In moving from a Buick Encore to a Soul, the OLM was one of the things I really missed. After reading this I'm feeling pretty good about changing oil when the odometer is divisible by 5000 miles.
OLM and why I ignore mine
- Thread starter demarpaint
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I agree with many of the posts here. My last car (Mk7 GTI) had fixed 10k oil changes with no provision for short trippers. My current car caps the OLM at 7.5k miles along with tire rotation. I am pretty much the perfect candidate for a long OCI but and oil change is so inexpensive it's not worth it. As a DIY'er most of us can do an inspection; rotation, and change the oil in less than an hour...and do it right!
Tire manufacturers set rotation at 6-8k miles so why would I go to 10 or even 15k miles to change my oil and rotate my tires at that time? Many of the mechanics online or on podcasts recommend more frequent OCI's for their customers. The cynics will say that they are just bilking people for more money. I believe that most of them are looking out for their customers now.
We have all seen the issues with modern engines. Sludge, fuel dilution, cam chain wear, low-tension piston rings, HEUI injection problems, etc...I feel that all of these issues can be reduced or eliminated by running clean oil in an engine.
5k miles is easy to track on the odometer, even those with poor math skills can divide by 5. I have been doing 5k OCI's (10k on the filter)for years and taking advantage of rebates and clearance sales. I can't remember when I paid more than $2/qt for a name-brand synthetic, more than a decade I bet.
Tire manufacturers set rotation at 6-8k miles so why would I go to 10 or even 15k miles to change my oil and rotate my tires at that time? Many of the mechanics online or on podcasts recommend more frequent OCI's for their customers. The cynics will say that they are just bilking people for more money. I believe that most of them are looking out for their customers now.
We have all seen the issues with modern engines. Sludge, fuel dilution, cam chain wear, low-tension piston rings, HEUI injection problems, etc...I feel that all of these issues can be reduced or eliminated by running clean oil in an engine.
5k miles is easy to track on the odometer, even those with poor math skills can divide by 5. I have been doing 5k OCI's (10k on the filter)for years and taking advantage of rebates and clearance sales. I can't remember when I paid more than $2/qt for a name-brand synthetic, more than a decade I bet.
None of my vehicles have an intelligent OLM.
The Santa Fe and Soul both have a user settable mileage/time oil change reminder (I set both to 5000 miles/6 months), the xB is a 5,000 mile reminder (not settable, no time), and the F150 has nothing.
When my mom had her Saturn Vue, I did follow the iOLM, and was usually between 6500 and 8000 miles, which would match her mostly highway driving use.
If I get a vehicle with an iOLM, I am not sure if I would follow it or not. I probably would at least try it for a few intervals and see what it did.
The Santa Fe and Soul both have a user settable mileage/time oil change reminder (I set both to 5000 miles/6 months), the xB is a 5,000 mile reminder (not settable, no time), and the F150 has nothing.
When my mom had her Saturn Vue, I did follow the iOLM, and was usually between 6500 and 8000 miles, which would match her mostly highway driving use.
If I get a vehicle with an iOLM, I am not sure if I would follow it or not. I probably would at least try it for a few intervals and see what it did.
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
perhaps a faulty sensor? Any shadow codes?
That's what I was wondering. Seems awfully short.
A UOA though is the way to go. What oil are you running? Just curious.
No codes or CEL. My wife told me it went on last night on her way home from work. I looked in my log because I knew no way in [censored] was it due for an oil change. I checked for a CEL and codes this morning, I should have put that into the thread. I reset the OLM, logged the date and miles and will see when it trips next. I will be certain not to reset it when I change the oil next time, so I have something to compare it to.
Gotcha. Btw...does your user manual recommend an oil change based upon the lesser of 1 yr or OLM?
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
perhaps a faulty sensor? Any shadow codes?
That's what I was wondering. Seems awfully short.
A UOA though is the way to go. What oil are you running? Just curious.
No codes or CEL. My wife told me it went on last night on her way home from work. I looked in my log because I knew no way in [censored] was it due for an oil change. I checked for a CEL and codes this morning, I should have put that into the thread. I reset the OLM, logged the date and miles and will see when it trips next. I will be certain not to reset it when I change the oil next time, so I have something to compare it to.
Gotcha. Btw...does your user manual recommend an oil change based upon the lesser of 1 yr or OLM?
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDz
Gotcha. Btw...does your user manual recommend an oil change based upon the lesser of 1 yr or OLM?
Yes, the Liberty OM states every 6 months or 6K miles. Their verbiage: [Perform Maintenance Every (Where time and mileage
are listed, follow the interval that occurs first.] Which works fine and UOA confirms that, and yet another reason why I ignore it. The Rubicon calls for a yearly OCI, or as indicated by system.
Gotcha. Btw...does your user manual recommend an oil change based upon the lesser of 1 yr or OLM?
Yes, the Liberty OM states every 6 months or 6K miles. Their verbiage: [Perform Maintenance Every (Where time and mileage
are listed, follow the interval that occurs first.] Which works fine and UOA confirms that, and yet another reason why I ignore it. The Rubicon calls for a yearly OCI, or as indicated by system.
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I like my OLM although it is not perfect.
In my opinion the worst thing that has happened with the OLM is that people that are not to maintenance oriented have driven with the oil low and not checked the oil level because they think the OLM will tell them if there is a problem. I also think the OLM has been falsely blamed for cam chain failures when the true cause has been poorly manufactured chains/guides.
I definitely like having an OLM.
In my opinion the worst thing that has happened with the OLM is that people that are not to maintenance oriented have driven with the oil low and not checked the oil level because they think the OLM will tell them if there is a problem. I also think the OLM has been falsely blamed for cam chain failures when the true cause has been poorly manufactured chains/guides.
I definitely like having an OLM.
The OLM in the BMW? I didn't have that car long enough to do an oil change, but I didn't plan on going any 10K miles on one fill of oil. The readout in the 2016 Buick has dropped from 98% when I bought the car in early August to 72% this morning, so it drops about 13% a month. Which suggests it's recommending 7.6 months with my current driving.
With Dexos synth, I plan to change at 5K miles or 6 months anyway.
With Dexos synth, I plan to change at 5K miles or 6 months anyway.
My 2010 Escape has an OLM. I follow it most of the time. Oil comes out looking fine but I'm very harsh on my vehicle so I'd rather be safe then sorry.
I do find that the OLM in my Ford is pretty smart. I'm sure it takes idle time, driving style, and short trips into consideration. If it was dumb it would always go off at X mileage or Y months but it doesn't.
I do find that the OLM in my Ford is pretty smart. I'm sure it takes idle time, driving style, and short trips into consideration. If it was dumb it would always go off at X mileage or Y months but it doesn't.
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My GM OLM's seem to reflect the driving done during that period - but will never go past 7k-8k … I often change before that based on my schedule … so no big deal. Much easier to view the graphics and reset from the steering wheel instead of having to honk the horn and run around the vehicle 3 times like when they first came out.
I'm 2,800 miles into my latest oil change interval and my OLM reads 70%, I normally change my oil at 5,000 miles and the OLM reads 35%.
I usually add 3/4 of a quart during my 5,00 mile intervals...imagine if i took my interval all the way through what my OLM tells me to go without checking my oil level (which a lot of people easily do, and then some)?? I'd probably be 8,000 miles in on the oil and a quart and a half low. Sounds like a great way to ruin an engine.
I usually add 3/4 of a quart during my 5,00 mile intervals...imagine if i took my interval all the way through what my OLM tells me to go without checking my oil level (which a lot of people easily do, and then some)?? I'd probably be 8,000 miles in on the oil and a quart and a half low. Sounds like a great way to ruin an engine.
I think conventional wisdom goes out the window with DI engines. I have no fear of going 7500 in a mpfi engine, based on how i drive. But the DI mazda, no way( based how how she drives).
I ignore the olm and change at 4500. Will probably only go 3k in cold weather, if she drives that many miles in the winter.
Demar, i did do a uoa on the mazda knowing the TBN and wear metals would not be high, but i wanted to know cold weather fuel dilution.
I ignore the olm and change at 4500. Will probably only go 3k in cold weather, if she drives that many miles in the winter.
Demar, i did do a uoa on the mazda knowing the TBN and wear metals would not be high, but i wanted to know cold weather fuel dilution.
I follow OLM on all of mine (2 GM, 1 Honda), and I do an OCI when it says ~15% left. .... but then I have never had any of the OLM go bonkers and request an abnormal interval either. I live rural, so my vehicles see steady state cruising for most of the drive.
Originally Posted by spasm3
I think conventional wisdom goes out the window with DI engines. I have no fear of going 7500 in a mpfi engine, based on how i drive. But the DI mazda, no way( based how how she drives).
I ignore the olm and change at 4500. Will probably only go 3k in cold weather, if she drives that many miles in the winter.
Demar, i did do a uoa on the mazda knowing the TBN and wear metals would not be high, but i wanted to know cold weather fuel dilution.
Your comments make a lof of sense to me. I did a UOA for data to see if my educated guesses for an OCI were in the ballpark, especially with the overly optimistic intervals the OLMs would have given me. As it turns out I'm glad I did the UOA and ignored them from day one. Both vehicles would have gone too long. Maybe it's a Chrysler thing, but I'm not taking any chances. Now that the Liberty had this event with nothing changing, what little faith I had in the system is totally gone. Maybe it was a fluke, it will be a few months before I can tell for sure. It would have been nice to know they were in the ballpark, or better yet the OLM being an option I could have declined to save a few $$ on the cost of the vehicles.
I think conventional wisdom goes out the window with DI engines. I have no fear of going 7500 in a mpfi engine, based on how i drive. But the DI mazda, no way( based how how she drives).
I ignore the olm and change at 4500. Will probably only go 3k in cold weather, if she drives that many miles in the winter.
Demar, i did do a uoa on the mazda knowing the TBN and wear metals would not be high, but i wanted to know cold weather fuel dilution.
Your comments make a lof of sense to me. I did a UOA for data to see if my educated guesses for an OCI were in the ballpark, especially with the overly optimistic intervals the OLMs would have given me. As it turns out I'm glad I did the UOA and ignored them from day one. Both vehicles would have gone too long. Maybe it's a Chrysler thing, but I'm not taking any chances. Now that the Liberty had this event with nothing changing, what little faith I had in the system is totally gone. Maybe it was a fluke, it will be a few months before I can tell for sure. It would have been nice to know they were in the ballpark, or better yet the OLM being an option I could have declined to save a few $$ on the cost of the vehicles.
All UOAs that I have seen on FCA products shows OLM is off. I did 5k oil changes on my Caravan for first 2 with intention of OLM with Synthetic or once a year but after reading the forums and seen such a wide spread posts about inconsistent intervals I will just go back to what has worked for me. 5k conventional oil and good filter with resetting light when it comes on.
2018 Grand Caravan
12k
2018 Grand Caravan
12k
Originally Posted by tiger862
All UOAs that I have seen on FCA products shows OLM is off. I did 5k oil changes on my Caravan for first 2 with intention of OLM with Synthetic or once a year but after reading the forums and seen such a wide spread posts about inconsistent intervals I will just go back to what has worked for me. 5k conventional oil and good filter with resetting light when it comes on.
2018 Grand Caravan
12k
I found if you "reset" it regardless if it is on or not, it will reset the interval.
All UOAs that I have seen on FCA products shows OLM is off. I did 5k oil changes on my Caravan for first 2 with intention of OLM with Synthetic or once a year but after reading the forums and seen such a wide spread posts about inconsistent intervals I will just go back to what has worked for me. 5k conventional oil and good filter with resetting light when it comes on.
2018 Grand Caravan
12k
I found if you "reset" it regardless if it is on or not, it will reset the interval.
I've always used conventional oil and done OCIs at 3500 miles. I've now changed to Mobil One synth in a new-to-me '03 Suburban, manual says 3500 miles, OLM has yet to come on at nearly 4K miles, mechanic suggested 5k OCIs, and the fine folks here are suggesting 7500+ miles.
I have not yet decided just how long I'll go between OCIs over the long run. I will be doing one in the next few days due to a leaking oil filter and not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to get to the next OCI, and I'd rather short change than go too long.
At last oil check, the level is down slightly, but well in the healthy range, I blame the filter leak only, I don't believe there is any consumption (150K on motor), and the color of the oil is getting dark, but it is by no means black, burnt, thick, or sludgy looking.
FWIW, I drive mostly in town miles, lots of idling, AC is almost always on, simply because GM is stupid and can't design an air recirc system that doesn't have the AC running. Yeah, yeah, I know why it's done, but the AC doesn't need to run all the time to accomplish it's purpose.
I have not yet decided just how long I'll go between OCIs over the long run. I will be doing one in the next few days due to a leaking oil filter and not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to get to the next OCI, and I'd rather short change than go too long.
At last oil check, the level is down slightly, but well in the healthy range, I blame the filter leak only, I don't believe there is any consumption (150K on motor), and the color of the oil is getting dark, but it is by no means black, burnt, thick, or sludgy looking.
FWIW, I drive mostly in town miles, lots of idling, AC is almost always on, simply because GM is stupid and can't design an air recirc system that doesn't have the AC running. Yeah, yeah, I know why it's done, but the AC doesn't need to run all the time to accomplish it's purpose.
I have followed the OLM on my Acura 07 MDX from 84k - 200 k recently. It seems to trip earlier with winter vs summer.
Originally Posted by A_Spruce
I've always used conventional oil and done OCIs at 3500 miles. I've now changed to Mobil One synth in a new-to-me '03 Suburban, manual says 3500 miles, OLM has yet to come on at nearly 4K miles, mechanic suggested 5k OCIs, and the fine folks here are suggesting 7500+ miles.
I have not yet decided just how long I'll go between OCIs over the long run. I will be doing one in the next few days due to a leaking oil filter and not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to get to the next OCI, and I'd rather short change than go too long.
At last oil check, the level is down slightly, but well in the healthy range, I blame the filter leak only, I don't believe there is any consumption (150K on motor), and the color of the oil is getting dark, but it is by no means black, burnt, thick, or sludgy looking.
FWIW, I drive mostly in town miles, lots of idling, AC is almost always on, simply because GM is stupid and can't design an air recirc system that doesn't have the AC running. Yeah, yeah, I know why it's done, but the AC doesn't need to run all the time to accomplish it's purpose.
I think even with your tougher than usual drive/commuting habits, a synthetic oil should do ok with a 5k mile OCI, as long as you check your oil level and make sure it's topped up. That engine is not direct injected and should handle 5,000 mile intervals easily.
I've always used conventional oil and done OCIs at 3500 miles. I've now changed to Mobil One synth in a new-to-me '03 Suburban, manual says 3500 miles, OLM has yet to come on at nearly 4K miles, mechanic suggested 5k OCIs, and the fine folks here are suggesting 7500+ miles.
I have not yet decided just how long I'll go between OCIs over the long run. I will be doing one in the next few days due to a leaking oil filter and not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to get to the next OCI, and I'd rather short change than go too long.
At last oil check, the level is down slightly, but well in the healthy range, I blame the filter leak only, I don't believe there is any consumption (150K on motor), and the color of the oil is getting dark, but it is by no means black, burnt, thick, or sludgy looking.
FWIW, I drive mostly in town miles, lots of idling, AC is almost always on, simply because GM is stupid and can't design an air recirc system that doesn't have the AC running. Yeah, yeah, I know why it's done, but the AC doesn't need to run all the time to accomplish it's purpose.
I think even with your tougher than usual drive/commuting habits, a synthetic oil should do ok with a 5k mile OCI, as long as you check your oil level and make sure it's topped up. That engine is not direct injected and should handle 5,000 mile intervals easily.
Originally Posted by madRiver
I have followed the OLM on my Acura 07 MDX from 84k - 200 k recently. It seems to trip earlier with winter vs summer.
Everything seems to change with my vehicle during the winter months...my OCI light trips quicker, my oil consumption goes up, my gas mileage goes down. I hate driving in the winter, I think it's the toughest thing you can put your vehicle through (and don't get me started on salt and rust).
I have followed the OLM on my Acura 07 MDX from 84k - 200 k recently. It seems to trip earlier with winter vs summer.
Everything seems to change with my vehicle during the winter months...my OCI light trips quicker, my oil consumption goes up, my gas mileage goes down. I hate driving in the winter, I think it's the toughest thing you can put your vehicle through (and don't get me started on salt and rust).
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