Have you heard about Mobil's or Amsoil's million mile filtration system? You should check it out. Really.

 

hahaha. So you'd probably think I'm crazy for changing it in my BMW every 15,000 miles.

 

It is 10,000 miles between changes in my A4, and I dont like that at all. Even if it is just BS cooked up by the oil companies years ago, it just feels normal and right to change it at 3000. Man I am a sucker[&o]

 

Join the sucker crowd. For what it is worth, I worked as a mechanic for Chebby for many years, and I believe oil changes are the heart of any preventive maintenance program. But I am just another dumbass.

 

No, Pony you are not a dumb ***, you made a living off of guys having their dino oil changed at the 3 K interval because that is what the oil companies toldthem that it was the right time to change that oil. But studies have shown that dino oil can last well beyond the 3K limit with a filter change, and that the color of the oil (gray to black) has nothing to do with the viscosity and the protection qualities.

 

i have no problems with going to around 4k but i try to never let it get past that - however i was at 6 with the towncar so it was pretty nasty when it came out. i redeemed myself by changing the air and fuel filter and topping off all other fluids though

 

Please, allow me to say this again...4.3 Vortec Chevy in a phone company 2500 van...overloaded, overworked, driven in the mountains....oil changed at 6000 with no additional filter change and the cheapest name brand 5-30......150,000 when engine overheated due to cooling system failure.....lost head gasket that led to r/r on motor....upon inspection of motor at teardown.....bore within new tolerance, bearings look like new....small amount of sludge on lifters.....this equals.....no oil related trouble. Supports not ever needing more than what a premium oil such as GTX gives you.
If your warrenty calls for synthetic...by all means use it. If you have one of thse Toyotas that cooked oil on the head....use it. For an old Mustang with bearing clearences like we used back than...20-50 GTX. It's like the t-5...it is a tight tolerance transmission that uses Dexron. My toploader would rattle like hell with Dexron due to the loose design.

 

True Soaring, before I was a mechanic, I was in the army, in the motor pool, and specs told us to change the filter only, and to top off the oil loss from the filter change. So agreed, oil can last longer than the book says as long as the filter is changed. Logically that's a no brainer as the filter traps the particulate matter and the additives to oil can last much longer than 3K. But in my mind, if I am going to raise the car, take the filter off, I might as well drain the oil for a few bucks more. Just my opinion.

 

I always use Motorcraft Motor Oil 10/30- in my 65FSTBK & 5/20 in 02 F-150, I also use Motorcraft Oil Filters

 

I was the truck driver NCO for the 214th Army Band at Ft. Richardson in Alaska back during the 60's. The first time I reported to the motor pool with my two privates to do maintenance on the deuce and a half, the motor pool sergeant told me that the oil had to be changed every two weeks whether or not the truck was moved or not. Well, obviously that didn't fly with me, so after going through headquarters, I finally got that dumb *** motor pool sergeant to follow the Army guidelines.