If I tried that on my SRT-4, my warranty would be null and void. The booklet they gave me is very specific...3 months or 3,000 miles for the first 15 months, period, no exceptions, and the oil must be changed at a Dodge dealer. They even sign/initial each page in the booklet after they finish, so there is no question as to who, what, when, where and how....

I agree it's never too early to switch to syn, especially when they come from the factory with it like SRT-4s....someday, it might be too late, though.....

 

Dusty, I applaud your efforts to keep the engine clean but every 3K is way to often with Mobil 1. Youre just throwing money away, also you can have your oil changed anywhere you want(though I recommend the dealer). The Crossfire is 10X the car the SRT-4 is and the oil change interval on that is 7500-15000 depending on driving conditions.

Chasman-run synthetic(Mobil 1 or Amsoil only)and change oil and filter at about 7500 or so, not that crucial when running synthetic. That HEMI was broken in enough the day you left the dealership.

FYI-no manufacter can "force" you to have your car serviced at the dealer unless they provide the service free-parts and labor. That is federal law.

 

dodgemech. What do you think of the Mopar filters quality, and do you know who manufactures them? Are they good for these longer change intervals your talking about? Thanks man.

 

You know I don't know who makes them, I used to be real finiky about oil flters on my cars(I like the Napa gold line personally) but I think as long as you are using name brand stuff you'll be OK. When I worked for GM we had a TSB for cold engine knock and the fix was to take the AC Delco filter off and spin on a Fram filter(factory's fix, I swear). I think using Mopar filters will be fine, if you are really worried about it(I have some friends who remind me of you) you could change just the filter every 3000 and add another qaurt of synthetic. I have friends who do that(F1 fans, figures huh?).

 

I'm fairly certain they are re-painted Frams.

Dusty,

The owner's manual was written by lawyers to scare you into compliance. That said, I don't blame you for following their schedule.

 

Dude, it takes more than lawyers to scare me, I've been married 4 times and served in Vietnam, Panama, and Desert Storm....I've been twice decorated by order of the President of the United States and spent 21 years on active duty plus 10 years in the Reserves....That said, I've driven cars and trucks and motorcycles for over 35 years now. When you invest big bucks into a vehicle, it's a major commitment, just like marriage, and I'm going to do this one by the book. My warranty states the requirements for the oil changes, not the owner's manual.....maybe it's a "dodge thing"....

[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Dusty-again I'll say it, I have worked for Dodge for several years. Also worked for GM for a few, they cannot make you get your car serviced anywhere special unless they pay for it for you. Thay also cannot deny warranty claims for lac of proof of maintence unless it is obvious the reason for failure is owners responsibuility or aftermarket parts.

 

I just purchased my 04 Durango Limited with the Hemi and had to jump in on this topic. Most manufactures recommend the 3000-5000 mile oil change since they are in the back pockets of the oil manufactures (not to metion most people bring their cars to the dealer for service). Now you see alot of the European cars come with the 3-4 year free service (including scheduled maintenance). When they swithced to this they also raised their oil change frequencies to ~15K miles. All of the one's that do this (BMW, SAAB, MB etc) use synthetic from the factory. I have had an 00' BMW and currently have an 04' SAAB. Both of these have a light/notification when it is time to schedule your appointment. The BMW happened around 14K. On the SAAB I have not had it long enough yet but on the SAAB forum people are reporting anywhere from 12K to 18K miles. Several people have sent their oil off for analysis and at 18K it has very little breakdown and the estimated miles was said to be 5k when acctual was 14-18K.

I traded an 01 Excursion 4X4 V10 65k miles on the Durango and I changed the oil at 7500-9K on it and had the oil anylized 2 times with no noticable breakdown. This was your basic Penzoil 5-30W.

 

Well, I owe a 98 Durango 5.2L, I wouldnt wait that long. I know durangos are infamous for engine problems, even thugh you have the new one is still a dodge and is still a durango. On 97-01 models there is a compresion problem that tends to build up oil sludge inside the engine if you dont do your oil changes at least every 3K miles, some people did their changes ever 3K and still go the sludge on it,,,, eventually their engine clogged up and dodge denied the repair under the excuse of lack of mantenance.... so I recommend 2 things, do your oil changes every 3K miles and keep every singlke receipt of oil changes because if you ever need major maintenance from dodge they might just give you the foot if you dont have proof of maintenance... good luck