Who had great success reaching high mileages with recommended (extended) service intervals?

[OM605]

Everything is in the title. I'm especially asking this question to people who rack up highway miles and drive a lot each year and who also are easy on their car and do little city driving.

I fall under this category. Lethargic driving + hypermiling + 75% highway miles + very little short trips/stop and go + no idling + no dust + no temp extremes. I'm known for over maintaining my car and changing every fluid very early but i'm slowly rethinking the way i maintain it since i have the easiest possible driving conditions (except for potholes and rain).

Please share your personal experience if you fall under this category of drivers (or even if you don't lol) and had success reaching high mileages, say 300k or more miles with no engine or transmission related issues strictly by following the maintenance schedule established by the manufacturer, including 10k oil changes, lifetime fluids etc.

 

[vw7674]

You probably won't find anyone who embraced extended service intervals & was rewarded with 'high mileage' without an engine/transmission
replacement. The extended intervals were intended to conserve resources, not maximize vehicle life/distance covered before retirement/replacement. ( I would consider 'high mileage' anything over 300k miles)

 

[jhellwig]

I think only recently is crossing 200k with an automatic transmission is becoming a normal thing with or without excessive maintenance.

I have no 300k examples but our company fleet almost always goes to 125 or 150k with just normal owners manual/ oil life monitor schedules. Only the odd trans dying every now and then or the vehicle getting crashed.

Plenty of fleet vehicles rack up high miles on only the manufacturer recommended intervals. If anything I think people can do more harm with overkill and as with most things people tend to talk more about the bad issues that the good issues.

 

[Chris142]

The 1996 Tacoma shop truck we had at the radiator shop had 448k on it when my boss retired and locked the doors. It got it's oil and filter changed whenever I remembered to. Usually 6-8k sometimes longer and always whatever was on sale or cheapest.

Truck was beaten daily and driven by everyone including customers. The original clutch lasted 369k.

Truck still passed the enhanced California emissions test too.

 

[2_Tall_Mitchell]

My grandparents own a 2010 Toyota Highlander 3.5L that has 190,000 on it. They always run it until the oil light comes on and many times longer. Oil change place throws in 5w20 valvoline conventional when it calls for 5w30. It’s frustrating that they keep it up so poorly but I did some maintenance on it a couple months ago and it runs great.

 

[rob1715]

You probably won't find anyone who embraced extended service intervals & was rewarded with 'high mileage' without an engine/transmission
replacement. The extended intervals were intended to conserve resources, not maximize vehicle life/distance covered before retirement/replacement. ( I would consider 'high mileage' anything over 300k miles)

It was also to get on the coveted "lowest cost of ownership" badge pinned to their chests, which is BS IMO.

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

2012 Honda Civic with just over 300,000 miles. Runs perfect ( zero perceptible oil consumption....use 0w30 versus 0w20 ). Manual transmission. Followed OLM ( 12,500 OCI ).

Strictly followed owners manual ( those service inspections ). Dealer maintained.

To be honest, I think I wasted too much money doing those inspections.... car would be running just as well today and my wallet a lot thicker.

No engine/ manual transmission problems ( original clutch ).

I am too “by the book” to ever know for sure ( service checks ).

 

[OVERKILL]

You probably won't find anyone who embraced extended service intervals & was rewarded with 'high mileage' without an engine/transmission
replacement. The extended intervals were intended to conserve resources, not maximize vehicle life/distance covered before retirement/replacement. ( I would consider 'high mileage' anything over 300k miles)

Member Doug Hillary ran a fleet of OTR 500HP Detroit Diesels in train configuration on ~90,000Km OCI's through the Aussie outback with random tear-down inspection and analysis. He posted the results of a 1.3 million Km tear-down where both the liner and bearings pulled were "as new" in terms of a measurement for wear and the parts were re-installed and the unit returned to service.

 

[OM605]

2012 Honda Civic with just over 300,000 miles. Runs perfect ( zero perceptible oil consumption....use 0w30 versus 0w20 ). Manual transmission. Followed OLM ( 12,500 OCI ).

Strictly followed owners manual ( those service inspections ). Dealer maintained.

To be honest, I think I wasted too much money doing those inspections.... car would be running just as well today and my wallet a lot thicker.

No engine/ manual transmission problems ( original clutch ).

I am too “by the book” to ever know for sure ( service checks ).

Did the manual gearbox receive any maintenance at all?

 

[Just a civilian pilot]

Did the manual gearbox receive any maintenance except for the clutch?

No. It’s still on the original clutch ( clutch shows no sign of wearing out ).

I changed the MTF when the maintenance minder said to change it ( about every 60,000 miles ).

FWIW, I used Amsoil MTF as I found it shifted better than the Honda OEM fluid ( can be very cold where I live ).

 

[Hall]

You probably won't find anyone who embraced extended service intervals & was rewarded with 'high mileage' without an engine/transmission
replacement. The extended intervals were intended to conserve resources, not maximize vehicle life/distance covered before retirement/replacement. ( I would consider 'high mileage' anything over 300k miles)

There are plenty of examples, including from members here (with details posted here too).

 

[IndyFan]

I have done a UOA at about 8k or so on the oil in my Pentastar and the oil was in very good shape. I don't see how perfectly serviceable oil at the service schedule or OLM interval would cause more wear or a shortened life. On the other hand, if the service interval or OLM were reached and the oil wasn't in spec or was overloaded with crap, then that might do it. OEM's don't want warranty costs, either. I don't think I've seen a case in all my years on Bitog where the oil was in terrible shape at the end of the recommended service interval. At least I don't remember it.

 

[1uz_4me]

345k mi on my 99 GS400. Never done an oil analysis as I'm not curious & don't care . Oil gets changed when I'm bored... sometimes it's 5k, sometimes it's 7.5k. It's always been maintained like that as it was my brother's car before I bought it from him. I will change it a week before a long trip, otherwise I don't care. Uses half to full quart of oil between changes. It definitely leaks a little & I'm sure it burns a little too. The front cover has been off for timing belt service, that's it.

I had a 97 318i sedan for awhile. 260k mi when I sold it. Previous owner changed the oil when the OLM light turned from green to yellow. I noticed this happened at 7.5k mi. All of the service records that came with the car showed oil done every 7500-7700 mi. Used a qt between changes. My commute for both cars was Riverside to San Diego County. 45-55 mi each way depending where I was working. Both got M1 High Mileage with OEM filter.

Growing up we had a 77 Camaro w/ 305 & an 89 Buick Century. Neither had records kept of maintenance, it just was a "let's change the oil soon because it's been awhile" event. 380k mi on the Camaro when dad finally sold it a few years ago, 230k on the Buick when they sold it no later than 2010. They both used oil between changes, both leaked & both definitely burned some. Usually bought whatever dino oil was on sale at Kragen & Fram filter. Still see the Buick on the road as the owner lives in the same part of San Diego as my parents. There's a distinct dent by the muffler that we identify it by .

Plenty of poorly maintained vehicles on the road, even here in California & they still pass smog

 

[dbias]

My 2011 Jetta ran to 180k miles on the 10k mile oci on vw502 oil and was running great, using no oil and I was just getting ready to do the second timing belt when it was totaled by the insurance company after being side swiped.

 

[UncleDave]

2012 Honda Civic with just over 300,000 miles. Runs perfect ( zero perceptible oil consumption....use 0w30 versus 0w20 ). Manual transmission. Followed OLM ( 12,500 OCI ).

Strictly followed owners manual ( those service inspections ). Dealer maintained.

To be honest, I think I wasted too much money doing those inspections.... car would be running just as well today and my wallet a lot thicker.

No engine/ manual transmission problems ( original clutch ).

I am too “by the book” to ever know for sure ( service checks ).

This means (horror of horror) the oil filter was only replaced every other oil change,

yet somehow you reached a very high mileage...

 

[vw7674]

Member Doug Hillary ran a fleet of OTR 500HP Detroit Diesels in train configuration on ~90,000Km OCI's through the Aussie outback with random tear-down inspection and analysis. He posted the results of a 1.3 million Km tear-down where both the liner and bearings pulled were "as new" in terms of a measurement for wear and the parts were re-installed and the unit returned to service.

That would be a land train run for hours on end in the outback, not a compact car in stop & go traffic.

 

[vw7674]

That would be a land train run for hours on end in the outback, not a compact car in stop & go traffic.

And I appreciate the Toyota trucks & Honda Civic 222 mile a day commuters, two Asian manufacturers know how to build for warranty + a decade,
But all the others want to be clumped in with them, and their designs ensure short life, not the two decades plus Hondas & Toyotas reputations ride on. The thin modern oils & plastic everything bolted to the engine seem to bear it out. Chasing the last 1/33 of a mpg takes away years of utility.
But then again who wants to walk out of the supermarket looking at a sea of beaters with pocked clearcoats? : l
New cars with new paint make for a pretty environment. Can't wait for the -15w-0 oils of tomorrow!

 

[MHartfield]

214,000 miles on a 2013 Ford Focus stick. 1st 36,000 miles was dealer, Ford synthetic blend, OC every 8,000 miles. Since then, OC every 9,500 miles or so using full syn. Reports from Blackstone are excellent. Oil consumption about ¼ qt. per change. Most driving is on the Interstate at, or just below, posted speed limits, except in Utah on the 80 MPH Interstate 15. 74 or so is about as fast as I'm comfortable with.

 

[OVERKILL]

That would be a land train run for hours on end in the outback, not a compact car in stop & go traffic.

Still an exceedingly demanding application and with actual extended drain intervals, the latter being the topic of discussion.

You made no statement as to the requirement being compact cars in stop & go traffic in the post I replied to. Shifting the goal posts around because the responses don't align with the conclusion you've already drawn isn't a great way to foster productive dialogue.

There are plenty of fleets that run obscene mileage such as LEO, taxi and limo applications. The common thread being obscene amounts of mileage able to be accrued over a reasonable duration. Couriers are another great example, that's what the million mile Ford was doing IIRC. Average Joe isn't going to rack up 500,000 miles on his Chevy Cruze driving 15,000 miles a year, it would take him 33 years and the odds of the vehicle being taken out by an accident, rusting out or traded before then are extremely high.

My Expedition was in the "rusting out" category, the body was going on it with ~200,000 miles on the drivetrain, which was still all original and extremely healthy. I've taken a couple of vehicles to that mileage, all Ford products, all on ~7,500 to 9,500 mile change intervals, almost exclusively on Mobil 1. I wouldn't necessarily call those extended drains, but they were longer than what was mandated by the OEM at the time.

I wouldn't, in most cases, consider the OEM drain intervals "extended drains" per what the OP was opining on. My wife's truck ticks off the OLM at somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000Km (6,200 to 7,500 miles) depending on the conditions. I definitely wouldn't consider that a long drain interval compared to what some of the Euro marques have called for and it's on the low end of what I changed the Expedition oil at.

 

[bbhero]

True indeed Overkill...

My neighbor has a old late 80s Ford Escort with 1,000,000 miles plus... The orginal owner was a paper delivery person and used it for courrier delivery too.

Still quite impressive though.... One million miles. Holy cow.

Makes my 337,000 plus mile car seem like it's a spring chicken...