Oil Change

[Ah Clem]

Excellent link for the inexperienced:

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...?articleid=443

[WRXin']

I use Mobil One Super Synth 10W- 30. I'm sure many of you do as well. I was wondering if those of you who use the same oil change it every 3,000 miles, or if you pass that mark by a bit...by bit I mean somewhere between 500 - 1,000 miles. Thanks in advance

[RLsChMiDt]

I'd say it really doesn't matter...

If you drive the car hard a lot, then change it at 3000, it's prolly good in the long run.

If you don't drive the car too hard, then you can afford to wait...

Take this for what it's worth. I change mine every 3200 er so, because I like to have fresh oil in.

[WRXin']

Yeah, I was figuring that if I go every 3,500 miles then I should be okay. I drive a lot...not necessarily hard...just a lot. So the 3,000 miles comes quick for me, and it's kind of a hassle to change the oil at such short time -- not distance -- intervals.

[blackshadow]

I change mine every 5000 miles. I use the exact same oil as you.

[KurleeDaddeeWRX]

I also use the same exact oil you use (Mobil 1 10-30W) and I change my oil every 3000 miles, give or take a couple of hundred extra. I really do beat the hell out of my car on a daily basis, so there is no reason why I don't give my pride and joy a new blood transfusion every 3000 miles. She deserves it.

[WRXin']

Originally posted by blackshadow
I change mine every 5000 miles. I use the exact same oil as you.

Wow...how does the oil look when you change it after so many miles?

[blackshadow]

It's dark, but i wouldn't say that it's significantly darker than at 3000 miles. The only part I worry about is the filter. I believe this has been discussed before though...

[blackshadow]

also to clarify, the oil "feels" clean, and i don't think it has broken down in a way that would risk damage or performance loss in any way. I definently care for my car. Mobil one synthetic really is good enough that i trust it for 5k miles. Unless someone can prove to me otherwise.

[SD_GR]

Not changing at 3K mi is not a matter of "missing the mark," as there simply is no mark. None. To maintain your warranty in case of a motor failure you ought to follow Subie's interval and grade rec's, but other than that, the only way to know if it's time to change oil is to do oil analysis. The lab will let you know how the oil is holding up, and whether you've got elevated insolubles in there etc.. It's a matter of sampling 100 ml or so from the middle of a slow drain, sending it in with a check, and getting the news in the mail to find out, but I concede it's a huge hassle at times and I presonally don't like doing this. Cost is about as much as a full synth oil change.

Dark oil isn't good or bad; for every person that says "the oil is black, it must need changing" there's another that - like me - *likes* dark oil, b/c I believe that if it's dark, it's got nasties in solution, which is one reason I put it in the motor in the first place. I too use M1 10W-30, since M1 doesn't come in a 10W-40 that I'd prefer and the fantastic M1 0W-40 is not a permissible range according to our manuals in the US. M1 is on the thin side of the xW-30 range, and I don't know how well it'll hold up with typical use in my climate (southern CA USA), but I'll just have to find out.

I won't accept intervals shorter than 4K at this point, as there's no reason for a road car to use synth oil at a faster pace in the 21st century IMO. I plan to run this first lot of M1 for 3750 like the "good book" says, then increase the drain interval as I get an idea of what's going on. The first change isn't going to be meaningful data-wise, since the motor is still newer and the synth is diluted with some remnants of dealer dino juice. As I go a couple more drains, that'll no longer be an issue. We'll see...

[dark_rex]

i change every 5K w/ mobil 1 - 5 weight. i exclusively use wix filters.

dR

[WRXin']

Originally posted by SD_GR
Not changing at 3K mi is not a matter of "missing the mark," as there simply is no mark. None. To maintain your warranty in case of a motor failure you ought to follow Subie's interval and grade rec's, but other than that, the only way to know if it's time to change oil is to do oil analysis. The lab will let you know how the oil is holding up, and whether you've got elevated insolubles in there etc.. It's a matter of sampling 100 ml or so from the middle of a slow drain, sending it in with a check, and getting the news in the mail to find out, but I concede it's a huge hassle at times and I presonally don't like doing this. Cost is about as much as a full synth oil change.

Dark oil isn't good or bad; for every person that says "the oil is black, it must need changing" there's another that - like me - *likes* dark oil, b/c I believe that if it's dark, it's got nasties in solution, which is one reason I put it in the motor in the first place. I too use M1 10W-30, since M1 doesn't come in a 10W-40 that I'd prefer and the fantastic M1 0W-40 is not a permissible range according to our manuals in the US. M1 is on the thin side of the xW-30 range, and I don't know how well it'll hold up with typical use in my climate (southern CA USA), but I'll just have to find out.

I won't accept intervals shorter than 4K at this point, as there's no reason for a road car to use synth oil at a faster pace in the 21st century IMO. I plan to run this first lot of M1 for 3750 like the "good book" says, then increase the drain interval as I get an idea of what's going on. The first change isn't going to be meaningful data-wise, since the motor is still newer and the synth is diluted with some remnants of dealer dino juice. As I go a couple more drains, that'll no longer be an issue. We'll see...

You know, I was reading your post, and was thinkng, "wow this dude really knows his stuff." But then I read your signature, and thought, "oh crap!"

J/K Thanks for the info

[SD_GR]

You're quite welcome, and thanks for noticing my .sig... Now that I think of it one question that comes to my mind is what kind of consumption people are seeing, if any, with 5W-30 or 10W-30 M1. I'm hoping the 10W stuff I'm using will keep use at a minimum, and will let you guys know if anything outrageous happens. Good thread!
SD

[blackshadow]

I use very little oil. I haven't had to add oil at any point other than oil changes. Then again i only have 15k miles so the engine is in a pretty sweet spot right now.

[SD_GR]

Great. I used ~300 ml in 3K miles once, but that was dino juice and probably 5W-30 since the dealer put this in. I have to wonder about M1 since it is on the thin side, but it's truly great oil so I'm hoping top-offs will be minimal with 10W-30 M1. I know LS1 folks spike it with some 15W-50 to help with their consumption, but I don't think we'll need to do this and your experience is very positive. Thanks!
SD