The 15,000 Mile OCI

[macarose]

Not all cars can pull it off. Not all oils can pull it off.

Mobil 1 has used their EP brand motor oil and oil filters as marketing tools for this OCI. Then there is Bosch with their Distance Plus oil filter. Amsoil & Royal Purple for motor oils. And finally, you have a few brands that simply come and go over the years.

I like the idea of saving time and resources. Plus, I'm getting to that point in life where I like to have that one big weekend, right about every 15k, when I can focus on all the regular maintenance related needs of my daily driver.

I am this close to signing onto the every 15k dotted line. My vehicles for now are a hybrid and an older Volvo S80 without a turbo.

Any reason why I should reconsider? Any brands I should consider beyond those already mentioned?

Thanks in advance, and hope all is well.

 

[SwedishRider]

Originally Posted By: macarose
Any reason why I should reconsider? Any brands I should consider beyond those already mentioned?


In the case of Amsoil Signature Series, it's 15K miles severe service or one year- whichever comes first. The intent is NOT to run it for the full 15K, keeping the oil in the sump for as long as it takes to reach 15K (at least not without UOAs).

Something to consider...

 

[zfasts03]

Sounds a little ambitious. I think it is possible, just check how things are going with a used oil analysis.

A friend of mine does this with his 2011 Mazda 6, 4 cyl.
w/Amsoil sig. series 0w-30 & Fram ultra

About 15,000 a year. One oil and filter change once per year, and he feels it is good enough. No used oil analysis. Filter is rated for 15,000 and oil is rated for 15,000. Mixed driving, highway and rush hour traffic.

 

[6starprez]

As long as your engine is mechanically sound and you don't do a lot of short trips, go for it. Mobil 1 EP and Amsoil Signature are good choices. I don't know about RP. Get a UOA somewhere between 5 and 7.5K miles to see how well the oil is holding up.

 

[WeenieHutJr]

I would like to do extended oil changes but my car consumes oil.
If I had a car that consumed little to no oil I would use M1 EP with Fram Ultra for minimum 12k.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: WeenieHutJr
I would like to do extended oil changes but my car consumes oil.
If I had a car that consumed little to no oil I would use M1 EP with Fram Ultra for minimum 12k.


Wait a minute....doesn't the addition of make up oil once in a while make a long OCI more likely to work than not?

 

[deven]

Royal Purple guarantees their oil to last 12,000 miles but I am sure it would be able to do 15,000 miles. The TBN retention of RP oil is like no other.

For filters I'd use Amsoil EAO's or Royal Purple oil filter if availaible. These two will do 15,000 mile oil changes in a heartbeat

 

[montero1]

Originally Posted By: jimbrewer
Originally Posted By: WeenieHutJr
I would like to do extended oil changes but my car consumes oil.
If I had a car that consumed little to no oil I would use M1 EP with Fram Ultra for minimum 12k.


Wait a minute....doesn't the addition of make up oil once in a while make a long OCI more likely to work than not?


Exactly- my MINI uses a half quart every 1k, no way will I change it before 10k, and should go 15k.

 

[andrewp1998]

How does RP do in short trips both in winter and summer. I would like to give it a a shot next yr and go 12k or 1 yr on an oci with the synerlec blend.. I have read great reviews on amazon about it but did not know that the TBN is the highest..

I mixed the redline 0w 20 in with 5w30 GET syn for last change, and she is using some now,more than usual but not a lot..I added some syn mix of 1/2 qrt at 2000k then another 1/2 at 3500k. I do 9.3 miles to work ( 50/50 highway/city)and then some longer highway trips once in a while but overall. 95% short trips..

 

[Smokescreen]

I wouldn't chance it to my engines without careful UOA, plain and simple.

We spend so much money on cars themselves and fuel (which far eclipses oil for $ by magnitudes), we sometimes miss the point. Truth is a vehicle is a tool that many of us depend on for transport. When that transport is not functional it unpleasantly disrupts our lives in many ways. For me, I like to have as little unpleasantries as possible, so I follow the manufactures recommendations. Sure engine oil failures contribute to very few car problems as a whole. With Murphys law alive and well, I am no gambler.

 

[webfors]

In mechanically sound engine that does not see severe service, with the right filter and oil, I see no problem with it.

UOA the first run to verify.

 

[NO2]

We've been using M1 EP and M1 filters in our non-turbo, non-DI cars for several years. We change the oil every 11-15 months, usually between 12-14K mi (2x Honda maintenance minder) or annually. UOA has been outstanding with minimal wear.

If you have a non DI, non turbo engine and drive gently under normal conditions, and your car is out of warranty, you should have no issues. Just watch your oil level!

 

[TiredTrucker]

Well, maybe some engines can comfortably go with 15,000 mile oil changes, and some oils will exceed even that, but some owners cannot go 15,000 miles, for various reasons. They might just like to "bond" with their vehicle every 6-7000 miles and change the oil or whatever. I just do the OLM to 10% thing. Simple and worry free. Comes out to around 7000 miles. Gives me an excuse to take a close look at the entire underside of my pickup and check things that most people never check till they break. I am not worried in the least about wasting resources, as most used oil gets recycled. And the cost? Most people blow more money at one time on foolish junk than it costs me to change the oil.

 

[Cristobal]

I am running my Bosch Distance+ filter to 15,000 miles but the oils I have are mostly dino and will be changed at the 7500 mile mark. I have some Kendall Synthetic and Castrol Syntec in my stash that can go the whole 15,000 mile stretch but do not want to use them yet.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

What's wrong with the FU filter? If I were to do a 15K mile OCI the FU would be my filter of choice.
(Ok Z06, flame thrower on.)

 

[zfasts03]

Nothing is wrong with the Fram Ultra filter, it is actually one of my favorites. It is just that my friend does a once a year OCI and feels that is good enough regardless if a little varnish or or extra wear occurs.

I agree with what my friend does with his '11 Mazda 6.

Probably with this regimen the rest of the car will wear out or rust out before the engine wears out.

 

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted By: WeenieHutJr
I would like to do extended oil changes but my car consumes oil.
If I had a car that consumed little to no oil I would use M1 EP with Fram Ultra for minimum 12k.


The link below is to a synthetic oil life study. It's a little dated in that the study was awhile ago. Nevertheless, the study gives lots of useful information. One of the most useful insights regards the impact of top up oil. Even relatively small amounts of oil added to the crankcase exhibited the ability to revitalize all of the oil in the crankcase. The relevance for a car that consumes a little oil should be obvious. If you're constantly adding oil, you're constantly replenishing the oil. Another insight from the study regarded the benefit of a filter change over the course of a long oci.

http://www.brianschreurs.org/neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

 

[tig1]

A friend did 15K OCIs in his Ford 3.8 V6. Engine remained very clean and ran great until he sold it with 185K. He now has a Dodge van with a V6 and is doing the same OCI. Oil is M1 5-30EP and what ever filter.
Also he never did a UOA.

 

[fdcg27]

This is the approach I take with our '12 Accord.
When the MM hits 15%, I plan a convenient time to chnage the oil, which then happens around 10% MM.
Works for me and yields long enough drain intervals that the cost doesn't concern me in the least.
It is also nice to look around underneath the car every six months or so.

 

[otis24]

My vehicle consumes a quart of oil every 1k to 1500 miles. I am currently using Pz Ultra. I had planned to do 12k to 15k OCIs because of the top off. The reality is that I average 20k miles per year. So, doing 6 month OCIs, I should average 10k miles per change. 15k miles should be easily doable