guy who buys K-Mart brand oil and UOAs it at $25 a pop every 5,000 miles until he establishes to his satisfactiion that his service life is exactly 10,700 miles. Then he tests out a different brand of cheap oil. They are both crazy, but in different ways. The only thing they have in common in oil.
 
Originally Posted By: yvon_la
Only way i see oci extension is via a gage.a la air filter.so you loose a 20% oil whatever you need oil change .


What?
 
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama


I'm still not getting why this upsets you so much.


Because I've gotten a lot of grief from the BITOG 20K OCI police.
 
This is why I think buying any used car beyond ~30-40k miles is not worth it unless it comes with detailed service records. Who knows how many oil changes its had?

I personally wouldn't consider any used car over 40k miles without records showing 6-7k OCIs. I'm sure there are plenty of cars out there running dino upto 10k+ either through neglect or a crazy oil freak like you mentioned.

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
I view it as two different kinds of personality disorders: There is the the guy who puts high-dollar synthetic in his car and then changes it at some absurdly short interval. Then there is the guy who buys K-Mart brand oil and UOAs it at $25 a pop every 5,000 miles until he establishes to his satisfactiion that his service life is exactly 10,700 miles. Then he tests out a different brand of cheap oil. They are both crazy, but in different ways. The only thing they have in common in oil.
 
Originally Posted By: telecat
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama


I'm still not getting why this upsets you so much.


Because I've gotten a lot of grief from the BITOG 20K OCI police.


OK, I was not aware of this.

I do believe there is room here for different philosophies on proper auto lubrication and preventative maintenance. I'm certainly not going to give you a hard time for 3k OCIs. I suspect we have different priorities and philosophies when it comes to oil and our cars and that's....OK.
 
Haha ya I get that vibe around here too, seems like most people want you to keep extending the OCI. I remember reading a reputable forum member post about how UOAs aren't that useful for showing engine wear because the bearings could be getting scratched but not enough to break pieces off into the oil?

Bottom line IMO: listen to what your manufacturer recommends, they designed the engines & OLMs so they know best. By the time you see high levels of wear metals in the UOA, it's probably too late.

Originally Posted By: telecat
Originally Posted By: Pajamarama


I'm still not getting why this upsets you so much.


Because I've gotten a lot of grief from the BITOG 20K OCI police.
 
Originally Posted By: HKPolice
Haha ya I get that vibe around here too, seems like most people want you to keep extending the OCI. I remember reading a reputable forum member post about how UOAs aren't that useful for showing engine wear because the bearings could be getting scratched but not enough to break pieces off into the oil?

Bottom line IMO: listen to what your manufacturer recommends, they designed the engines & OLMs so they know best. By the time you see high levels of wear metals in the UOA, it's probably too late.


On my S10 four-banger, GM recommends 3k OCI on extreme use (this includes traffic) and 5K, presumably on vehicles operated at cruising speeds on freeways without stop and go traffic. I choose to err on the side of caution and do 3K. 5W30 Dino and P Classic or Wix, depending on where I am when I buy them.

Yes, I know the Anti-Purolator police will be here soon to tell me what a BAD PERSON I am.

UOAs can be useful if done on a regular basis. A single UOA is meaningless unless the wear metals are so high, the engine is already at or near death.
 
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It is a weird thing. Some people will spend the money for a UOA so they can eek out every last mile from their oil when they could have just changed the oil for what it cost them to have the UOA done. Then there wouldn't have been any question that they got every last mile out of their fancy 'synthetic' oil. I'll get flamed, but I just find it a little dumb and a waste of time and money. All the while believing you are somehow saving time, money, and the planet.
 
Originally Posted By: telecat




Yes, I know the Anti-Purolator police will be here soon to tell me what a BAD PERSON I am.




Starting to sound troll like. I've been here a little while and don't see any of this. This is a great forum with a lot of knowledgeable people here. Its a very friendly atmosphere most of the time.
 
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Run a toilet paper bypass filter and never change the oil.

It's your engine. Do whatever you want.

UOA provides peace of mind. UOA can catch fuel, mechanical, coolant, or other issues.
 
Originally Posted By: telecat
Are y'all actually trying to prove something or are you just swinging your manhood?


Originally Posted By: HKPolice
I agree with OP, extending OCI to the limit of the oil's TBN is just a **** waving contest.


You two have a very disturbing fascination with this.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Originally Posted By: telecat

BYou will never be convinced, and you'll never be satisfied.

Rock on!


convinced of what? Satisfied by what?


He started out this thread with a post full of exaggerations, purportedly asking why BITOG'ers go for extended oil change intervals. A few people agreed with him, and a few commented that some people want to get maximum safe value for their oil change dollar. Then telecat comes back with a post saying "responses in THIS tread reveal the competitive nature of people defending this or that OCI/OFI", when nobody tried to justify their long OCI's.

His mind was made up when he wrote his first post, and he didn't really want to know why people extend their oil change intervals. I think he just wanted to slip in that line about manhood waving.
 
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Originally Posted By: bvance554
It is a weird thing. Some people will spend the money for a UOA so they can eek out every last mile from their oil when they could have just changed the oil for what it cost them to have the UOA done. Then there wouldn't have been any question that they got every last mile out of their fancy 'synthetic' oil. I'll get flamed, but I just find it a little dumb and a waste of time and money. All the while believing you are somehow saving time, money, and the planet.


Some of us have money to waste. Some of us are auto geeks who just like doing UOAs to see the numbers and then sharing them with others. What I think is weird is how much you and others read into this.

Bottom line, if the oil discussions here bothers certain people then they should get the [censored] off the forum. Use a brand name oil and follow the manufacturers OCI recommendations. Your engine will last longer than you'll keep the car. Nuff said.
 
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