stanngg

So we all know every 3000 miles requires an oil change. Well my owners manual isn't calling for an oil change until 5000 miles. Is this the rule of thumb for new cars now? I guess I'm just old school because 5000 miles makes me nervous.

Also wondering if changing your own oil could cause any warrenty issues. I've always changed my own oil but never had a brand new car. Thinking of letting the dealer do it along with it's scheduled checks in the maintainence guide until the warrenty is up....Not sure...

vphokie

My dealer put a reminder on the windshield that says next service due at 5000 miles. I figure if it's what Ford recommends, it's good for me. Sounds like a bit of honesty, rather than them saying to bring it in at 3000 miles. Eventually you'll save a couple hundred dollars...And that's a couple hundred less that your local dealer or Jiffy Lube is getting, so I'm gonna go with every 5k!!!

Orion_240

Yes, it still feels weird to me to. Lots of folks out here are doing changes every 2500 or 3000 miles. I guess that's okay if you do it yourself so it won't get too expensive. I've never heard anyone argue in favor of waiting 5000 miles, saying that our engines are like those Cadillac engines that went 100,000 miles without a tuneup.

Edit:
I was just looking fo rmy owner's guide and saw I had the Scheduled Maintenance Guide in the little zipup holder that comes with our Mustangs. There's places in the back for the service dept to mark for each 5000 mile service. I've been keeping all my receipts but I really wish I'd known I had this. It gives the car better proof of a good service record than a bunch of loose receipts!
If you look at yours you'll see there is a lot more than just an oil & filter change done every 5000 miles. You also need to rotate the tires and do a multi-point inspection. Then, at 15,000 miles, you have lots of inspection to do, as well as replace the cabin air filter.
I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least change the oil every other 2500 miles and then check to make sure they actually replaced your filters!

LegallyTorchRED

IMHO, Detroit engineers designed, manufactured and tested the motor and they reccomend 5K changes. The oil industry started the 3K theory, and ithas sort of stuck. You see they sell more oil that way. Even most dealers say 3K now. Fact is, do what you are comfortable with. If you choose 5K, you are within warranty, and covered.
Basically, the oil industry doesn't know more than the Detroit engineers, they just want to sell more oil.
Lastly, changing your own oil will not affect your warranty, be sure to document it, and save your receipts.

howarmat

My dealer still put the sticker at 3k.

vphokie

I guess part of it also depends on how hard you drive it. Being that mine is my only vehicle, I don't plan on taking it out and getting it over 100 verymuch. If I were looking to take it to the drag strip or do more performance mods, then maybe I'd do it more often. I changed the oil on my Explorer every 5k and had zero problems with the motor.

cookiemonster

From what I read, modern domestic car manufacturers design their engines and make their recommendations based on the idea that a car should last 5-7 years.

I plan on keeping mine much longer, if I can - I'm going to change my oil every 2,500 miles, and when the odometer hits 5,000 miles (it's at ~100 right now ), I'll switch to full synthetic (not hydrocracked!!) 5W-40.

LegallyTorchRED

Just curious cookiemonster Why not hydrocracked ? I was told that was the best option.

vphokie

Hmmm, maybe if more people lean towards the 3k oil changes, I may begin to consider it. Hey cookiemonster, how often do you plan on changing the oil with synthetic?

cookiemonster

Non-hydrocracked full synthetic is the real thing!! Hydrocracked "synthetic" isn't really synthetic at all ... it's basically petroleum oil ("dino") that's undergone chemical processing, so it's not really "synthetic". Hydrocracked oils have remnants of petro stuff in it that's just not good for engines. Non-hydrocracked full synthetics are true synthetics (fully man-made and not created from processed petroleum).