How Many Miles Can I Go With Synthetic Oil?
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I was thinking about changing my oil to synthetic. my question is how many miles/months can i go with the same oil in my engine if i changed it to sythetic(mobile 1). i have 47k miles on my car and its an automatic. please let me know about this...thanx in advance...
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Originally posted by 1Phat Max
I was thinking about changing my oil to synthetic. my question is how many miles/months can i go with the same oil in my engine if i changed it to sythetic(mobile 1). i have 47k miles on my car and its an automatic. please let me know about this...thanx in advance...
I was thinking about changing my oil to synthetic. my question is how many miles/months can i go with the same oil in my engine if i changed it to sythetic(mobile 1). i have 47k miles on my car and its an automatic. please let me know about this...thanx in advance...
http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?...der=descending
Also, viewing all of my posts in my user profile will yield a bunch of info on this as well.
The short answer is 10 to 12k on Mobile 1 for sure and 25k on Amsoil with a 12.5k interval oil filter change.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,701
This has been debated on this site several times. But in a nutshell:
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 510
Originally posted by kratz74
This has been debated on this site several times. But in a nutshell:
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
This has been debated on this site several times. But in a nutshell:
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
Have you read the links yet? It's like ragu, it's in there!
Originally posted by 1Phat Max
I DRIVE LIKE 550-650 MILES PER MONTH...SO DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE OIL LIKE 3-4 MONTHS OR SHOULD I WAIT TILL I DRIVE 6-7K MILES AND THEN CHANGE IT?
I DRIVE LIKE 550-650 MILES PER MONTH...SO DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE OIL LIKE 3-4 MONTHS OR SHOULD I WAIT TILL I DRIVE 6-7K MILES AND THEN CHANGE IT?
The missing moderator
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,019
I would disagree with the second statment. One of the benifits of synthetic is start up protection. Short trips means havint to start often... thus synthetics is good for that.
If you are going to change oil over 3k miles, however, yeah don't waste your money on synthetics.
BTW, please use the search function that this forum has provided(not you Kratz.
)... there is just SOOOOO much information about this topic, having to re-type it all is just a waste of a good search engine.
-Shing
If you are going to change oil over 3k miles, however, yeah don't waste your money on synthetics.
BTW, please use the search function that this forum has provided(not you Kratz.
)... there is just SOOOOO much information about this topic, having to re-type it all is just a waste of a good search engine.-Shing
Originally posted by kratz74
This has been debated on this site several times. But in a nutshell:
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
This has been debated on this site several times. But in a nutshell:
-if you drive a lot and wish to extend you oil change intervals, you should consider synthetic oil,
-if you make short trips and would normally change your oil at 3 or 4,000 miles, you;d be throwing money away on synthetic (unless you wnat it for better flow at low temps).
That's it in a nutchell. MAny members have proved that sythetic oil's life, including viscosity, easily exceeds and may even double coventional oils life.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 510
NO BODY HAS ANSWERED ME YET
SHING I AM SORRY BUT DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO MY Q? MY QUES IS I DRIVE LIKE 550-650 MILES PER MONTH...SO DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE OIL LIKE 3-4 MONTHS OR SHOULD I WAIT TILL I DRIVE 6-7K MILES AND THEN CHANGE IT? I DID TRY TO SEARCH BUT THIS TOPIC IS TOO BROAD AND I COULND FIND THE ANSWER TO MY SPECIFIC QUESTION SO IF YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE COULD HELP ME OUT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANX
The missing moderator
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,019
Re: NO BODY HAS ANSWERED ME YET
Originally posted by 1Phat Max
SHING I AM SORRY BUT DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO MY Q? MY QUES IS I DRIVE LIKE 550-650 MILES PER MONTH...SO DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE OIL LIKE 3-4 MONTHS OR SHOULD I WAIT TILL I DRIVE 6-7K MILES AND THEN CHANGE IT? I DID TRY TO SEARCH BUT THIS TOPIC IS TOO BROAD AND I COULND FIND THE ANSWER TO MY SPECIFIC QUESTION SO IF YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE COULD HELP ME OUT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANX
SHING I AM SORRY BUT DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO MY Q? MY QUES IS I DRIVE LIKE 550-650 MILES PER MONTH...SO DO I NEED TO CHANGE THE OIL LIKE 3-4 MONTHS OR SHOULD I WAIT TILL I DRIVE 6-7K MILES AND THEN CHANGE IT? I DID TRY TO SEARCH BUT THIS TOPIC IS TOO BROAD AND I COULND FIND THE ANSWER TO MY SPECIFIC QUESTION SO IF YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE COULD HELP ME OUT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANX
First, I think you cap lock is broken... it's all caps... kinda like yelling...
second to your question... you should jsut wait for mileage... especially if on synthetic. See, they say that oil will break down over time, which is kidna true, it's the additives that can break down... but with synthetics, the stuff in there is "better" so it's pretty safe to wait for a while before changing it out.
-shing
Pusssseeeehhhh
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,001
well i have been using synthetic and to tell you the truth with the way i drive my car i still have to change it every 3000 or so miles, as a matter of fact i changed my oil 2 days ago and it was pretty bad in need of a change with only 3500 miles, i also gave my oil a good flush ( take tranny fluid, put in instead of oil, run car for 10 min, drain tranny fluid, then put in new oil)
The missing moderator
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,019
Originally posted by maxse91
well i have been using synthetic and to tell you the truth with the way i drive my car i still have to change it every 3000 or so miles, as a matter of fact i changed my oil 2 days ago and it was pretty bad in need of a change with only 3500 miles, i also gave my oil a good flush ( take tranny fluid, put in instead of oil, run car for 10 min, drain tranny fluid, then put in new oil)
well i have been using synthetic and to tell you the truth with the way i drive my car i still have to change it every 3000 or so miles, as a matter of fact i changed my oil 2 days ago and it was pretty bad in need of a change with only 3500 miles, i also gave my oil a good flush ( take tranny fluid, put in instead of oil, run car for 10 min, drain tranny fluid, then put in new oil)
Let me repeat it one more time for the record:
You CAN NOT tell if the oil is good or bad by the COLOR. You simple can't.
The only way you can is by oil testing.
-Shing
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Originally posted by maxse91
well i have been using synthetic and to tell you the truth with the way i drive my car i still have to change it every 3000 or so miles, as a matter of fact i changed my oil 2 days ago and it was pretty bad in need of a change with only 3500 miles, i also gave my oil a good flush ( take tranny fluid, put in instead of oil, run car for 10 min, drain tranny fluid, then put in new oil)
well i have been using synthetic and to tell you the truth with the way i drive my car i still have to change it every 3000 or so miles, as a matter of fact i changed my oil 2 days ago and it was pretty bad in need of a change with only 3500 miles, i also gave my oil a good flush ( take tranny fluid, put in instead of oil, run car for 10 min, drain tranny fluid, then put in new oil)
a.) is there a good brand of tranny oil to use, one that does a better job of flushing the engine? and
b.) i'm assuming you change the filter after you drain the tranny fluid, or does the flush need its own new filter which should immediately be replaced when the oil is put in?
hal
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Posts: 2,001
Originally posted by htmaxpower
when you do this
a.) is there a good brand of tranny oil to use, one that does a better job of flushing the engine? and
b.) i'm assuming you change the filter after you drain the tranny fluid, or does the flush need its own new filter which should immediately be replaced when the oil is put in?
hal
when you do this
a.) is there a good brand of tranny oil to use, one that does a better job of flushing the engine? and
b.) i'm assuming you change the filter after you drain the tranny fluid, or does the flush need its own new filter which should immediately be replaced when the oil is put in?
hal
oh yea and dont try this the other way around, oil will not flush out your tranny!!
Pusssseeeehhhh
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,001
Originally posted by Shingles
If you are judging how good the oil is by color, you are DEAD wrong... remember the old say? don't judge a book by it's cover?
Let me repeat it one more time for the record:
You CAN NOT tell if the oil is good or bad by the COLOR. You simple can't.
The only way you can is by oil testing.
-Shing
If you are judging how good the oil is by color, you are DEAD wrong... remember the old say? don't judge a book by it's cover?
Let me repeat it one more time for the record:
You CAN NOT tell if the oil is good or bad by the COLOR. You simple can't.
The only way you can is by oil testing.
-Shing
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Posts: n/a
Originally posted by maxse91
naw just use whatever you have around will do the job, and yes you just change the filter after you are done doing the flush....
oh yea and dont try this the other way around, oil will not flush out your tranny!!
naw just use whatever you have around will do the job, and yes you just change the filter after you are done doing the flush....
oh yea and dont try this the other way around, oil will not flush out your tranny!!
key...
thanks.
Shing's point was that there is no way to determine what the condition of the oil is just by looking. The only real way is to get it tested. Ie.. color is not an accurate indicator of the oil's condition.
The next time you change your oil, take a sample and send it to Blacksone laboratories(they can send you a kit for free but the test costs $20). They will tell you the condition of your engine. ie.. bearing wear, coolant content. This will tell you in advance if there something that's gonna go bad w/ the engine before it happens. It should also tell you if you still have the required additives in the oil also.
I know the cost of the test is close to one oil change but it's still an excellent idea to do once in awhile just to see what's going on inside the engine?
The next time you change your oil, take a sample and send it to Blacksone laboratories(they can send you a kit for free but the test costs $20). They will tell you the condition of your engine. ie.. bearing wear, coolant content. This will tell you in advance if there something that's gonna go bad w/ the engine before it happens. It should also tell you if you still have the required additives in the oil also.
I know the cost of the test is close to one oil change but it's still an excellent idea to do once in awhile just to see what's going on inside the engine?
Originally posted by maxse91
i dont think that i mentioned anything about the color of my oil in my post..............
i dont think that i mentioned anything about the color of my oil in my post..............
I just weep at
Originally posted by Jeff92se
Shing's point was that there is no way to determine what the condition of the oil is just by looking. The only real way is to get it tested. Ie.. color is not an accurate indicator of the oil's condition.
The next time you change your oil, take a sample and send it to Blacksone laboratories(they can send you a kit for free but the test costs $20). They will tell you the condition of your engine. ie.. bearing wear, coolant content. This will tell you in advance if there something that's gonna go bad w/ the engine before it happens. It should also tell you if you still have the required additives in the oil also.
I know the cost of the test is close to one oil change but it's still an excellent idea to do once in awhile just to see what's going on inside the engine?
Shing's point was that there is no way to determine what the condition of the oil is just by looking. The only real way is to get it tested. Ie.. color is not an accurate indicator of the oil's condition.
The next time you change your oil, take a sample and send it to Blacksone laboratories(they can send you a kit for free but the test costs $20). They will tell you the condition of your engine. ie.. bearing wear, coolant content. This will tell you in advance if there something that's gonna go bad w/ the engine before it happens. It should also tell you if you still have the required additives in the oil also.
I know the cost of the test is close to one oil change but it's still an excellent idea to do once in awhile just to see what's going on inside the engine?
Name brand oil goes at LEAST 5k, Mobile 1 at LEAST 10k, and Amsoil 25k with 12.5k filter change. If you're burning oil, etc. that's a different equation.....
If someone will ask an intelligent question, they may get an intelligent answer.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 654
I don't question the ability of synthetic (and high quality dino) oil to last well beyond 3000 miles, but my concern is this: if you are a mostly city driver with short trips and if you wait until 5-6000 miles, there will be a lot of condensation and unburned fuel diluting the oil, right? For example, I drive only 3 1/2 miles each way to work. No way the car warms up enough to get rid of the moisture. Occasionally I drive 30-40 miles on weekends but I wonder if that is enough to clean up the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles which is around 4 times a year.
Well....
Originally posted by Green 2kSE
I don't question the ability of synthetic (and high quality dino) oil to last well beyond 3000 miles, but my concern is this: if you are a mostly city driver with short trips and if you wait until 5-6000 miles, there will be a lot of condensation and unburned fuel diluting the oil, right? For example, I drive only 3 1/2 miles each way to work. No way the car warms up enough to get rid of the moisture. Occasionally I drive 30-40 miles on weekends but I wonder if that is enough to clean up the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles which is around 4 times a year.
I don't question the ability of synthetic (and high quality dino) oil to last well beyond 3000 miles, but my concern is this: if you are a mostly city driver with short trips and if you wait until 5-6000 miles, there will be a lot of condensation and unburned fuel diluting the oil, right? For example, I drive only 3 1/2 miles each way to work. No way the car warms up enough to get rid of the moisture. Occasionally I drive 30-40 miles on weekends but I wonder if that is enough to clean up the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles which is around 4 times a year.
For someone like myself who puts 350+ miles on the car a week/20k per year, going 25k as Amsoil outlines isn't out of the question.
For someone like yourself, I would say Amsoil should be fine for one year, which would be 9k to 12k intervals.
For turbo/SC engines, Amsoil halves their claims, taking the interval down to 12k with a filter change at 6k....
What sucks is the only way to prove this is to go 3k as usual on your oil, have it analyzed, and then go 6k on the same oil and have it analyzed.....
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 203
In response to Green 2kSE, I change my oil myself and I have noticed that there is a lot of water (condensation) that drains out. I think if you take a lot of short trips, then it would be justified to have shorter drain intervals. Water isn't known for its lubricating properties.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 755
If this were my car, and I wanted to keep it well past 100k miles, I would change the oil 4 times a year. Even with synthetic, which is what I use.
Originally posted by Green 2kSE
I don't question the ability of synthetic (and high quality dino) oil to last well beyond 3000 miles, but my concern is this: if you are a mostly city driver with short trips and if you wait until 5-6000 miles, there will be a lot of condensation and unburned fuel diluting the oil, right? For example, I drive only 3 1/2 miles each way to work. No way the car warms up enough to get rid of the moisture. Occasionally I drive 30-40 miles on weekends but I wonder if that is enough to clean up the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles which is around 4 times a year.
I don't question the ability of synthetic (and high quality dino) oil to last well beyond 3000 miles, but my concern is this: if you are a mostly city driver with short trips and if you wait until 5-6000 miles, there will be a lot of condensation and unburned fuel diluting the oil, right? For example, I drive only 3 1/2 miles each way to work. No way the car warms up enough to get rid of the moisture. Occasionally I drive 30-40 miles on weekends but I wonder if that is enough to clean up the engine. I change my oil every 3000 miles which is around 4 times a year.
Wow, you drive 100,000 miles per year?!
Originally posted by brubenstein
If this were my car, and I wanted to keep it well past 100k miles, I would change the oil 4 times a year. Even with synthetic, which is what I use.
If this were my car, and I wanted to keep it well past 100k miles, I would change the oil 4 times a year. Even with synthetic, which is what I use.
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