Hey Guys (or Gals)-New fellow here. I been changing my own 23 Tacoma oil at 5,000 miles and with the dealer at 10k and 20k changes. At 25,000 miles, I dumped the OEM oil and poured in Mobil 1 Ow20 Truck and Suv with intentions of using it as a flush for analysis. It's at 2,000 miles and I am considering draining it and add the same Mobil 1. Asking for opinions as far as what mileage is best to tapped the second fill for analysis.
Oil Analysis Mileage Recommendations
- Thread starter Gullible
- Start date
So you switched from dealership oil changes to Mobil 1 0w20 Truck & SUV
And you only have 2,000 miles on the Mobil 1 and want to drain it and add the same oil because it is partially mixed with the previous oil am I getting this right?.
Run a proper 5,000 mile interval no point in wasting your money then the following oil change go ahead and do an analysis to get a baseline. If you want to speed up the process and drain it out that is your money your choice.
But 5,000 miles is a decent interval you should not really go beyond in my opinion.
And you only have 2,000 miles on the Mobil 1 and want to drain it and add the same oil because it is partially mixed with the previous oil am I getting this right?.
Run a proper 5,000 mile interval no point in wasting your money then the following oil change go ahead and do an analysis to get a baseline. If you want to speed up the process and drain it out that is your money your choice.
But 5,000 miles is a decent interval you should not really go beyond in my opinion.
The most useful benefit from used oil analysis (UOA) is comparison of a virgin oil analysis (VOA) to your UOA, and subsequent used oil analysis to establish a trend of what looks "normal" for a specific oil used in your engine. You will want to send a virgin sample to a lab of your choosing, then continue to use the same lab, as there are variations between labs, for each UOA. Knowing you have a mixture of the OEM oil (or whatever bulk oil the dealer's been using), this flush interval will not be very helpful as far as sending in a sample for UOA. Personally, I'd go ahead and change out the first flush now, but I don't have much patience, take a sample of the new oil for analysis, then start sending samples of the M1 at whatever mileage you choose between oil change intervals (OCIs).
You'll get many opinions on what is "best", so go with what makes sense to you and your budget. As @Furious said, changing the flush oil now may be a waste of money, but it's your choice. It's also not going to hurt waiting until you've run a 5k interval. Another advantage of waiting is your subsequent OCIs will be at easy-to-remember odometer readings, e.g. 30k, 35k, etc.
You'll get many opinions on what is "best", so go with what makes sense to you and your budget. As @Furious said, changing the flush oil now may be a waste of money, but it's your choice. It's also not going to hurt waiting until you've run a 5k interval. Another advantage of waiting is your subsequent OCIs will be at easy-to-remember odometer readings, e.g. 30k, 35k, etc.
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What do you mean by "a flush for analysis"?
Whatever the meaning, a simple UOA isn't going to tell you what oil is best. It doesn't work that way.
I guess this is just a 'What would Bob do?' post. I'm not talking an engine flush scenario and Furious understands my intentions of using an oil change to counter remnants of previous oem oil and then use the same oil the next oil change and do an UOA. Not to see what is best, but just how the Truck and Suv and my engine get along. I'd love to hear from Truck and Suv proponents.
It’s not a magic oil. It has an API and dexos license. It will give you an indistinguishable UOA compared to any other oil.
Lots of imagination out there about what a singular $35 spectrographic analysis shows.
Some reading on the subject which probably explains better than I could attempt to:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/how-many-miles-on-oil-to-get-accurate-test-results.347432/
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/wear-increases-after-oc.365100/
TL;DR, (probably) the most sensible thing to do is run this oil for 5,000 miles, change it with the same oil, then do a used oil analysis at the end of the second oil change. Consider a VOA or arguably a used oil analysis with a vacuum pump (without changing oil) 50 miles into the second interval to use as baseline reference. Then analyze the data understanding the limitations of used oil analysis labs’ test methods.
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Thanks for the comments and links. I've been lurking around BITOG for a couple of years. I do realize there are plenty of posts that elicit, 'Here we go again', including mine. My wife made my mind up after telling me that we have 2 trips to New Orleans to visit daughter and family in October and November. That'll add 2,000 miles to the current OC and should put it close to 5K. So, I'll do a sample on the next OC. And return here at some point.
