If anyone wants to spend some extra bucks, send an oil sample off for analysis and that will end the debate. BTW, there are lots of "oil change" websites out there that have tons of info, some of it good, some of it not so good, on different brands and recommended change intervals... just for the record, my dealer highly recommended 3,000 mile or 3 month oil changes on my SRT-4, based on the heat here in south Texas and the turbo motor. All cars/trucks are different. Thanks for the "spirited discussion".

 

that would actually be very interesting if someone WOULD send oil for an analysis...what kind of place could do that sort of thing?

 

They have several labs on the internet listed if you use the "Google" search engine....."Blackstone Labs" is one I've seen several times, seems to be the most popular...[&:]

 

it would certainly prove a point. id also like to know if lucas oil additive actually does any good. ive never been a big believer in additives. i use injection cleaner, but i think thats a bit different because of the consistency of it. i dont see how putting what seems to be very thick oil into my 1985 ramcharger can improve anything..haha

 

Unless you're burning oil, the additives are a waste of money. "STP" was actually invented by the Germans in WWII as a substitute for regular oil which was in short supply. Most additives nowdays are just a heavy weight oil that slows down oil consumption. The FTC has taken alot of the additive makers to court......(it's on the internet as well)....[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

i thought so..i saw a guy with a 1st gen neon with a turbo on it, who had a bad engine knock at the track, so he put lucas in it for his next run...

and he blew the engine...

 

Hope that wasn't his sponser!!!!!!![sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Oil analysis will tell you lots of things about chemical content and viscosity etc. Good info if you are talking about comparing new oil to 3,000 mile oil to 10,000 miles oil. But in the case of the first oil change, the area of greatest concern is the metal fragments that you want out of there. These would be hard to include accurately in a sample sent to a lab since they get hung up in filter, screens, magnetic drainplugs (if applicable) or crushed into moving engine parts like your main bearings. They obviously sink to the bottom of the sump/oil pan as soon as the engine stops. That's why they tell you to run the engine just before changing the oil. The oil gets warmer and thinner so it drains better, but also because a lot of the sediments are still in suspension and will get flushed out.

If any of you have ever had to clean off a magnetic oil drain plug after the first few hundred miles of driving, this would make more sense.

Yes, you HAVE to change the oil before storage as well. But to my point, you have to change it after as well.

You're kidding, right? Crank case breathers, oil vapor vents that go directly into the airbox, etc. There may be a filter in the way, but there is plenty of fresh air getting to the inside. When you pull your drain plug, does it gulp for air like pouring out of a soda bottle??? NO, because an air supply is wide open to the atmosphere!!

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but please!

 

i have had a magn.-plug early in the life of a car, and the amount of shavings wasnt something that i would be overly alarmed. i know what you mean, but think about it...if it was that vital, dont you think they would require it, especially with engine warrantys now-a-days?

 

I recall several situations where, for example, a car manufacturer started offering free oil changes for the first 2 years/20,000 miles as an incentive. They advertised it like crazy. Around the time that offer came up, they misteriously changed their suggested oil change inervals from 3,000 to 5,000 miles. They didn't change any engine or oil technology, but I bet they sold more cars and spent relatively less to fullfill that incentive. That plan is no longer offered, but they couldn't at that point go back and say come in every 3,000 again. Well guess what, not those cars are reaching 60K miles and higher and are coming in for main bearing failuers and other problems. "Oh, your warranty is over...too bad" or maybe "Oh, you'll just buy a new vehicle and sell the old one instead of dealing with it...great"

Yes, of coarse you can go 3,000 or 5,000 miles without changing the oil. The engine won't die from it right away and if you plan to only have your vehicle for 60-70K miles, who cares. It won't develope any oil related problems before then anyway. Same if you lease obviously. I own my truck and will probably put several hundered thousand miles on it. That's why I think it's worth doing. My Jeep has 200K miles on it. I changed oil at 1000 and every 3000 after that with Mobil-1. It doesn't consume a drop of oil, has excellent compression and probably makes slightly more power than it did when it was new since it's getting a little looser inside. The cams have no sign of wear on the lobes and it will probably keep running for another 200K without a problem.

Look at motorcycle manufacturers. Both old technology and cutting edge engines are there. Engines that safely rev to 15,000rpm and make 180 horespower per liter. Compare that to the mere 60hp per liter the HEMI makes. And the majority of those companies insist the first oil change is done somewhere around 600 miles!!
Granted, the same oil lubes the tranny as well, but that's gotta tell you something.

Right or wrong, it's up to you. I just feel better knowing my oil is clean and the $15 and 15 minutes it takes is worth it for a $36,000 truck that I will have for many years. Just my opinion.