8000kms between oil change? Really?

[Vibe2009]

So I crack open my owner manuals and is showing 8000kms (5000miles) per oil change... Really?My previous Ford and Honda are recommended at 5000kms...Also, the manual didn't have a separate maintenance schedule for normal and severer driving style.... why?

[pljenkins]

I'm not surprised by this. 5000 miles between oil changes is appropriate under most driving conditions, so long as you don't let it slip to 6000 or 7000 miles. A quality motor oil of the recommended weight should have no problems in this engine.The old "3000 mile" rule is sort of a "catch-all" for all engines, and it's what our daddy's daddy taught us way back when engines had carburetors and points. You certainly can't do any harm changing the oil every 3000 miles, but these days and in this particular motor, it's probably overkill.That being said, I change my oil every 3000 miles. With the milage my car is at at this point, it's nice to be able to get under it and inspect things in shorter intervals.P.

[isaaclud]

I let mine slip 10,000 miles w/ out an oil change due to a fanatically busy schedule over the summerI will NEVER DO THAT AGAIN....(non-synthetic)

[Raven]

I change mine every 10,000 KM (6,200 miles) with synthetic. If you do mostly highway miles like I do, it's not a problem at all. Go 10 and get an oil analysis, you'll see you could even go much further with no significant build-up of nasties.

[altimar]

Don't forget that you better follow recommended intervals while under warranty...

[ou.grizzly]

5W-20 oil that the new Vibe uses (I think) is a synthetic blend also.

[ColonelPanic]

My Hyundai has this ridiculous 7,500 mile oil change schedule... funk dat, that stuff is looking pretty bad by 4,000 miles so who knows how rotten the dino juice would be by 7,500. I tend to stay with the convention of the 3,000 mile change but that is likely overkill these days. In all reality, a 4-5k change would probably not be the end of the world.I did once run 5,000 mi between changes because I was driving 1,000 miles a week. Did that for well over 125,000 miles without any trouble.

[Digger]

Many new cars using synthetic recommend 10,000 mile before oil change.

[kowell]

Just got off the phone with my dealer, (the car is in for it's first regular warranty maintenance). They were arguing that since my last oil change was done almost 4 months ago I would need to do it right away since it'S 8000km OR 4 months, which ever comes first and then he continued to barate me about how they may void the engine warranty if I have a problem and only changed oil at 8000km and not the 4 months interval (8000km takes about 6 months for me). He even added that I was lucky since the maintenance manual for the old vibe said 3 months intervals.This is even more absurd since Matrix's guides list oil changes intervals at 6 months and not 3 for both old and new generation of Matrix.Does anybody really change oil at every 3 months?edit: even better, GM Goodwrench's canadian portal lists oil change for a 2009 vibe at 5000km/3months. They really consider this car to be american.

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by kowell » he continued to barate me .You need to simply state to the service adviser that berating will lead to the dealer losing customers. It is not his job to make you feel guilty or to nag on you; that is what church and the wife is for. I would advise you to find a different dealer. I would not let the oil go more than 5 months even if you have not driven that man miles. It is always good to keep fresh oil in the engine; at least let the car idle for 5 minutes a day or such to get all internal components lubricated. Oil change is every 3-5 months or every 5,000 miles on a Camry/Corolla/Matrix drive train.

[SinisterMind]

The manual in my wife's '09 Matrix with 2.4L says to change oil every 5k or 6months. With today's engines and quality oils, changing oil every 3k is a waste of money. My GTI has its oil changed every 5-6k with synthetic. I do drive mostly on highway, but the turbo engine sees higher temperatures. The car has 94k and still runs like it's new.

[kowell]

Last summer GM charged me close to 70$ for an oil change. No other maintenance or inspection, just the oil change. I just gave a call to the local Toyota dealer and the clerk told me that they would have no problem or refusal to perform the oil change on a 2009 Vibe and are charging 35$.That's a no brainer.

[bull77]

holy crap --- 70$!!! my dad stopped over last night with his new fit --- honda told him not to come in until his oil life is at or below 15% (currently at 20%). This will be his first oil change at over 12000kms..

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by kowell »Does anybody really change oil at every 3 months?One of our Vibes was sitting on the dealer's lot for a little over 6 months before we bought it. I'm sure they never changed the oil in it even once let only two times.Clearly that service guy is trying to get more business by getting you to come in more frequently. But I suspect his heavy-handed tactics will backfire and more of his customers will switch to having their oil changed at independent garages instead.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 »I used to own a 1991 Escort GT (Mazda). The manual recommended 3000 miles for severe duty. A few years later I sold it after finding a low mileage 1995 Escort GT. The manual stated 5000 mile changes and NOTHING changed inside the engine.The engine may not have changed, but the quality of the engine oil specified probably did. If you look at a can of oil there'll be a little round label that says something like "API Service SM." The last letter has been changing every few years as new standards are adopted. So your '91 car probably required an oil that met the then current standards while the '95 required an oil made to stricter standards that had been adopted in the interim. Today's oils can withstand more stress before breaking down and can hold more contaminants in suspension so it's reasonable that they can be used for longer intervals between changes.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 »I'm going to go grab my Vibe manual and check the bottle of oil I just used. LOLNote that since the late '90s many oil makers and car manuals have switched to just using a starburst symbol specifying that the oil meets the latest API standards - presumably to avoid confusion about the steadily changing sequence of letter standards. A list of the history of the API oil standards is at:http://www.aa1car.com/library/API_ratings.pdfAs stated there, category 'SG' would have been the best standard available at the time your '91 Mazda was made but by '95 they were up to category 'SH' and today they have category 'SM'.

[Kincaid]

Doing a search regarding oil changes led me here, so I thought I'd revive this old thread with some interesting info.Some newer high-end cars have on board diagnostic systems to tell you when the oil needs changing. I have no idea how sophisticated the systems are but Car and Driver did a long term test of, I think, a Porsche Boxster or Cayman. The system didn't tell them to change the oil until they had put on over 19,000 miles - and I'm sure that was some hard driving knowing the staff and C and D.

[TONY TAT2]

My old G5 & my wifes G6 have the oil montering system,at 3k miles,theres usually 50/56 % of oil life left.

[PlatinumVibe08]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »It is always good to keep fresh oil in the engine;GOOD advice.Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »at least let the car idle for 5 minutes a day or such to get all internal components lubricated.BAD advice.Don't start your car unless you are going to drive it. Starting your engine and letting it idle for 5 minutes will only contaminate the oil and do more harm than good. PlatinumVibe08

[star_deceiver]

I might let it idle for 20 seconds, but that's usually how long it takes to get my lunchbox in the right spot and hook up the sirius. In the winter the car will idle for only as long as it takes to clear the snow and ice off. The engine warms up MUCH quicker with gentle driving as opposed to idling.

[gwm]

Have you read the part in the manual where it says"5k miles or THREE MONTHS, whichever comes first"? Where did the 3 month interval come from? That sounds like a lot of oil changes to me! I WAS thinking of going synthetic, but EVERY THREE MONTHS! I think I'm going to have to contact a GM rep. about this.What does everyone else think about this "3 month" condition for keeping your warranty valid?

[pljenkins]

Eeeks! Old iron block carbed engines+15W50 oil MAYBE let the engine idle for a few minutes. New tight tolerance aluminum block engines+thin oils=waste of resources at best, cumulative engine damage at worst.

[star_deceiver]

I'll put on 8000km in less then 3 months so it's not a problem for me. But Every 3 months no matter what seems a little excessive. Seems like a good way to blow $60+ at the dealer changing the oil (good marketing scam, though). Every 6 months would be more realistic for those who don't drive their cars to excess.Change the oil yourself, it's cheap, easy, and you know the job will get done right!

[beemerphile1]

I have changed the oil in my vehicles every 6,000 to 8,000 miles or one year since I started owning cars in 1972. I have never had an engine failure and usually drive between 150,000 and 250,000 miles on my vehicle before replacing.Oil change intervals are short because the oil producers want to sell oil and the service centers want to make their labor $. Many independent studies have been done debunking the need for 3,000 mile/3 month oil changes.Regarding the changes in oil rating specs; by far the majority of those changes have been mandated by the EPA to reduce pollutants. The changes have NOT been to improve the life of the oil. If you study the makeup of the components of oil, you will see that some lubricating ingredients have actually been reduced. Some motorcycles, such as my BMW, spec the older oils because they have better lubricating properties. SH I think is what it calls for. It is getting difficult to find the older classifications of oils except at the dealer.

[TONY TAT2]

As far as a short run or idle time on the "all alumium" motors it wont hurt.You proably will have a problem with a "iron block,allumium head" because the head cools faster,usually 20% or more than the iron block. That put's a strain on head gaskets. The main thing on a all alluminum motor is to not let it get" too hot". Most motors run hot now to keep the emmissions low.on carbed motors theres always raw fuel getting into the oil,fuel inj cured some of that problen with the o2 sensor adjusting the air fuel mixture. Theres places to send your oil,a small sample from the bottom of the pan to get it analized also.

[BlueCrush]

http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38216