ib516 wrote:



FRAM = junk

These are pictures for the Duramax application...





Notice how cheap the FRAM looks? Cardboard inside where the AC Delco is metal? And look at the filter media -- About 60% of the size of the AC Delco one. Cheap! Cheap! China could build a better filter!

Caddywhompus wrote:

My FIL, a diehard GM fanatic who won't even look at other cars, had a hard-time swallowing the oil life monitor also. 50 years of changing his own oil, and 3000 miles was the number for all those years, then the 05 Silverado came into his garage and it wanted him to wait until 10,000 or so. It didn't sit right with him either, and he decided the "fancy-schmancy computer don't know squat". Instead, he does the 3000 mile change to this day, ignoring the computer altogether. I don't know what it matters so much to him, he trades in cars around 80k miles so he could probably get by with about 8 oil changes in total.

I gave up on the 3000 mile oil change years ago when I was a mechanic at a Chrysler dealership. We had photocopies of the service schedule for all the models at that time, so we could "recommend" (upsell) customers when they came in. I noticed on my first day that the "severe duty" schedule only required oil changes every 5000 miles, and the "normal duty" schedule called for oil changes every 15k miles! Of course the dealership still put the oil change reminder stickers on people's windshield and used 3000 as the next service interval. I asked the shop manager why we did that, when even the severe duty schedule said 5000, and his reply was "People don't read the manuals, and 3000 gets them in here more often." Nice eh?


I know I'm one of the few that actually read the manuals...first...on everything I get. Caddy, you bring up a good point about the dealership, when you say the 3000 mile sticker gets the customer in more often= more money. I have noted that with my '07 they want to grease and adjust every widget at half year intervals, IMO to make more money, due to the fact that there is less and less to do on modern cars and they are coming up with anything they can think of, to keep the bucks rolling in.
Another issue is that many dealers routinely over fill the oil capacity during an oil change because they use machines to do the work. We measure things in liters, so if a vehicle uses 4.2 liters of oil, the dealer has two close settings on the oil change dispenser...either 4.0 liters or 4.5 liters. They set at 4.5 liters even though the manufacturer says you should not over fill-over the full mark. Course they could set it at 4 liters and then manually add the 200 cc to get it to the correct level.

I myself tested the oil change interval extensively. I ran a 1988 Plymouth Voyager 230k miles changing the oil about twice a year (12k miles give or take). And for the record, I definitely should have been following the severe duty schedule the way I used that van. It was a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder van, 5-speed manual trans. I never had engine problems of any sort, and even after my brother took ownership and ran the van near 300k miles it didn't use more than a quart of oil between 12k mile oil changes.

I always used the severe service schedule, when there was one. In my 2007, there is no severe or highway schedule, I'm just to go by the computer. I'm not sure I trust the manufacturer, because the other thing I notice with both our 2007's is the fact that they do not have grease nipples for the suspension. Can't grease the suspension. More costs through early suspension components replacement, for those who keep our vehicles longer. So by doing away with the ability to provide regular and fresh lube to the moving parts in the suspension, I tend to wonder if the extended interval oil changes are just another money maker ?

Oh, and for all you synthetic oil guys, I never use the stuff. As a mechanic I saw plenty of engines come apart and the owners scratching their heads "But I've been running Mobil 1 since it was new!" It wasn't the oil's fault, if a motor is going to come apart it generally isn't because it wore out, which is the only thing oil prevents. Sometimes it's just luck-of-the-draw. I ran whatever oil was cheapest when I went shopping, switching brands to whatever coupon I had and always buying the cheapest filters (typically Fram or store brand).

All that said, on my newer cars I've increased the service intervals. It averages to about 5-6000 miles between changes, and I suspect I could go further by the look of the oil. I still use the cheapest oil and filters, but now I buy a case at a time to save even more money. If I had the GM oil life monitor, I would definitely follow it. These modern engines are so much tighter they just don't wear out oil like the old motors. Most of the reason for the 3000 mile oil change was gasoline leaking past the piston rings diluting the oil over time. That just doesn't happen anymore.

minex wrote:



I don't get it. The owners manual for the 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD 5.9L has 7,500 mile oil changes for heavy use and 15,000 miles for light use. However, just about everyone I talk to, including the dealership, friends, people on other forums, recommend that I don't follow the owners manual and do the oil changes between 3,000-5,000. They say that the 7,500 and especially the 15,000 mile interval is just asking for trouble, which is weird since these values came straight from the people who designed the truck

A few people say that the 7,500 mile interval is O.K., but I cannot find a single person who agrees that the 15,000 mile oil change interval is O.K.

Of course, when I ask the same people when I should do fuel filter changes, tire rotations, and just about any other maintenance interval, they tell me to refer to the manual. I guess the engineers got everything right but the oil changes...

Bigcoyote wrote:

I use the on board oil computer - I change oil at about 25%. I use full synthetic oil (recommended by manufacturer) and a good quality oil filter.

Fordlover wrote:



I can adjust the oil life indicator on my X, I've found that resetting it to 70-80% allows me about 4,500 miles before it notifies me it's time to get it to the dealer for an oil change. When the warranty runs out, I'll be changing the oil at home.

I know a guy who leases a new car every two years, and probably averages about 40K miles on them. He thinks anyone who changes the oil in a lease car more than once or twice is being generous. So I won't be buying any fresh off lease gold Lexus sedans anytime soon.

RGordon wrote:

It is obvious why we have an oil shortage and prices are hitting the roof. We are just wasting our natural resources and money by changing at 3,000 miles when 5 to 7K would be just as good and meets manufacture specification's. You are not still using leaded gasoline like in the 60's. I use regular oil and change every 5,000 so it is easy to know when it is time to change.