Break-in period

[ricklin]

Great Thread!!

I think the key to this discussion lies in a couple of the replies.

1. Y.M.M.V. Your mileage may vary. Oil change intervals must be adjusted according to the severity of service.

2. Everything is breaking in, not just the engine. I do believe I will do my transmission fluid as well b4 10 k comes up.

Look at the huge business's (jiffy lube et all) that uses the 3 k interval to drive their business. To me, 3k is a holdover from what, the 1940's or something. Wild guess there but that interval is pretty much BS to me.

Oil's whether they be synthetic or dino have changed and improved by orders of magnitude from the time that the 3K interval was the standard. As has engine construction. Yet somehow the old myth of 3k is still with us.

Our company cars are managed by GE Fleet Services (not the Boxster) and they still recommend a 4,000 mile interval service between oil changes. I would think GE has a LOT of data to suggest this is the best recommendation (risk vs reward). I have seen other fleet services that have a 5,000 interval. So, I don't think that Jiffy Lube is too far off, just a little more aggressive and profit motivated.

[Brucelee]

"Oil's whether they be synthetic or dino have changed and improved by orders of magnitude from the time that the 3K interval was the standard. As has engine construction. Yet somehow the old myth of 3k is still with us."

Most DINO oils are gone by 3-4K miles, at least as tested.

Most "fake synthetics" like Castrol are gone at 7-*K

M1 usually makes about 11K or so till it is shot.

Red Line normally can make 13-15K tops.

I certainly do not advocate 3K changes with synthetic oil.

This is all a long way from 20K.

Reminder. Porsche is the ONLY manufacturer to make this recommendation. Are we to believe their engines are that different than others?

Hmmmm!

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by bmussatti

Our company cars are managed by GE Fleet Services (not the Boxster) and they still recommend a 4,000 mile interval service between oil changes. I would think GE has a LOT of data to suggest this is the best recommendation (risk vs reward). I have seen other fleet services that have a 5,000 interval. So, I don't think that Jiffy Lube is too far off, just a little more aggressive and profit motivated.

If GE Fleet is using normal DINO oil, I think the 4-5 range is good. Keep in mind, they only really care about costs while they have the car, which is short range.

I assume our Box owners are thinking longer term but who knows?

[z12358]

"You would be surprised how many physicians out there have certain ways of treating conditions that are not in line with the literature, but are based on 1 or 2 cases that went bad (or very good) for them in the past and they changed their practice patterns based on this."

That's not only surpising (to me) but downright scary. Don't MD's study the scientific method and statistics during the 20 or so years they spend in school? I would also periodically (every 4 yrs or so) test EVERY MD on how up to date they are with the latest literature in their field of specialty and medicine in general. Only then they should remain certified to give life/death advice.

To continue your MD analogy, the same way every MD doesn't give out copies to patients of all scientific papers that made him give his recommendation, Porsche engineers don't include all their lab results, equations, and tests in the Porsche manual.

Z.

[Adam]

My mazda dealer just said change the oil every 3k 3 mo when the owners manual says ever 7,500 mi. I think I will stick to the manual. 3k 3 mo seems to be an old standard which some live by to either gain more $$ or out of pure ignorance.

[GmanMD]

Originally Posted by z12358

[I]

That's not only surpising (to me) but downright scary. Don't MD's study the scientific method and statistics during the 20 or so years they spend in school? I would also periodically (every 4 yrs or so) test EVERY MD on how up to date they are with the latest literature in their field of specialty and medicine in general. Only then they should remain certified to give life/death advice.

To continue your MD analogy, the same way every MD doesn't give out copies to patients of all scientific papers that made him give his recommendation, Porsche engineers don't include all their lab results, equations, and tests in the Porsche manual.

Z.

Yes it is scary, that is why you should choose your doctor wisely (and that is a whole other discussion on how to do that). They do get periodically tested but that doesn't necessarily translate into their management of patients. You are correct that those papers aren't given to patients, however, they are available for anyone to read at any time as they are on the web (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi if anyone is interested). And one thing we have seen time and time again, is that ideas need to be revisited when new technology and treatments are available. And many ideas thought of as heretical at one time are now accepted as fact (ie world is flat vs round, etc...) I would love to see if there is any published data about the break in period and how old that data is. I agree with everyone about the oil longevity and people are able to cite studies on those, yet no one has access to or knows of studies done on engine break in.