I can not read I clicked on C6 and not C5. I was reading this article when I saw I was in the wrong section. It is an interesting article on oil change intervals.

Peek Oil?
By Paul Niedermeyer
January 13th, 2007

It’s easier to convince an Evangelical that Christ was a grifter than to persuade pistonheads to give up their regular oil change. Yea, verily, the maniacal motorists believe in the healing power of regular visits to the Church of St. Pennzoil. And they certainly have the Gospel of Jiffy Lube on their sides: Thou shalt change thy oil every 3k miles or your engine will blow up in an explosion of fire and brimstone. Well I hereby give pistonheads permission to skip their next regularly scheduled motor oil change. And the one after that one. In fact, if you’re not planning to keep your car for all eternity, consider forgetting oil changes altogether.

Many decades ago, when metallurgy, tolerances, manufacturing precision and various aspects of engine controls (as well as the oil itself) were profoundly more primitive, the 3k mile oil change interval had a logical basis. Crude carburetor chokes caused overly rich mixtures, dumping raw gas onto cylinder walls that worked its way down into the crankcase. Poorly fitted rings caused blow-by, which had the same effect with nasty combustion byproducts. And poor tolerances created rapid wear, which released and circulated metal particles throughout the engine. People drove shorter distances, and cars often didn’t warm up enough to burn off contaminants. To travel 100k miles without an engine rebuild was a genuine accomplishment.

By the sixties, improvements in all of these mission critical areas led manufacturers to adopt an industry standard 6k mile oil change interval. Since then, recommended oil change intervals have risen as high as 10k miles. At the same time, many high end cars ECU’s (e.g. BMW, Porsche) now monitor engine and environmental operating conditions and calculate the ideal interval for an oil change– sometimes well into the teens.

When is the last time you heard of someone experiencing an engine failure (in normal use) that could be verifiably traced to damage from insufficient lubrication due to infrequent oil changes? Oil never wears out. It can become contaminated and certain additive characteristics can change. But in normal operational use in modern engines, this usually happens quite slowly.

And yet the 3k mile mantra can be heard everywhere: newspaper and magazine articles, on-line forums, radio talk shows and, of course, all the obvious and more subtle forms of advertising by the oil manufacturers and the oil change industry. When Jiffy Lube puts a sticker on my windshield warning me that my next oil change is due in 3k miles, it’s clear who benefits most from these regular visits, and it ain’t me or my car.

These days, it’s common to hear of documented engine life of 500k miles and more. A fleet of Chevy gasoline V8 pickups pulling trailers delivering car parts overnight all over the Midwest has run a number of bow tie bombers to over 600K without failure. A 1987 Saab 900 just hit the million mile mark without an engine rebuild. Yes, the Saab owner used expensive synthetic oil and changed it regularly in his million mile quest. But how long are you planning to keep your car?

Still not convinced? Da Vinci Code time. In the mid-80’s, Germany’s leading car magazine Auto, Motor und Sport ran a VW Golf with a 1.6 liter gasoline engine for 100,000 kilometers (62,000 miles) without changing the motor oil or filter. They then tore down the engine completely and examined every single moving part [microscopically] for signs of wear and tear. What little wear they could find was not engine life threatening and fit within normal operating parameters for the given mileage.

Obviously, I don’t expect pistonheads to forgo engine oil changes completely– if only because following manufacturer’s recommendations safeguards your potential warranty claims. Still, if warranty isn’t an issue and you’re not planning on keeping your car past 150k or so, and you run it under favorable conditions– a long commute, lots of highway miles, milder climate, etc. — consider extended intervals. If you have a three year lease, well, that’s between you and your conscience.

Meanwhile, the situation with gasoline and octane levels is roughly analogous. A couple of years ago, AM&S did another extensive test, running cars whose manufacturers called for premium fuel on regular gas. The result: performance and fuel economy losses ranged from zero to mid-single digit percentages. I don’t need to tell you that it can be a LOT cheaper to fill your car’s tank with a lower grade of fuel. And don’t worry about damaging your engine; modern detonation sensors constantly adjust ignition timing to be optimal for the fuel being burned and prevent pre-ignition.

Pistonheads who lavish low interval oil changes and high octane go-juice on the cherishd machines do so more for their own peace of mind than their car’s mechanical needs. It’s sweet, but unnecessary.

 

If you change the oil when the DIC says so,,,,,you will NOT have any issues! Do what your DIC SAYS!

BC

 

Thats what I do!

 

On the 02 Z06 video I have from GM, it specifically says 15k miles on Mobil1. Not the extended stuff, regular Mobil1. I change it ever 5k, and afrter ever track event. I ran a 1992 Dodge B-250 work van for 484k miles changing the oil once in the summer nad once in the winter. Engine was fine 5.2 liter 318, 2 transmissions later engine was still running.

 

I had my oil analyzed at 1500 track only miles they told me go to 2500 crazy to change it after each event.

 

I change mine once a year even with 10 track events and 20 or 30 autocrosses. I would change more often but it is hard to run up 15K a year even on a regularly used vehicle. My Tahoe gets changed when the DIC indicates but it is more often since it is on dino oil.

Bill

 

When someone else starts paying for my cars, I'll start going by the DIC. Untill then, it's every 2,000 miles between oil changes for my cars.

 

An extremely close friend of mine related this to me.
On the last 5 lease vehicles he changed the oil and filter once after 3k to Synthetic then about 1 month before turn in with quality non Synthetic and filter. This was on 3 year 36k mile leases.
No problems, no issues. The lease companies never even checked.
On my Vette I follow my DIC.
Barrier

 

I figure that the GM design engineers knew what they were doing in the C5 and therefore I basically go by my DIC, I also do that in my Tahoe!

 

2000 miles on conventional oil is overkill. 2000 miles on synthetic is plain silly.

 

Bill on my Dodge dooley with the Cummins and oil testing I'm going 10,000 miles between changes with NO oil added as it doesn't burn enough. I run 15/40 Valvoline dino.

 

Blessings on you and your decision. I do assume that you do that because you own alot of oil stock not because it is better for your cars. In all my readings on engine wear and oil changes there is no mechanical nor scientific evidence that we must change oil that often in the DD modern cars. Oh yes the oil change shops say 3k, but that is a money issue with them, not a mechanical wear issue.

 

I have a 1998 C5, it uses the earlier 10,000 miles maximum based oil change algorthym (sp?), rather than the later years 15,000 mile maximum. I have 101,000 miles on it. It uses no oil between approximately 6500 mile change intervals. I change oil when the DIC is close to 0%. I use Mobil 1. I have done several oil analysis, each one says I have more oil life left. TRUST THE DIC.

There is a site that did an oil study on a LS1 (Camaro), they got 18,000 miles on Mobil 1 oil (they changed the NAPA Gold Oil Filter at 12,000 miles when analysis said insolubles level reached 0.5%).

Running 3,000 miles on oil is old fashioned, wasteful, and just plain stupid.

 

That would be once a month for me. Totally ridiculous. Might as well tune it up every 10,000 miles too. Most people have at least a SMALL concern about our oil dependence.

 

and when someone pays for my oil and filters and time and oil waste I'll do it too.

I do change my plugs every 1,000 miles in case the end drops off them. I do my diff and tranny every 500 in case a tooth drops off.

 

Don't forget to change the cap, condenser, rotor and points every 6000.

 

Years ago, I read a Consumer Reports article( if you place any stock in their competancy) that tested taxi cabs in NYC. They changed oil at 3,000, 10,000, 50,000, and never, if I remember correctly. I may be off on the exact intervals, but basically, when they broke down the engines after 100,000 miles, they found no measureable difference in any of them, whether they change oil often, or never at all. My work truck, a 98 Ford Explorer gets fresh oil about every 6 to 9k miles, with no problems so far( 100k). My new ( for me) 03 vette will get it once a year since I probabely won't put more than 7k miles on it. Just before I put it to bed for the winter should be OK.

 

we use science to make the oils and engines and everything in our life. We trust the doctor and medicines we take for the most part. Yet some are still stuck back 40-50 years ago on the 3,000 mile change Why won't some believe in the DIC or the science of oil analysis?

 

Marketing techniques, strategies, and scare tactics by oil/car companies "will viod warranty" "thermal breakdown" "today's engines work harder, run hotter" .