Question about oil changes and gas octane

[cindi2]

I don't know if I'm in the correct area but here goes anyway...I was wondering when I should change my oil for the first time, what oil should be used and what grade of gas/ stations should be used.My husband says, he was allways told change the oil after 500 miles for the first, I thought I saw 1000-1500 on here. I know the manual says sae5-w30 to use, should I put synthetic and pick Mobile-1 or castrol?As for the gas, what grade and stations have you guys found works best? I usuall go with the cheapest. We have BP, marathon, citgo, sterlings and murphy mart here. Thanks for the help!!! Cindi

[Mavrik]

Since you drive the automatic, you don't need high octane fuels, regular will be fine.For the first oil change, I did mine at 2000km (I'm in canada) there is no offical recommendation, its really personal preference to most people that do their first oil change early. You will want to stick with 5w30 grade. As for oil types, you'll find on here everyone has their own passion on the manufactor. I use Mobil1 synthetic oil myself.

[ToolGuy]

I always change oil any new engine I have at 1,500 miles. Sooner would not hurt it too! Always use 5w-30 like it states too. With one other car I own, guys have used 10w-30 syn instead of the 5w syn and their fuel milage has dropped a bit, not sure why they changed other then possibly old school thinking or they live in hoter climate states. GM designs the engine for 5w and gets the best fuel mileage out of it, so I always use it. Synthetic is a great idea just do not let oil chages go very long and still check it on a regular basis. Some people think since they are running synthetic they can let it go for a long time just because it is syn. One of my cars has a digital oil life gauge and runs Mobil 5w-30 syn. If I run the car hard the life percentage drops according to how hard I drive it. Meaning, if you do not have an oil life gauge and the gauges do indeed work, you better know when to change the oil out on your own but do not keep it in there for 7,500 miles just because you think you can. I would stay with 5w and still go synthetic if you want. Use the octane the engine was designed for. Yours is a base so you do not need to blow money on Premium fuel.

[futseal04]

I agree with you all, but I changed mine at 500 miles. A lot of times, the manufacturer will put in a lighter weight oil before delivery to aid in the break-in process. I am also not sure if GM or Toyota hot-tests their engines prior to installation, so I think an early (no sooner than 500 miles) is a good thing.

[sensfanrk]

My car was a dealer trade, so it travelled approx. 740kms before I sat in it... The dealer changed the oil when it got in, so it's first oil change was at 740kms. As for the gas, never get anything less than 87 Octane, or you will get a knock in the engine... Also, I'm not too sure if Ohio laws require a blend of ethanol in all gas, but never get anymore than a 10% ethanol/90% gas blend, as most cars cannot burn more than that mixture, that should be in your manual. Up here in Canada, I always get my gas at Petro Canada. I worked for them for 3 years, and I trust their gas the most... Basically it comes down to the fact that major companies blend their gas with detergents and cleaners that in turn make your emissions cleaner and make your engine run smoother and last longer. I always try to go with the main 4 oil companies (in Canada anyway) in this order... 1) Petro Canada2) Esso (Exxon/Imperial Oil)3) Irving4) ShellI'm sorry I'm not familiar with gas stations in the U.S., but I'm sure you have big companies and small companies. Smaller companies do have cheaper gas, but their gas generally doesn't contain any cleaners or detergents, just raw gas which can, not always though, cause gunk to build up in your injectors, fuel lines, etc. Hope that helps!