3000 mi or DIC %?
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 3,996
Likes: 77
From: Louisville KY
Use the DIC!!!!!! The engineers put in enough data about rpm, speed, heat, run time, etc. that it is the best way for your car.
Also the 3000 mile concept went out years ago with the computer controlled lean burn engines. The modern oils and filter are better also. Those of us who are old, remember changing oil at 2000 to 3000 and the oil was totally black. The oil out of my vette at 10% on the DIC and about 8000 miles is just a dark honey colored.
Save your money for enjoyment not for excessive oil changes.
Also the 3000 mile concept went out years ago with the computer controlled lean burn engines. The modern oils and filter are better also. Those of us who are old, remember changing oil at 2000 to 3000 and the oil was totally black. The oil out of my vette at 10% on the DIC and about 8000 miles is just a dark honey colored.
Save your money for enjoyment not for excessive oil changes.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,135
Likes: 5
From: Newberry FL
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
I go with coloration...if it ain't amber, it ain't good enough for my car.
This is one of those topics that will probably bring out some folks that swear by the DIC and others that are into the mileage, however I am a color guy and believe that the color of the oil is the way I judge when it is time to change it.
Just my personal opnion.
Dogface
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 25,974
Likes: 120
From: At the Beach, FL
St. Jude Donor '15, '17
Originally Posted by lt1rx798
Do You Trust The Dic Oil Life % Or Do You Change At A Certain Enterval?
Its Time(or Past) For Her First Oil Change By Me.
Its Strange. Im Actually Looking Forward To It! :d :d
Its Time(or Past) For Her First Oil Change By Me.
Its Strange. Im Actually Looking Forward To It! :d :d
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
Trust the DIC. I change at near 0%. I once got an oil analysis after going like 6,000 miles and still having some percentage left on my DIC, they said I could go at least another 1,000 miles.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 17,786
Likes: 4
From: Redsox, Pats, Celts & Bruins !!! Redsox Nation !!!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
3000 miles is a joke on Mobil 1.
I do an oil change every 6 months, April and October. Never real dirty and never an issue. The DIC is there for a reason. The old myth of 3/3000 is a joke so oil companies and shops could make more money. Now Dino oil is a different story.
I do an oil change every 6 months, April and October. Never real dirty and never an issue. The DIC is there for a reason. The old myth of 3/3000 is a joke so oil companies and shops could make more money. Now Dino oil is a different story.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
We did thousands of miles of testing under all types of conditions... we did oil analysis under every known scenario.. the Oil life monitor works, and works well,.,, use it... down to 0% or 1 year which ever comes first... synthetic oil does not lose it's lubricity after a year but in combination with combustion increases the PH of the oil and that acidic condition can cause problems in gaskets and etching of components over time.
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,364
Likes: 38
From: King George VA
Originally Posted by lt1rx798
how does the dic read the oil? it seams to me that if the dic was "testing" the oil life, it should know when fresh oil was present. if not its just monitoring miles or time right? 
__________________
C66 Racing #66 NASA ST2, SCCA T2
AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
C66 Racing #66 NASA ST2, SCCA T2
AMSOIL Dealer (Forum Vendor)
AMSOIL Preferred Customer Program (Members buy at Wholesale - a savings of about 25%)
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Originally Posted by lt1rx798
how does the dic read the oil? it seams to me that if the dic was "testing" the oil life, it should know when fresh oil was present. if not its just monitoring miles or time right?
A car doing a hundred miles in first gear is way different in doing 100 miles in 6th.
measuring this data and writing algorithms to display this input as oil life, took lots of time and money..
the 97 to 00 C5's used a 10,000 miles base line, with demerits for cold starts, temps etc...
01 to 04 cars use a 15,000 mile base line... we knew the oils was good in the earlier cars but wanted some real field experience..
So earlier cars that use the system have a cushion.. oil is the same...
I would not go past the DIC or the year.. no matter what year the car is...
Big Brother is watching.
changing oil at 3000 miles is like throwing money away, if the DIC doesn't say it need to be changed.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 17,786
Likes: 4
From: Redsox, Pats, Celts & Bruins !!! Redsox Nation !!!
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
the oil life monitor does not analyze the oil... it analysis the cold starts, the oil temp, coolant temp, load in rpm and mph timing.
A car doing a hundred miles in first gear is way different in doing 100 miles in 6th.
measuring this data and writing algorithms to display this input as oil life, took lots of time and money..
the 97 to 00 C5's used a 10,000 miles base line, with demerits for cold starts, temps etc...
01 to 04 cars use a 15,000 mile base line... we knew the oils was good in the earlier cars but wanted some real field experience..
So earlier cars that use the system have a cushion.. oil is the same...
I would not go past the DIC or the year.. no matter what year the car is...
Big Brother is watching.
changing oil at 3000 miles is like throwing money away, if the DIC doesn't say it need to be changed.
A car doing a hundred miles in first gear is way different in doing 100 miles in 6th.
measuring this data and writing algorithms to display this input as oil life, took lots of time and money..
the 97 to 00 C5's used a 10,000 miles base line, with demerits for cold starts, temps etc...
01 to 04 cars use a 15,000 mile base line... we knew the oils was good in the earlier cars but wanted some real field experience..
So earlier cars that use the system have a cushion.. oil is the same...
I would not go past the DIC or the year.. no matter what year the car is...
Big Brother is watching.
changing oil at 3000 miles is like throwing money away, if the DIC doesn't say it need to be changed.
Also Evil made a great point, it works, DIC is your friend
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia MS
OMG! FINALLY someone agrees that 3000 miles is BULL$h!T. I have been telling people that for years.
I'm glad this topic was brought up because I was wondering about how the DIC knew also. I had been changing the oil about every 6000-7000 miles or 50% - whichever came first.
Thanks for all the great info guys.
I'm glad this topic was brought up because I was wondering about how the DIC knew also. I had been changing the oil about every 6000-7000 miles or 50% - whichever came first.
Thanks for all the great info guys.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Originally Posted by chad4msu
OMG! FINALLY someone agrees that 3000 miles is BULL$h!T. I have been telling people that for years.
I'm glad this topic was brought up because I was wondering about how the DIC knew also. I had been changing the oil about every 6000-7000 miles or 50% - whichever came first.
Thanks for all the great info guys.
I'm glad this topic was brought up because I was wondering about how the DIC knew also. I had been changing the oil about every 6000-7000 miles or 50% - whichever came first.
Thanks for all the great info guys.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Tampa FL
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
the oil life monitor does not analyze the oil... it analysis the cold starts, the oil temp, coolant temp, load in rpm and mph timing.
A car doing a hundred miles in first gear is way different in doing 100 miles in 6th.
measuring this data and writing algorithms to display this input as oil life, took lots of time and money..
the 97 to 00 C5's used a 10,000 miles base line, with demerits for cold starts, temps etc...
01 to 04 cars use a 15,000 mile base line... we knew the oils was good in the earlier cars but wanted some real field experience..
So earlier cars that use the system have a cushion.. oil is the same...
I would not go past the DIC or the year.. no matter what year the car is...
Big Brother is watching.
changing oil at 3000 miles is like throwing money away, if the DIC doesn't say it need to be changed.
A car doing a hundred miles in first gear is way different in doing 100 miles in 6th.
measuring this data and writing algorithms to display this input as oil life, took lots of time and money..
the 97 to 00 C5's used a 10,000 miles base line, with demerits for cold starts, temps etc...
01 to 04 cars use a 15,000 mile base line... we knew the oils was good in the earlier cars but wanted some real field experience..
So earlier cars that use the system have a cushion.. oil is the same...
I would not go past the DIC or the year.. no matter what year the car is...
Big Brother is watching.
changing oil at 3000 miles is like throwing money away, if the DIC doesn't say it need to be changed.
Does this mean that a 97 to 00 owner can go 150% to compensate for 10k vs 15k???
I use the car as DD and has to change oil more frequently than I like according to the DIC...
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia MS
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
I have posted this information here every few months over the last five years....
I wasn't talking about folks in forums. I meant my friends around here. Sorry.
