Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Oil change frequency?

I run Mobil 1 and Wix filters, change the filter at 5K, oil and filter at 10K.

Run the oil 7,500 mi. and get an oil test. That is the true answer. I have run my Amsoil for 46,000 miles with an oil filter change every 15,000. The oil was still good at 46,000 mi. but the numbers were getting a bit high. I went with Amsoil again and went 39,000 mi. and by then the test said it was 80% of the maximum allowed for oxidation so I changed it. You can so easily go 10,000 miles. My GMC diesel computer is like clock work, every 10,000 miles. Now I use Shell Rotella T6 and change every 15,000 or so but use a mobil 1 oil filter. Keep your air filter clean and you wont ever have a problem unless you are in dusty roads.

Depends on driving conditions. Every manual has normal and severe service tables.

I bought a new Toyota Highlander last year. Part of the deal is that it came with free scheduled maintenance for the first two years. So I just took it in for the first 5,000 mile/6 month checkup and learned that an oil change was not included. The manager said that Toyota has changed their policy to that oil changes now occur at 10,000 mile intervals. I know they use synthetic oil, but that seems like an awfully long interval especially for a new car. I'm considering changing it on my own, but maybe 10,000 is OK? I know things change. When I first started driving spark plugs weren't expected to last for more than about 30,000 miles. Anyone have thoughts on this?

... You stand about as much chance of getting abducted by ET and taken to another planet than an honest to goodness oil related engine failure based on not changing it often enough happening to you at either interval...

I bought a new Toyota Highlander last year. Part of the deal is that it came with free scheduled maintenance for the first two years. So I just took it in for the first 5,000 mile/6 month checkup and learned that an oil change was not included. The manager said that Toyota has changed their policy to that oil changes now occur at 10,000 mile intervals. I know they use synthetic oil, but that seems like an awfully long interval especially for a new car. I'm considering changing it on my own, but maybe 10,000 is OK? I know things change. When I first started driving spark plugs weren't expected to last for more than about 30,000 miles. Anyone have thoughts on this?

32.774 pages, minumum.

Ahem.

Anyway, Toyota told me the same thing in 2016 with my Camry. I've no doubt the full synthetic oils are better. I've also no doubt that Toyota & the dealers would like to save $. My gut told me they're betting that they can get the cars to the end of the factory warranty with 10K oil changes, and that's the end of what they have to stand behind.

You'll no doubt get lots of advice of what intervals to use. You're smart enough to know that highway miles are way easier on a car than city driving, and that short trips are hard on oil, especially in cold weather. Perhaps your Highlander has a GDI engine, and you're leery that might dilute the oil, so you go more conservatively on the OCI's. You could eyeball it. You could send samples of every batch to Blackstone for analysis. In the end, you'll pick a point on the spectrum where you feel most comfortable. And you'll be exactly right - for you.

After discussing it with my mechanic of 27 years, I settled on 7,500 mile intervals, paying for it myself at the mechanic when Toyota's "free maintenance" coupons wouldn't. I'll never know if I've been throwing $ away, but I figure the extra cost aint breaking me, and the peace of mind feels like a bargain.

Good Luck,

FC

No way Id go over 5k..

My 19 Duramax diesel has the oil life gage on it. It goes below 20% left when I hit about 3000 miles. Warranty covers my oil changes and the dealer abides by the gage.

Shorter mileage spans between oil changes will never hurt you.Longer ones just might.

With synthetic oil 10K oil changes are conservative. You can probably go longer. I've been doing 10K on my 2007 Tacoma since new. I'm at 202,000 miles now with no oil consumption between changes. I do the same with my F150 and Honda. They have well over 200K combined.

There are lots of guys over at the Tacoma forum with over 400K on their trucks that used 10k intervals. There is a guy in NC who got 880,000 out of his 1st engine with 10K oil changes. It was still fine internally, but needed a new head gasket. Rather than repair the old engine he bought one from a scrapyard with 100K on it. He is over 1.3 million miles now and still changing oil at 10K. Actually, he doesn't change at a certain mileage, just once/month. But he averages driving 10,000 miles each month.

I bought a new Toyota Highlander last year. Part of the deal is that it came with free scheduled maintenance for the first two years. So I just took it in for the first 5,000 mile/6 month checkup and learned that an oil change was not included. The manager said that Toyota has changed their policy to that oil changes now occur at 10,000 mile intervals. I know they use synthetic oil, but that seems like an awfully long interval especially for a new car. I'm considering changing it on my own, but maybe 10,000 is OK? I know things change. When I first started driving spark plugs weren't expected to last for more than about 30,000 miles. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I bought a new Toyota Highlander last year. Part of the deal is that it came with free scheduled maintenance for the first two years. So I just took it in for the first 5,000 mile/6 month checkup and learned that an oil change was not included. The manager said that Toyota has changed their policy to that oil changes now occur at 10,000 mile intervals. I know they use synthetic oil, but that seems like an awfully long interval especially for a new car. I'm considering changing it on my own, but maybe 10,000 is OK? I know things change. When I first started driving spark plugs weren't expected to last for more than about 30,000 miles. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Full Synthetic, weight per engine requirements.

5,000 mi.


I'm sure others know as well.

Manufacturers change things such as oil ports etc. and have gone to THINNER oils --> Farther distance on changes.........

IMO, that increases wear.

YMMV

My daily driver is a 2013 Toyota Avalon that sees almost exclusively highway miles for long stints.
It sees OE oil, OE filter and gets serviced every 10K at the dealer.

I'm not going to bother fooling with doing an oil change for $50.

..........Yep, I had the same dealer oil change program with my bought new 2015 Ram....However for the first two years of freebie dealer oil changes, my oil change intervals were every 6K miles because the Ram dealer used Mopar regular non synthetic oil. For the last nearly 3 years since my free oil changes ceased, I have been using Amsoil Signature Series changing oil every 15K miles.....Changing oil every 10K miles is no problem IF using a FULL SYNTHETIC OIL of high quality.....Factory spark plugs of today are designed for extremely long life 75K and beyond...Cars and trucks are not the same now as many years ago. They run much cleaner using todays cleaner gas...If u check your owners manual I'll wager that your first plug change is due at around the 100K mark like my Ram Hemi.....As a tip I pour a combustion chamber/fuel system cleaner made by Amsoil into the tank every 5K miles....NOPE...No need to change plugs every 15K to 30k like the old days.....