I was at the dealer this morning and they told me I need to change the oil in my C8 at 5,000 miles or every 6 months. I agree with mileage but was wondering about the time interval. Any thoughts?

 

I go once a year, however I only average 3200 miles a year.

 

I wouldn't use that dealer if they told you that

 

Once a year or when the oil life monitor say to. Owners manual is clear on service intervals.

 

It depends on the oil you use and how you drive the car. If you mainly make short hop drives you'll get more fuel dilution and as a result will want to change your oil more than 1 time a year. Otherwise medium distance/ highway driving would be ok to 5000mi if using dexos2.

Personally I change my oil at 4500mi and that puts me at roughly 3 times a year.

 

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The car is smart, it tells you when you need to change the oil.

 

You only need to change the oil/filter when the oil life monitor tells you to. In most non-track, low-mileage situations that will be once a year. Don't let greedy dealers suck you in - read the manual!

 

Pfft... just had mine in this very morning for the first oil change (and DCT filter change)... 7,400 miles on the odo, 2% oil life left, and %6 DCT filter life left. Based on my tracking, I would have hit 0% oil life right at 7,500 miles.

5k miles and 6 months are bogus values and I wouldn't trust anything they say moving forward.

 

They are not bogus. They are HIGHLY dependent on how often you drive and how you drive. Yes GMs oil life monitor has more intelligence than a mile counter. However once combustion byproducts enter oil it will slowly become acidic and should be replaced after some time I would say if you put 5000mi on the car in 1 year then once a year oil changes would be ok. If you put 5000mi on the car in 6 months you should change the oil more than once a year.

 

Oil is CHEAP Insurance! I change my oil every 3,000 miles or after a second track day when oil temp goes over 250 degrees.

 

If you put 5000 miles on in 6 months (and assuming you keep adding miles at that rate) the oil life monitor will STILL tell you when to change the oil. In that case it will be mileage based and sooner than one year.

 

Track days and high oil temperatures put you in a special class. The everyday driver can safely rely on the oil life monitor. That's what it's there for.

 

Exactly, so the dealer's comment was bogus. Here it is again:
"I was at the dealer this morning and they told me I need to change the oil in my C8 at 5,000 miles or every 6 months."
That's pretty straightforward... and wrong.

 

Guess you didn't read the rest of my comment.

 

For most drivers that put 5000 miles in 6 months, the OLM will not indicate a need to change the oil yet. But if that same driver continues at the same rate, then around 9 month the mileage will be approaching 7,500 miles. The OLM will indicate a need to change the oil at, or before 7,500 miles, depending on driving conditions - and so somewhere between 6-9 months for this hypothetical driver, the OLM will indicate a need to change the oil.

But the requirement in the manual is to change the oil when the OLM says so, or at least once a year, and it does not waiver from that. There is no stated mileage interval for an oil change in the Owners Manual. What is says is, every 7,500 miles check the OLM and change "if necessary". It also says if the OLM is accidentally reset, change it 3000 miles from the last change. This seems to imply that at a worst case, the OLM might indicate a need to change the oil at 3000 miles. And it also says, in the Severe Conditions section "Vehicles that are regularly used for short trips of 6 km (4 mi) or less: The oil life indicator will show you when to change the oil and filter. Under severe conditions the indicator may come on before 12 000 km (7,500 mi)." In other words it is saying even under these conditions you can rely on the OLM.

Nowhere does it say to change it at 5000 miles, and nowhere does it say to change it at least every 6 month. So, bogus or not, the advice the dealer gave is not consistent with the Owners Manual.

 

OP: Did they tell you that you NEEDED to change the oil at 5,000 miles or RECOMMEND that you do so. Big difference legally and I would guarantee that you were told they recommend such service since the first rule taught to all service advisors is to NEVER SAY A SERVICE IS NEEDED, but only RECOMMEND such work. I recently called around to get quotes to get the DCT fluid replaced at the 3-year mark on my '22 Z51 HTC. Some dealers "recommended" that I replace the external filter at the same time without knowing that I have over 10,000 miles before it is due to be replaced. They also "recommended" that I replace the internal filter which happens to be a "lifetime" part that does not appear on the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual. Buyer beware...