It Doesn't Matter What Brand of Oil You Use: If you're the type who's influenced by facts, here are some facts about oil and engine protection. Be aware that, as the article says, it...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

If you're the type who's influenced by facts, here are some facts about oil and engine protection. Be aware that, as the article says, it covers a limited sample of oil usage. Many new cars now tell the owner when it is time to change the oil, based on driving patterns. My car has about 10,000 miles on its synthetic oil, and the car says it's at the 20% point, which seems like a good time for me to change it.

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/why-expensive-oil-is-a-waste-of-money-1797241527

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Noticed a new craze .....oil specified by car maker ie 'for Ford' or 'for Skoda' another price differential that is meaningless.

Oil change at how many thousand miles?.....mine gets new oil every time that little red light comes on. As I go through a couple of gallon a year topping it up it must have all changed pretty regularly without draining out. Just waiting for the filter to fall off and then the whole job will be done.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

G Brown wrote:

Noticed a new craze .....oil specified by car maker ie 'for Ford' or 'for Skoda' another price differential that is meaningless.

Oil change at how many thousand miles?.....mine gets new oil every time that little red light comes on. As I go through a couple of gallon a year topping it up it must have all changed pretty regularly without draining out. Just waiting for the filter to fall off and then the whole job will be done.

I had a Ford Expedition a while back, and a local garage repaired the front hubs. They required a certain type of Lube that only Ford sold. It wasn't cheap.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

G Brown wrote:

Noticed a new craze .....oil specified by car maker ie 'for Ford' or 'for Skoda' another price differential that is meaningless.

Oil change at how many thousand miles?.....mine gets new oil every time that little red light comes on. As I go through a couple of gallon a year topping it up it must have all changed pretty regularly without draining out. Just waiting for the filter to fall off and then the whole job will be done.

The engine will seize before the filter falls off.

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

jerryc41 wrote:

I had a Ford Expedition a while back, and a local garage repaired the front hubs. They required a certain type of Lube that only Ford sold. It wasn't cheap.

Now that is funny Jerry,
I just replaced the front hubs and CV shafts in my 99 Eddie Baur Explorer All wheel drive, The hubs were factory lubed and sealed, requiring on special lube, I did however place small dab of grease on the splines so they wouldn't be as dificult to remove in the future.
The same for my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan.
I change my oil and filter between 5k and 6k on both cars so far so good.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

jerryc41 wrote:

If you're the type who's influenced by facts, here... (show quote)

I use Mobile One 15 thousand mile oil, change every 3 years.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Manglesphoto wrote:

...I did however place small dab of grease on the splines so they wouldn't be as difficult to remove in the future.

While on a camping vacation, I decided to rotate the tires on the tow vehicle. One wheel would not come off, no matter what I did. I took the truck (or whatever it was) into town, and the poor guy in the gas station worked at it for quite a while - in the hot summer, of course - and he finally got it off. Now I make sure there is Never-Seez on lug nuts and any contact areas between the wheels and the car.

OlinBost Loc: Marietta, Ga.

A short time ago I viewed a Youtube video that showed how to remove stuck on lug nuts. He used a candle and a lighter. You heat up the lug nut while holding the candle near the back of the nut next to the wheel. As the wax melts it flows into the threads and loosens the nut. It works.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

now you have to worry that the wheels won't fall off on they're own. LOL

jerryc41 wrote:

While on a camping vacation, I decided to rotate the tires on the tow vehicle. One wheel would not come off, no matter what I did. I took the truck (or whatever it was) into town, and the poor guy in the gas station worked at it for quite a while - in the hot summer, of course - and he finally got it off. Now I make sure there is Never-Seez on lug nuts and any contact areas between the wheels and the car.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Any oil that meets the Ford spec would be acceptable. That guy at the garage was putting you on.

jerryc41 wrote:

I had a Ford Expedition a while back, and a local garage repaired the front hubs. They required a certain type of Lube that only Ford sold. It wasn't cheap.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

I think oil and filter changes every 5,000 or 7,000 miles is a marketing gimmick to help the dealers. Assuming the engine is running well, the oil on the dip stick still looks clean, and they are not run in dusty or very hot conditions. Our two Toyotas- one 2014 Avalon hybrid with about 24000 miles and a 2008 Sequia with 65000 miles have always had Synthetic oil that is rated for 10000 miles, but the 'Maintenance Required" lights come on every 5,000; I just reset them so I'm not always looking at it. Once they are beyond the guarantee period, I have the oil changed at 10K for the Avalon. Something less, but before the second winter for the Sequia; it is only driven about 3-4,000 mostly highway miles/year.

That "looks clean" evaluation doesn't work for diesels; they will turn new oil black within a very few miles.

Halftrack

I own a 2005 Mercury Mariner with 485,000 miles. I bought it with 22,500 miles. I changed to AMSOIL Signature 5W20 Synthetic and EAO 10 filter.
I change the oil and filter every 25,000 miles and send a sample for analysis every 100,000 miles. The analysis comes back with all metals and minerals well in range. I drive a little less than 45,000 miles a year and have not had a problem with the engine.

I have changed the seats twice because were all ragged and torn.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

sodapop wrote:

Any oil that meets the Ford spec would be acceptable. That guy at the garage was putting you on.

You are half right. At the time, and that car wasn't new, Ford was the only source of that spec lube. He could have used anything and charged me the same price, but he said he had no choice but to get it from Ford. I'm glad he went to the trouble of using the right stuff.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

JCam wrote:

I think oil and filter changes every 5,000 or 7,00... (show quote)

I've seen dealers that issue their own maintenance booklets for customers, with much more frequent services. Older cars, like my '97 Civic, had a mechanical reminder that popped up every so often, based on mileage. The new system evaluates how the car has been driven to determine when the oil should be changed, and it shows progress as a percentage. I'm at 20% right now.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

jerryc41 wrote:

I've seen dealers that issue their own maintenance booklets for customers, with much more frequent services. Older cars, like my '97 Civic, had a mechanical reminder that popped up every so often, based on mileage. The new system evaluates how the car has been driven to determine when the oil should be changed, and it shows progress as a percentage. I'm at 20% right now.

Our Toyota's work on a mileage clock only; at about 300 miles before their "deadline" we get a "Maintenance Required Soon" every time you start the car, but it vanishes after a short time. When you get beyond their limit, it doesn't vanish which is why I asked the dealer how to reset it.

Once I asked why Toyota was setting the reminder for every 5000 miles when the Synthetic Oils say they are good for at least 10,000 miles of normal road driving. At least he was honest when he said we want to check other things too --in other words "look for work"--and rotate the tires.