Just here for the "cheap insurance" comments. 
Why so short?
- Thread starter 4WD
- Start date
TooSlick? I do.
It's the third result in the below calculator. The first two are by another BITOG member, randomhero439.
randomhero439, TooSlick, OCI formula google docs
Combined with the 3,000 oci that was pushed by the oil change specialty shops.
My son's 10 year old Ford Explorer calls for a 7,500 mile oci for normal duty. That interval may have even been in place before then.
My wife "commutes" 0.7 miles each way to work all year. Add the fact that I don't want to change oil in the freezing cold so I do bi-yearly changes in April and October. Ends up being 3500ish miles. The car takes 0w20 so synthetic is pretty much a given.
I like tinkering on cars and I have a shop with a lift on my property.
To some it may be strange, but I LOVE to turn on the Saturday ballgame on the radio, crack open a beer, and start working on my cars (and my neighbors too)
When I rotate tires every 5k miles, I usually just change the oil anyway because I enjoy it not because I have to.
To some it may be strange, but I LOVE to turn on the Saturday ballgame on the radio, crack open a beer, and start working on my cars (and my neighbors too)
When I rotate tires every 5k miles, I usually just change the oil anyway because I enjoy it not because I have to.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
For sure ā¦ seem to have all of the above in my oil fleet ā¦ 2.3L ecoboost probably the most intense yet they show in the same OCI area code as the oil easy Pentastar (but Jeep dropped from 6 quarts to 5 quarts)
With the L83 ā¦ will put a Fumoto valve on next change so I can pull a quart and spike with HD30 for a 6K/4K combined run ā¦ no ramps needed. This will be with Mobil 1 AP (clearance stash)
Our Fusion Hybrid is my only 10k OCI now ā¦
I used to change probably more often than necessary 'cause my dog liked to watch me and seemed so amused by his master under a car making odd noises. Well he died about two years ago so I don't change oil so often now because it isn't so entertaining anymore. 
I don't have any GDI motors or known oil demolishers. Still I change the oil when I buy the car and there's a 99% chance I'll sell it within 5,000 miles, I've only done two follow up OCIs at 9k and 11k.
I change it at 5k km on the Xterra because I take it offroad all the time so it sees a lot of idling and crawling time. That and it is supercharged so it is under more stress than a NA engine.
5k for me because the SS interval is 3750k, the NS interval is 7500k. Since my commute is mostly two lane curvy highway with hills and such, I split the difference. An added Benny is 5k intervals are easy to remember.
Well, I guess I am comfortable with between 5K to 7K oil change intervals, using synthetic oils.
If a vehicle is not driven much, 16 months is the limit.
I did cave to 2 OCIs for a filter. Kicking and screaming, of course.
The engines I service tend to run for a long time.
I service 3 Acura TSXs, with the mighty K24.
Wifey's 2006 with 200K does not burn a drop. It has lived on a steady diet of M1 5K OCIs. I never check the oil and under the valve cover it is spotless.
My sister's 2007 (80K on the clock) was serviced by quickie lubes, using semi syn based on the MM. It burns over a quart every 4K.
A friends 2007 (130K) goes thru about 1/2 quart every 5K. Serviced by the dealer based on MM.
If a vehicle is not driven much, 16 months is the limit.
I did cave to 2 OCIs for a filter. Kicking and screaming, of course.
The engines I service tend to run for a long time.
I service 3 Acura TSXs, with the mighty K24.
Wifey's 2006 with 200K does not burn a drop. It has lived on a steady diet of M1 5K OCIs. I never check the oil and under the valve cover it is spotless.
My sister's 2007 (80K on the clock) was serviced by quickie lubes, using semi syn based on the MM. It burns over a quart every 4K.
A friends 2007 (130K) goes thru about 1/2 quart every 5K. Serviced by the dealer based on MM.
honda 1.5tgdi= short oci..simple as that...
For most people: direct injection happened.
My truck has other maintenance items at 5000 mile intervals (grease zerks, etc) and it gives me a reason to thoroughly inspect the vehicle top to bottom.
Iāve gone more than twice that on an OCI several times, but why bother when quality oil and filters are so cheap.
My truck has other maintenance items at 5000 mile intervals (grease zerks, etc) and it gives me a reason to thoroughly inspect the vehicle top to bottom.
Iāve gone more than twice that on an OCI several times, but why bother when quality oil and filters are so cheap.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
You know there has been a changing of the guard (and inmates) here when āhellā isnāt censored, BITOGers start believing in dirty oil myths again, and many here are too afraid to even follow the regular oil change interval in their ownerās manual 
Iāll be sending out a sample for analysis for the Forester at around 6k (a few more months from now) and basing my OCIs going forward in it. So far, itās been 7-8k intervals with no consumption. In fact I gain a little level over an OCI due to fuel dilution. At a little over 80k miles Iām not worried about the engine.
When the extended warranty ends on my Legacy Iāll up the interval to 10k, send out a sample, then see if I can extend from there.
Why not keep a long OCI? Everyone knows the CVT will explode on both of these things and junk them soon anyway!
Iāll be sending out a sample for analysis for the Forester at around 6k (a few more months from now) and basing my OCIs going forward in it. So far, itās been 7-8k intervals with no consumption. In fact I gain a little level over an OCI due to fuel dilution. At a little over 80k miles Iām not worried about the engine.
When the extended warranty ends on my Legacy Iāll up the interval to 10k, send out a sample, then see if I can extend from there.
Why not keep a long OCI? Everyone knows the CVT will explode on both of these things and junk them soon anyway!
Disorder
I personally feel there are too many parts which like clean oil. Things like camshaft actuators and lifters fail over time from dirty oil. We use top tier fuel to keep injectors and pumps clean, I prefer clean oil to keep the finicky modern engines happy.
Aside from that, vehicles like my GTI which makes 250whp per liter will chew up oil much faster than a 150 hp Corolla. The manufacture's recommendation is a guide with limitations built into it.
Aside from that, vehicles like my GTI which makes 250whp per liter will chew up oil much faster than a 150 hp Corolla. The manufacture's recommendation is a guide with limitations built into it.
Don't forget the rash of timing chain and GM balancer chain failures. Micro particulates in the oil, combined with very low viscosity and long oil change intervals have resulted in a great many early chain failures. On certain Ford products, it's a $4000 job, it's completely preventable too.
Remember, due to excessive worn chain warranty claims, GM reprogrammed the OLM to never let the engine exceed 7500 miles on an oil change and depending on conditions, it could be as soon as 5000. It was previously 10,000 maximum. They also changed the oil specification to a more robust oil.
I will say it again, it's the low viscosity, coupled with extended drain intervals that result in rapid chain wear. People really don't want to believe that these ultra thin oils are sometimes not up to the task of lubricating 'certain' parts. Especially when contaminated with many thousands of miles of wear particulates coupled with fuel dilution. Even Mobil oil says "Mobil 1 oils are compatible with most fuels; however, excess fuel dilution may require more frequent changes and used oil analysis for quality monitoring"
Furthermore, low tension piston rings often are quite intolerant of any wear. Many Honda engines consumed oil well before their service life should have been used up. Cleaner oil can help here.
Remember, due to excessive worn chain warranty claims, GM reprogrammed the OLM to never let the engine exceed 7500 miles on an oil change and depending on conditions, it could be as soon as 5000. It was previously 10,000 maximum. They also changed the oil specification to a more robust oil.
I will say it again, it's the low viscosity, coupled with extended drain intervals that result in rapid chain wear. People really don't want to believe that these ultra thin oils are sometimes not up to the task of lubricating 'certain' parts. Especially when contaminated with many thousands of miles of wear particulates coupled with fuel dilution. Even Mobil oil says "Mobil 1 oils are compatible with most fuels; however, excess fuel dilution may require more frequent changes and used oil analysis for quality monitoring"
Furthermore, low tension piston rings often are quite intolerant of any wear. Many Honda engines consumed oil well before their service life should have been used up. Cleaner oil can help here.
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I do every 8k kms (5k miles) and it is usually every 3 months. While my owner's manual recommends a 15k kms OCI i just don't feel like following it since other cars with the same engine recommend a 10k kms or even 5k kms severe OCI. Maybe 15k could be doable with such a big sump and modern synthetics but since my engine isn't new anymore and i'm running ethanol it doesn't make sense. I will extend it to 10k kms (6k miles) just to make it simpler.
Shel_B
Site Donor 2023
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For me, it's quite simple. I drive about 4,000 miles per year, most of it short trip (less than 10 miles, most trips less than 4 miles). I choose to use extended life oils and change annually. Could I go longer ... maybe, but I don't feel comfortable with all that short trip driving.
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