99GTvert

I've heard the general rule of thumb was change the oil at every 3,000 miles. I have recently heard that 5,000 miles is the new "thing" to do, but would that be for newer engines with less mileage, meaning older engines would benefit more with more frequent oil changes?

Frostbitten

i just got done talking with a guy who swears by Mobil1 and says he changes it every 10k miles and been doing it for years. I dont know about that, but the car does have 110k on it. I change mine every 3000 miles nomatter what. The fresher the oil is the better it lubricates. I think that if you race the car at all you should do the same thing. But if this were an everyday grocery getter that never saw above 3k rpm then i would change it every 5k...

mustangcat

I've heard the same thing about modern engines only requiring oil changes every 5K miles.

I even saw a can of oil that said change every 10k...But I'm too OCD about my engine to go that long, 3k just seems safer for me; it's been the rule of thumb for a looooooong time.

01 P-51G t

+1 to the above posts, 3k for my stang. for my d/d's (01 dakota, 08 escape and the kids cars) i stretch it out 3500 to 4000 though.

what i always wondered is the time interval. they say 3 months or 3 k whatever comes 1st. which isnt an issue on my d/d s , but i only put maybe 800 miles in 3 months on the stang. another issue is, it hibernates for 5 months so do i change it when it hasnt even been run ?

mustangcat

IMO the "3 month" thing is just an attempt to scam you out of money. I only put 5000 miles a year on my car and theres no way in hell it needs oil changes 4 times a year. But, if the car has been sitting for 5 months, I would change it.

01 P-51G t

ok, so i should just go by the mileage then?
and since my car only goes about 2,000 miles a yr, i should change it once a year ? when i do change it, when is the better time, before storage or after ?
keeping in mind i run full synthetic but im blown and go to the dragstrip about 5 times a year.
thanks mustangcat

AdderMk2

There is a whole lot to oils that most people (including those in this thread) do not know.

When you are talking about oil change intervals.. the 3000 mile "standard" was a requirment to one of the ratings of oil. You should go by the recommendation in your owners manual.

Newer oils have been made to tighter standards and requirements than those of years back. The more "pure" an oil is, the better it will last. 3k miles is just a nice happy number that gets thrown around. Sorta like calling a facial tissue a "Kleenex"!

As for the guy who says his friend uses mobil1 and changes it every 10k miles... Your friend is a ****ing retard.

Although mobil1 may have been one of the first synthetic oils on the market... they are hardly the best one out there.

If you dont believe me, check out the viscosity index on the mobil1 oil and compare it to the rating of Kendall GT-1 Ultimate Synthetic.... I'm sure you will be in for a little suprise

USMC1775

Part of the reason you change 3k OR 3 months is that the oils have certain detergents in them that break down after that kind of interval. One reason to do it often, as well as to eliminate gunk

darwin06

Season drivers vs yearly drivers, I change every 4k, time means nothing only because my miles are short cyclical heat and cool miles. If I were to drive it only for the summer/good weather I would only change it after the season was over, fresh oil I doubt will breakdown sitting in the pan over the winter as I doubt it will breakdown in a container. I am no expert but I try to think about cost vs benefit. Full synthetic is what I use and have never had a problem with any engine I broke in and fully maintained. My first car was to get it's oil changed 12k or once a year which ever came first. Things have changed since then but the laws of friction remain the same, oil is your best protection, expect the best if you use the best.

Obsequious1

I go 5000 miles between oil changes. I use ester based synthetic oils though. I've gone 5000 miles on petroleum based synthetic oils before and the oil didn't look that bad. I guess I'm a f*cking retard then.