ORIGINAL: BadStratRT

i know some people seem to doubt me, but i work at a dodge dealer, and i would think that JCswm, and dodgemech would agree. the dealerships recommend that you have your oil every 3000 miles for a reason. if it was an issue to have it changed within the first 1500mi or so, they would tell you so, and they would do stupid things like threaten your engine warranty. the second your engine is started for the first time, its slowly in the process of dying. you could change your oil every day, and it wouldnt make it run for a million miles, although thats not out of the question, based on a regular maintenance schedule. while its not unhealthy to change it more often than 3000, changing it say, every 1000mi, is just wasting money. while working as a mechanic, i changed my oil every thousand miles, because i got oil and filters for free, and when i changed my oil, the fluid drained out was barely dirty. it could have easily passed for new oil. while im NOT trying to argue with anyone, or flame anyone, im simply stating..that if dodge thought it was that important that your engine oil was flushed out in the first 1500mi, they wouldnt send out the little 3000mi reminder cards after 3 months. think about what dodge gas at stake here too. say that the oil does need to be changed in the first, say 1500mi, and dodge doesnt mention it, and the engine blows up. extreme, i know...but i dont think that hey would take the chance of having to replace the all of those engines that could conceivably go south due to the additives in the engine from the factory.

it can never HURT to change the oil every 1500mi, but at a certain point, it becomes overkill. ive seen cars that have gone 25000 miles without a change that run fine. while thats also not recommended, ther eis always that chance. next time you get your oil changed, or do it yourself, have a look at it after 1500 miles. next time, go 3000 miles, and the odds are Very good that there wont be much of a difference.

ORIGINAL: B12Teuton


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.

...i actually dont rememebr which is open or closed..