oil change frequency

[JLRvtec]

How often should oil be changed. Really, is it 7500 miles. And what is the deal with the 100k mile service?

[BantamSLK]

I think the manual for mine said 5000 miles, but if you used nicer oil you could probably go for 7500 without any problems, it all depends on the car, how hard you drive it, cold starts, stop & go traffic, etc.

And I am not 100% familiar with the 100k service, but many dealerships have a set number of service checks, i.e. 25k/50k/75k/100k and they will just do general maintenance stuff for you, try to sell you stuff you don't need, etc.

[radiocontrolhead]

every 3 k

[XeNonCiViC]

Originally Posted by radiocontrolhead

every 3 k

Every 3k IS WAY TOO SOON, unless you are driving the car hard all the time, or you live in some crazy climate like alaska or death valley. The "Jiffy Lube" propaganda must have gotten to radiocontrol head's, because it is the jiffy lube places that have pushed the 3K oil change frequency so they can increase their profits at the expense of clueless consumers.

Normally, every 5-6K miles would be a good time to change your oil. You can also follow the maintainence minder built in the car and change the oil when it reaches 15% (my car reaches 15% about every 6K miles). If you use a synthetic oil, you can go more than 5-6K miles between oil changes. It's not an exact science, but 3K is definately too soon.

The 100K service is referring to a major tune up; Spark plugs, wires, valve adjustment, etc.

[ethlar]

does the oil life display actually have sensors to check the quality of the oil or is it based on mileage?

[Tyredurgan]

Originally Posted by ethlar

does the oil life display actually have sensors to check the quality of the oil or is it based on mileage?

It has sensors that "check" I dont know what it means but they supposedly know what they're doing.

I'm at 1600 and my oil life is reading 80%

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by ethlar

does the oil life display actually have sensors to check the quality of the oil or is it based on mileage?

No, there is nothing that actually measure the oil in your car. It is not entirely based on milage though, it looks at the overall stress put into the oil by the engine and predicts how much life is left.

Tha problem with this idea is that if you use anything other than Honda OEM oil, you will have different results. Forinstance Red Line can go far longer, so the oil meter will show the oil is "dead" way to soon. On the other hand maybe you use cheap Wal-Mart brand, then the oil will be dead way before the indicator says so.

So until they put something in the actually measures the oil, I'm not trusting any indictors.

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by XeNonCiViC

Every 3k IS WAY TOO SOON, unless you are driving the car hard all the time, or you live in some crazy climate like alaska or death valley. The "Jiffy Lube" propaganda must have gotten to radiocontrol head's, because it is the jiffy lube places that have pushed the 3K oil change frequency so they can increase their profits at the expense of clueless consumers.

Normally, every 5-6K miles would be a good time to change your oil. You can also follow the maintainence minder built in the car and change the oil when it reaches 15% (my car reaches 15% about every 6K miles). If you use a synthetic oil, you can go more than 5-6K miles between oil changes. It's not an exact science, but 3K is definately too soon.

The 100K service is referring to a major tune up; Spark plugs, wires, valve adjustment, etc.

Well, I personally think 6k on normal dino oil is a bit long, but to each our own. The only real way to know when to change your oil is to get it tested, Black Stone Labs does a good job and others a good explination.

As for the 100k tune up, really it is nothing. I think the oil thing that has not been changed by that point is the plugs (our cars do not have plug wires), and I personally would change them before 100k, but agian that's just me.

[CHRIS]

Originally Posted by Jrfish007

Well, I personally think 6k on normal dino oil is a bit long, but to each our own. The only real way to know when to change your oil is to get it tested, Black Stone Labs does a good job and others a good explination.

As for the 100k tune up, really it is nothing. I think the oil thing that has not been changed by that point is the plugs (our cars do not have plug wires), and I personally would change them before 100k, but agian that's just me.

what do the civics use inexchange for the spark plug wires?

[FujiBlueSi]

Originally Posted by CHRIS

what do the civics use inexchange for the spark plug wires?

The coils sit directly on top of the plugs.

[CHRIS]

Originally Posted by FujiBlueSi

The coils sit directly on top of the plugs.

kewl

[civicboy]

I just did my first oil change at 5800 miles last week. I just wanted to make sure that the motor was broken in properly with the special oil from the factory. No sense in changing oil at every 3k. I usually do it about every 5k or so, unless its a higher milage car then I will change the oil around 3k.

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by civicboy

I just did my first oil change at 5800 miles last week. I just wanted to make sure that the motor was broken in properly with the special oil from the factory. No sense in changing oil at every 3k. I usually do it about every 5k or so, unless its a higher milage car then I will change the oil around 3k.

I think 4,000 miles is plenty. If you want to sve your engine at higher milage, switch to a thick oil, maybe 5w30 around 50,000-60,000 miles

[XeNonCiViC]

I think the important thing is to use a high quality oil. As long as you are using a name brand oil and not the wal-mart $1 per quart special, 5,000 miles should be no problem under NORMAL driving conditions. About 1.5-2 years ago, Consumer Reports did a report on oil change/life. They used New York Taxi Cabs as their guinea pigs, which their engines probably deal with harsher driving conditions than most cars would. The report said that 6,000 miles between oil changes is perfectly fine. They found no significant oil breakdown at this mileage.

I change my oil every 6,000 miles with a 5W-20 Synthetic Blend, which I think is more than adequate to protect my engine.

[jayjr98]

Originally Posted by Jrfish007

I think 4,000 miles is plenty. If you want to sve your engine at higher milage, switch to a thick oil, maybe 5w30 around 50,000-60,000 miles

4000 mile OCI (oil change intervals) on a civic is overkill. Blackstone labs will send you a free oil analysis kit (container and shipping label)... you get the sample, send it back to them and they analyze your oil, give you the results and their interpretation of the results all for $20.

The following site is for serious oil "junkies"... www.bobistheoilguy.com

If you take the time on there, you will see that Honda motor oil (made by ExxonMobil) is EXACTLY the same thing as Exxon Superflo. And you will also find that based on ACTUAL USED OIL ANALYSIS TESTS that these are fairly high quality oil and they do not need to be changed anymore frequent than 5000 miles. In fact, most people on that board get their oil tested each time they change the oil and get the analysis results back and they, over time, adjust their oil change intervals based on the lab results.

There are many people on that board that run their choice of "dino" oil for up to 7k or even 8k miles and they have actual oil analysis results to show that they are NOT hurting their car b/c the oil still has life.

My point is this... go here... http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas_engines.html and have them mail you your free stuff, then send in an oil sample when you do your next oil change. Their results will tell you if you are doing the correct oil change intervals or if they are too long (dead oil) or too short (throwing away oil that is still perfectly good)...

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by jayjr98

4000 mile OCI (oil change intervals) on a civic is overkill. Blackstone labs will send you a free oil analysis kit (container and shipping label)... you get the sample, send it back to them and they analyze your oil, give you the results and their interpretation of the results all for $20.

The following site is for serious oil "junkies"... www.bobistheoilguy.com

If you take the time on there, you will see that Honda motor oil (made by ExxonMobil) is EXACTLY the same thing as Exxon Superflo. And you will also find that based on ACTUAL USED OIL ANALYSIS TESTS that these are fairly high quality oil and they do not need to be changed anymore frequent than 5000 miles. In fact, most people on that board get their oil tested each time they change the oil and get the analysis results back and they, over time, adjust their oil change intervals based on the lab results.

There are many people on that board that run their choice of "dino" oil for up to 7k or even 8k miles and they have actual oil analysis results to show that they are NOT hurting their car b/c the oil still has life.

My point is this... go here... http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas_engines.html and have them mail you your free stuff, then send in an oil sample when you do your next oil change. Their results will tell you if you are doing the correct oil change intervals or if they are too long (dead oil) or too short (throwing away oil that is still perfectly good)...

uhmmm.... I already do that, I have 3 samples already from black stone labs, but I pay the extra $10 for the TBN because that is generally what drops. With a TBN around 1, your oil is generally gone, and most dino oils drop to 1 around 4k-5k miles. The $20 test only test the metal content of the oil, not telling you the actual life of the oil. If there is metal content in the oil, it is a little late.

Yes I've been to bobistheoilguy.com, and for the most part they are pretty good, but they also once in a while jump to conclusions on that forum.

The overall point is that not everybody gets their tested mostly because the cost of getting the oil tested is more than the oil change, so in that case it is cheaper and easier just to change it a little early then to late every time.

[jayjr98]

Originally Posted by Jrfish007

uhmmm.... I already do that, I have 3 samples already from black stone labs, but I pay the extra $10 for the TBN because that is generally what drops. With a TBN around 1, your oil is generally gone, and most dino oils drop to 1 around 4k-5k miles. The $20 test only test the metal content of the oil, not telling you the actual life of the oil. If there is metal content in the oil, it is a little late.

Yes I've been to bobistheoilguy.com, and for the most part they are pretty good, but they also once in a while jump to conclusions on that forum.

The overall point is that not everybody gets their tested mostly because the cost of getting the oil tested is more than the oil change, so in that case it is cheaper and easier just to change it a little early then to late every time.

Yes I'm aware of the TBN analysis and what it means... but your results are very inconsistent with others. Can you please post your UOA on this thread? I've never heard of Honda (Exxon Superflo) having a TBN < 2.0 with under 5000 miles. If you would be so kind as to scan your UOA I would appreciate it.

[jayjr98]

I also think you're missing my main point. Find an oil you like, get it tested the first 2 or 3 oil changes to find out how the oil you chose is working in your engine, adjust the oil change interval accordingly, and then don't worry about testing your oil so often...

I mean its probably worth the cost of 2 UOA ($40-$60) if it tells you that you can now go from 3k to 6k on your oil change intervals. It will save you money in the long run.

[XeNonCiViC]

I agree with jayjr98. There is NO way that dino oil after 4-5K miles will have no life left in the oil under normal driving conditions, UNLESS you drive like you're racing in the Daytona 500 all the time.

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by jayjr98

Yes I'm aware of the TBN analysis and what it means... but your results are very inconsistent with others. Can you please post your UOA on this thread? I've never heard of Honda (Exxon Superflo) having a TBN < 2.0 with under 5000 miles. If you would be so kind as to scan your UOA I would appreciate it.

I don't use Honda OEM oil, never said I did. The only Honda oil I ever had in my car is when I first bought the car. I use Motorcraft oil right now because the price to quality ratio is rather good IMO. I have done oil analysis on my '04 civic, but I gave the maintance records to the dealer (at their request) because it was lemoned.

I think where we are confusing eachother, I am speaking of dino oil in general, you are speaking about Honda/Exxon oil. I readly admit that some dino oils can go longer, but for the price of those dino oils you can generally get a decent synthetic for just a little bit more. For instance, Honda oil is around $3.50-4 a quart (correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't bought Honda OEM oil in a long time) and I can get Mobil 1 for around $4.00 a quart from a bulk supplier in town, for 0.50 more, I would go with Mobile 1.

My point is if you buy high end dino, you can probably go longer, but then you could just take the jump to synthetic for close to the same price. IF you really want I can pull plenty of UOA's that show low TBN of many brands of dino oil that run around $2-3 a quart, but I'm rather busy right now and I'm sure you can find plenty of them.

I will be doing a series of tests on my oil changes coming up (including my '06 civic) but as you probably know Blackstone labs is not exactly next day service, but I never minded waiting.