I'm going to put Mobil 1 in my car for the first time this weekend. How long is it recommended to wait between oil changes for synthetic. I know I can go for more miles than with conventional oil.

So, how much? 6k? 8k? 10k?

Thanks,
jason

 

I did oil test at 3k and the TBN value is at 12....blackstone recommanded to push it to 5k drain interval

 

Cool. 5k it is!

 

Well consider that he has a S/C which stressed the oil a bit more then an N/A engine. I say you can safley go to atleast 6K but 5K is a more rounded # I guess so thats what I change mine at.

 

I do mines like between 3500-4K.. I get lazy sometimes.. Mobil 1 Syn 5w-30 & Mobil M1-110 filter.

 

Personally, I've gone 5K with my car. If you really want to test the limits, check out this study with Mobil 1....

http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/s.../oil-life.html

 

With the maxima's engine, I'd only go about 7500 miles. The tolerances are really tight, and I'd like to keep the oil fresh. On my Benz, the drain interval is usually between 20000-22000 on Mobil 1 0w-40. That is the limit for that oil, period. Being that you're s/c, I'd stick to the 3750 mile interval, esp if you drive hard .

 

I do 5k-6k in the Max and my truck (94 Dakota). I choose that because it is easier to remember. Do the changes at the 5's and 0's and that way the wife reminds me that the Max needs changed since I do not drive it all the time. Used Mobil 1 in the 99 and now the 2k and I am very happy with it. As for the truck, I drive it hard and with 104k miles on it I use a quart between changes.

 

I do 4K for my truck ('02 Dakota CC 4.7L) and so far have been doing the 3750 thing for my Nissan ('03 GLE; both Mobil1 5w30 SuperSyn). I run my truck pretty hard, and the car I've pretty much babied (haven't raced).

 

Ok eveybody is just giving mileage here. What about for someone that doesn't put much mileage on their car? Still change it at 3 months or maybe more?

 

I change based on milage except in my 68 which sit 8 months of the year and then I change it when I get it out in the spring and when I park it in the fall no matter miles driven.

 

I still change mine every 3k.

 

I changed my oil tonight. It's probably just in my head, but I think my car runs smoother with Mobil 1.

 

Yeah someone said 5000 miles for synthetic. That's what I do. By the way, I think it's amazing that for mercedes that the oil change interval is at least 10,000 miles depending on how you drive.

 

I think I'm going to make the switch to Amsoil

 

Yep

 

You won't regret it!

 

The change interval on the Mercedes-Benz is so long because the oil capacity of M-B engines is so large (for example, the E320 V6 uses 8 quarts !). That's double the capacity of my Maxima, yet the engines are just about equal (3.2L vs 3.0L). With so much oil, you can chnage oil less frequently. M-B recommends 7,500 miles with regular oil, and you can double it with synthetic.

 

ture.....you guys gotta see bill's oil report. Some amsoil pulled a crazy 8k drain period and still having a very low amount of wear.

 

And I did several 12 to 15k intervals with no significant wear as well.



The correct answer here is that it depends on your driving conditions, your car, your engine, environment, etc.




In general, 5k on any oil is a safe bet, but an oil analysis is the only accurate measure of how your oil is doing.

 

thx Bill....

I have a question for ya....since I received a lot of oil sample kits from Blackstone so I started to sample oil for each oil change. They are now sitting in my garage and I marked them with my milage. Is there a shelf life of the oil when it is in the sample kit? Does Blackstone suggest a period of time for us to submit the sample?

thx~

 

Exactly Bill.. it doesnt matter at all what anyone else does/says. Bill could run 12K.. Blackstone told me to not go over 4500 (mobile1 syn). Its all about contaminates (and filtration) and conditions. I mean, city/hwy mix, altitude, pollution, engine condition, and gas all have an effect. If you care enough to use expensive oil, spend a few bucks on Blackstone. You could do more damage than good if you dont.

 

I'm not aware of any specific "shelf life", but I would say 6 to 9 months old is acceptable. I wouldn't send oil a year or more older.....

 

Arkansas = 40%+ reduction in expected oil life.

 

thx~

 

That was my car. Car was driven on roadcourses on that interval as well.

Insert shameless video here

The others had it right about varying driving conditions and the fact that M-B and BMW engines generally have 8+ quart sump capacities.

One other thing, while I wish BMW used Amsoil, the factory fill is acutally a special blend made by Castrol.