Oil Bible

medic...



You pose good questions. I would say that if one were to abide by the 3k miles or 3 months change guideline that is used as common practice here in the US that oil analysis is probably not necessary. If one were to use synthetic oil however, or even if one were to wish to extend the change interval with dino oil, then, as I stated a few posts earlier, I think it is wise to do oil analysis 2 to 3 times so you can establish a benchmark for oil change intervals (a repeat of analysis should follow every 50k miles or so after as the engine ages) Personally I feel in most situations (read not all) it is better for both the environment and the vehicle in question to be run with synthetic oils changed at higher than 3k miles or 3 month intervals. I have found through analysis that my Camry does best when I change my oil about every 5k-8k miles depending on my driving conditions.
 
Medic:



Some people like to do oil testing every once and awhile not to determine thier oil change intervals but to determine if there are other things wrong like excessive oil burning, engine parts that are wearing abnormally etc. A complete oil analysis gives you a pretty good snapshot of your internal engine parts without taking it apart.
 
Hi,



Manufacturers' recommended oil changes intervals here in the UK are generally 12 to 15,000 miles or one year (some far longer), and are usually adhered to by the public, many of whom drive like maniacs. Not doing a great mileage but occasionally doing the maniac bit I change (synthetic) oil and filter yearly.



I think that people would look on 3k oil changes as wasteful, which is probably why there are no Jiffy-Lubes in the UK. I don't want to be po-faced, but all that old oil has to go somewhere, and I guess that most of it is down the drains or buried somewhere.



I can't see why a quality oil, not necessarily synthetic, should not be able to support 12/15k - 1 year oil changes. When engines are sealed and engine oil is only topped up by garages we'll all be on extended drain intervals!



Regards, Kes.
 
jonbeling said:
how do you properly despose of oil when you change it yourslef?
Click to expand...



You take to the Jiffy-Lube :)



And as to what happens to waste oil, it is recycled and pumped back into your car next time you get your oil changed at Jiffy-Lube:shocked
 
Hi,



I think that there's a comment on one of the oil bible pages that says that five times as much oil is 'lost' in a year (i.e. sold and never recovered) than is lost by oil tanker spills. I take mine to the local waste disposal site but what happens to it then is anyone's guess. I never see a great amount of used oil there, so probably there are many people out there who aren't so careful as, for instance, the enthusiasts on this BBS.



A friend of mine has owned a British motorcycle from new in 1955, when there were no multigrades and the recommended oil change interval was 1500 miles. He has now ridden the thing for over 700,000 miles, and still does between 20,000 to 30,000 miles a year, mainly through Europe. (There have of course been engine rebuilds, he recently changed the bigends at 360,000 miles...) I asked him how he managed with oil changes when he was away on his trips, expecting that the machine would be cosseted with the finest oil and frequent changes. 'I change the oil and filter during the winter, and I get whatever oil is on offer at the local store,' he said. 'After that I just top up - the fresh oil acts like a small oil change.' Hmmm.



Regards, Kes.
 
BMW, and if I'm not mistaken, Porsche (at least for the Boxster) recommend 15k intervals between oil changes. If you use a synthetic, I don't see why you can't go that far. So, that's what I'm going to do with the wife's BMW.



That being said, my Ford only gets a yearly change, not that many miles driven per year, and the Toyota, my daily driver, will get the recommended interval of 7.5K.



I can't see doing 3k oil changes unless something in your driving style or driving conditions are really out of the ordinary.



But, what do I know, I've never owned anything long enough to wear it out.:nixweiss



BOB
 
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