Originally Posted By: Maddog1337
Originally Posted By: Patrick236
My first thought was, silly noob questions relating to a 2017 new car purchase.
I read your post, it's well-composed so i'll share my thoughts as a long-time enthusiast and one who sees a lot of the mis-truths and myths out there (online and in person).
1) congrats on the 2017 mustang. The V6 is the best motor for everyday use, and unfortunately it will be discontinued for MY2018 mustangs, no longer offered.
2) basically, go with the factory recommended grade, is generally the best advice on a new car. With age or extreme use conditions, (extreme cold, track-use) there is some justification to adjusting the grade.
3) Unless price is a major consideration, I always recommend synthetic oils. the price differential when synth-oil is purchased on sale is modest.
4) There is "break-in" oil in your car currently. You could probably safely do a change (oil&filter) at anywhere from 1,500-2,500 miles to take out any break-in debris. Someone worried about cost might change just the filter, but I would do both.
5) You don't state at what interval you plan to do your change, or simply to follow the OLM. an ongoing 3K or 5K mile oil change interval is excessive, if using synthetic.
6) if your Mustang has an OLM, I would change it at 1,500-2,500, then either have the life monitor reset, or note the "life remaining" when you do this initial change. I would then run synthetic, your preferred grade, until the monitor says "0%", and send it for testing, noting the actual mileage driven on the oil used after this first change. The remaining oil life will give you some sense of what mileage you can safely expect, and how closely your use correlates with the onboard OLM
7) Using 0W20 for 4-6months during the winter oil-change interval is probably a good, or at least reasonable/educated decision. A mild deviation from factory spec that is based on common-sense and some science.
8) I think keeping all your UPCs and receipts from a filter box is a bit much. I would simply take a photo of the receipt (which is probably electronic if you buy it online), oil, box, your car on stands, and email it to yourself with "oil change Mustang fall 2017" and diarize the oil change with date in an email with some digital images. If there's ever an issue, each email is date-stamped and won't/can't be lost in a folder that goes missing.
9) Personally, it is my belief that oil grade, brand is much-overhyped. Some private -label brands are actually the same as high-priced name-brands, refined in the same factory. The biggest killer of a motor is "low oil level". The number one cause of "low oil level" is leaking gaskets and seals, as the motor ages.
10) if you reply again, state how many miles you typically drive in a month, and the distance of your work commute one-way.
Your car is shiny and new. Don't overthink the oil. Unless you are planning to drive it 200K-plus miles, basic servicing and never letting the oil run low, are your best defenses.
Thanks for the comprehensive reply!!
A Mustang was on the radar and once I saw the V6 was being discontinued, I had to jump on it! IMO, the V6 should be the second step up in place of the EcoBoost. I am not sold on the EcoBoost and the reliability of a turbo. However it was clear when purchasing that Ford really wanted to kill the V6 -- absolutely no car upgrade packages. Also went with the V6 because it is tried and true, I plan to keep this car for a while.
Right now my odometer reads about 1,500mi. I think I will do around 5,000 to 7,500 intervals. I know EP is rated for 15,000 but really would not feel comfortable going past half way.
It seems like the biggest disparity between responses on this thread is when to change out the 'break-in' oil. Wouldn't you want to remove any metal shavings or impurities in your engine ASAP? I know engine manufacturing has come a long way, but if it's just a matter of actually spending the money to get it done, why wouldn't you do it?
Because no one has proved to me that changing oil early extends engine life by any measurable means and catching metal shavings and impurities is what the oil filter is for. I did not change my original fill oil on my 2014 Mustang GT early and it runs fine and uses no oil.