The old 5k or 10k oil change debate

I feel like oil changes are cheap in the grand scheme of things and I like to rotate my tires every 5K anyway. So while I am at it, why not change the oil. Gives me an excuse to play with my tools and hang out in the garage for awhile. Also, remember the factory has a motivation to advertise low cost of ownership for their vehicles. So on one hand, it benefits them to advertise their vehicle requires less trips to the dealership for maintenance.

 

A UOA measures all aspects of an oil's characteristics and performance. What data point indicates the oil is "dirtier" and more damaging at 10K versus 5K?

 

On a side note, Costco has 10 quarts of 0w/20 full synthetic for $30. I have been hesitant to switch over from Castrol, but at that price, it is worth a little research.

 

That’s a sweet deal! Unfortunately, the closest Costco to me is 2 hours away.

 

I can’t wait to see what they say on the new Tacoma. Turbo charged … 10 k …. Planned obsolescence
It should be interesting

 

The engines of today will someday be 26 years old

 

Im rocking their 5w-30. Truck runs just fine on it. Smells like baby dinosaurs.

 

11.8:1 compression ration isn’t that high for todays standards with direct injection and again cylinder pressure are not that high with N/A motors. Start throwing a lot boost at an engine and you will see way higher combustion chamber pressures which will cause actual blow by and oil contamination. A turbo will also generate a lot more heat in the oil since it is pumped through the bearing cartridge for cooling and lubrication.

 

Use 100% synthetic oil like Amsoil and change the filter more frequently. 100% synthetic oil can last 25,000 miles with no issues. I’ll post my 15,000 mile test results from my recent oil change whenever they arrive in my inbox. I’m slowly working up to 20-25k OCI.
I can guarantee my motor runs way cleaner, quieter and smoother than you guys using other “synthetic” oil. There was a noticeable audible difference when I switched from OEM Mobile 1 to Amsoil.
By law, only 25% of the oil is required to be synthetic to be labeled and advertised as such.
Again, it really helps to understand how engines and lubricants actually work.
If you all are going to change engine oil at 5k miles then you should be changing your gear oil and ATF every 10-15k by your standards but I doubt y’all will dish out the cash for that maintenance.

Here are some YouTube videos since that seems to be the data point source for everyone in this tread.

 

Heck at that price, you can do oil changes every week.

 

You don't need amsoil to do 15k mile oil changes, just use mobil1 extended. It worked fine in my 4.7 tundra the 19 years I owned it. Imo, the amsoil would be better suited for turbo powered engines.

 

“carcinogens”? What? I’m not drinking it!

I have been handling gasoline and motor oil for over 60 years. No cancer problems here (but YMMV.)

Even in California, where everything has a label that says it causes cancer, no matter what it is (because of wealthy lawyers and frightened citizens.)

Anyhow, all my used oil goes back and they recycle it into new motor oil, so it’s not like I’m pouring it on the ground.

And it’s not like we’re ever going to run out of oil, because we can make synthetic oil from scratch. It’s just not as inexpensive as pumping & refining crude.

 

Ummm . . . feel better about what? I don’t feel bad about it. Where do people get these ideas?

Also I own eight bicycles. Perhaps I should feel eight times as good as I do? LOL <voice = potus actual> “Come on man!” </voice>

If it makes you feel better, one time I only drove his truck 3000 miles the whole year and I only changed the oil one time.

Even though it was only about 1500 miles, skipping that oil change made me feel bad.

 

I didn’t say you needed it for 15k. I said I’m slowly working towards 25k OCI.

 

I feel fine, but I do detect some guilt on your part.

 

Used oil is oxidized and the chemical reactions that occur within used oil happen to make it more carcinogenic. It’s beyond the “everything causes cancer in California“ trope. Limiting one’s exposure to it, in general, is not a terrible idea. This means just contact with the skin and breathing the fumes.

This is just one relatively minor reason I wouldn’t change after just 2k and 6 months, like you’re saying is necessary. The main reason is that my own UOA at 3k and 15 months that I posted earlier proves it’s completely unnecessary to change after a year, let alone 6 months.

PS synthesizing motor oil when there’s also presumably no remaining natural oil that can be refined into gasoline doesn’t make any sense. I’m a petroleum geologist btw.

 

I was under the impression that even high quality synthetics start with a petroleum base product. Maybe I'm just thinking of Penzoil Platinum/Ultra that are refined from Natural Gas.
Point being though, I was under the impression we still need/use "dino" products to get to synthetics.


I don't think there needs to be any guilt or health concerns over changing ones oil frequently, nor really any major environmental arguments if the oil is recycled properly. There is some energy in recycling used oil but frankly if that is an argument then there are other things one should be doing that have a FAR greater impact.

I think the point most drive to is if it NECESSARY to do so, as in that it offers some benefits to the longevity of the engine ("peace of mind" being different).

That said, I see more folks try and rationalize short oil changes than I see folks rationalize longer ones (but not saying it doesn't happen).