[Kris]

Interesting test results: M1 test

 

[WindsorFox]

Heh, imagine that. I wonder if all the nay-sayers are going to start callin M1 users all kinds of nasty names now like they do us who have used Amsoil for years? The S 2000 calims it is good for 35K miles or 12 months, so I figure I am very safe for 12 months since I MIGHT hit 12K miles in that time.

 

[Tyler_Canada]

One thing to point out: the test indicates that wear happens quicker during the first few thousand miles after an oil change. What they did not take into account is that the engine was only 10,000 miles old when the test was started. Who is to say that the engine wasn't just finishing off the process of breaking in?

I saw an improvement in mileage and power up to 36,000 miles on my '01 Cherokee.

 

[senza]

Very interesting test results....extended oil change intervals are not harmful...but the warranty question remains...is it worth extending oil changes beyond warranty requirements?????

 

[ekaxel]

It is up to the dealer/warranty rep to prove that a warranty failure was oil related, regardless of change interval.

 

[Eric L.]

The test never concluded that extended change intervals were not harmful to the engine. They merely concluded that Blackstone's test said that the oil was still ok to use. Only a complete engine tear down will reveal the difference between normal and extended change intervals. I am unsure what metric Blackstone uses, but it is possible that even if their measurement says the oil is still good, it might not be anymore.

Like I posted in the oil filter thread, I think that synthetics can go longer, but it is so easy to change the oil, why not do it more often than not? Frequent oil changes mean no question of engine condition, and no costs needed to do oil analyses.

 

[Kris]

A friend of mine used to work for Mobil when Mobil 1 was developed. At that time tests showed that even after 30,000 miles oil retained its properties. It was never published. You may do what ever you wish with this information.

As for me I will change oil every 6,000 miles (Mobil 1). It will not cost me much and will ensure engine life longevity.

 

[rtking]

The problem isn't so much the oil...

... it's the oil filter and how much sludge is formed and left behind in the engine.

If you've ever torn-down a high mileage engine, you could immediately see the difference between an engine with regular oil changes and one that didn't. The valves on the engine that didn't have many oil changes are usually covered (coked) in sludge. When I pulled the head off my '84 Mustang SVO at 127,000 miles, it was completely clean. In fact, the machine shop was shocked to learn it was a 127K mile head and asked if I had cleaned it before I brought it in. (I hadn't.)

As for the filter... having a filter work down to 3 microns is great, but bear in mind that it will begin to plug-up after a while. If the filter becomes to restricted, a bypass valve will open and you've got unfiltered oil circulating around your engine. Not good.

I agree with the others... oil and filter are relatively cheap. An engine is expensive. I personally change the oil every 5000 miles on my Audi A4 (160K miles and burns only a 1 quart in that 5000 miles).

Bob

 

[WindsorFox]

Re: The problem isn't so much the oil...

As for the filter... having a filter work down to 3 microns is great, but bear in mind that it will begin to plug-up after a while. If the filter becomes to restricted, a bypass valve will open and you've got unfiltered oil circulating around your engine. Not good.

Bob

That is not exactly correct. On the Amsoil dual remote filter, it flows through the bypass filter normally, filtering below 1 micron and it is a very big filter. If it becomes plugged or if you rev high and your demand exceeds what can flow through that filter, the valve opens and it then flows through the regular full flow filter, so you should never get unfiltered oil.