So how true do I stay with the oil life on the D.I.C.? And at what percent do you recommend changing it at
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It's not right at all mostly. I just changed mine every 3000 with the cheapest stuff I can find
Life monitor is not very acturate at all. I can be at 2000 miles and it will say 60% in the summer months.
Go by miles driven or months, which ever you wish. So 3,000 miles or 6 months, something like that.
Call me old fashion but I just look at the sticker in the windshield and change it when its close.
I change it every 3k or 3 months whichever is first.
35-40% is usually around 3-4,000 miles. I actually watch mine, and not the odometer. It calculates several factors and won't match the miles method but it IS consistent in it's opinion. In my opinion, whoever has everybody thinking today's oils can only go two or three thousand miles in a roller cammed engine ... must be working at a refinery. I change mine at 35-40% "oil life" though, because I drive almost every mile in heavy stop-and-go traffic.
The very process of changing oil is damaging to the motor. I'm NOT trying to start a flame war, but here's what I do:
1) What ever oil you use, I suggest filling the new oil filter before screwing it on. This helps reduce the amount of time the engine is running without oil after it's started. Don't believe this helps, try it both ways and watch the oil pressure gauge.
2) I use the cheapest FULLY synthetic oil. Synthetic oil lasts much longer than traditional oil and it flows better when the engine is cold. I usually go around 10,000 miles between changes. My car and my wifes both have over 200,000 miles. This means fewer oil and filter changes.
3) Use the correct viscosity for the motor. This impact engine life and mileage. Sometimes it can be hard to find 5w synthetic oil. Look for the right oil.
4) Only driving short trips can be hard on the oil. For example if you commute a half mile to work and back each day, condensation can develop because the motor never really heats up. You may see the oil cap looks like it's coated in milk. That's a sign of water or condensation. Synthetic oil doesn't do as well with condensation as conventional oil. If you only make short trips change the oil via the calendar and not the odometer.
Why did I come up with this strategy? When I was in school my auto mech teacher told me the story of when he was in Vietnam. His team was responsible for keeping a bunch of huge generators running. The directions said they needed to be shut down and have the oil and filter needed to be changed every 8 hours and rebuilt every 500 hours or so. He ignored the maintenance recommendations and only changed the oil once a day instead of 3 times a day. It turned out that his generators lasted longer than everyone elses and looked a lot better during the rebuilds. The very act of draining the oil, and then restarting was more destructive to the motors. He also said he rested a lot better, not having to get up and change the oil every night. He also went on to explain that an unchanged filter will eventually plug up. The holes in the filter become smaller and smaller over time restricting oil flow as they become plugged with dirt. I've had no problem going every 10,000 miles between changes. I'm a big fan of synthetic oil because it flows better when starting the motor. http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop...-your-oil.html
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