Oil Change - Non Synthetic
 

Question for you guys - my Benz is due for an oil change. I usually change the oil every 3k miles, but the last time I had the car in for service they told me "You know, you can wait and change the oil every 4,500 miles, even though the car runs non-synthetic. New oils are so much better that you don't have to change it every 3,000".

( Keep in mind this is from the idiot that quoted me $800 to replace the transmission flex plate and handed me a bill for $2200 ! )

I'm bringing my car in to my regular shop next weekend. Should I continue with the 3k mi interval or wait until 4.5k ?

( Keep in mind this is a 1998 with 130k miles )

Thanks,

Nick

Personally, I change the oil in my daily drivers every 5k miles, and rotate the tires at the same time - when using dino oil that is...10k if running Mobil 1. And I have routinely gotten well over 100k miles on past cars using that schedule with no ill effects.

Hey nick...what's happening! how's the family, is it growing now, will there be an additional soon? :D

IMHO...with that mileage, I would stick with 3k interval or if the price difference between synt and non synth are not too much, i would use the synth. and change oil on 5k interval...that's what I'm doing with my 88 Bronco with 186k miles on it. the odometer went 00000 after 100,000 so that leaves me with 88 Ford Bronco II w/ 86k miles on it :D :D :D

How much is the oil change? My take on oil changes is that they are a cheap investment to protect your engine. Saving a few $$ may not be worth it in the long run. My Jeep says to change the oil every 5K, but I still do it every 3K because it makes me feel better. The Boxster gets changed annually. That might only be 3-5K miles, even though the Mobil 1 is good for a lot more miles.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks Bob.

Gerry, all is well. The baby making is put on hold. Wife got a new job a couple of months ago and wants to wait until next year.

Yeah, I agree that it might just be better to go every 3k miles since the car is so old, but I hate just throwing money away if it's unneccesary.

dcompress, I think my guy charges me about $40 to change the oil.

So let's say I put 18k miles in two years on the car. That's 6 oil changes at $40 a pop - $240

If I change the interval to 4.5k, that's 4 oil changes or $160

I guess you guys are right. Can't hurt to change the oil more often than not, and not worth saving $80 / 2yr...

Thanks !

Nick

Hey Nick,

Every 3-4.5k for your higher mileage car is fine, but, IMHO, I would lean more towards 3K if it's your daily driver (especially since it's NOT your average car :) ). ---looks like my response came after you already answered your question. Anyway, always glad to see higher mileage Boxsters & other vehicles being well-maintained!


Hey Unkle, congrats on your Bronco! Nice! My Explorer is close to 140K and I'm hoping that it does the same and then some! :cheers:

If you are keeping the car for a long time, I would go 5K and switch to a syn.

Otherwise, I think you mechanic is correct this time.

:)

I change my own oil. Mostly because of the convenience and secondly I can be sure of the oil that's going in. I change the oil in my 1998 Honda every 3k miles or 3 months, whichever comes first. It is a simple, inexpensive and important maintenance. I ramp the car and while the oil is draining I can do something else, then come back and finish. This is way better than sitting and waiting while someone else does it, or coordinating drop off and pick up.

With the Boxster, it is not quite inexpensive, but also can go longer. I change the Box oil every 5k miles.

Engines love clean oil and even a rarely driven car should be maintenanced with periodic oil replacement. I don't think there is a serious concern between 3k miles and 4.5k miles, but I prefer my old fashioned 3k.

Just my $.02

One of my neighbors is a chemist. He's retired now, but he previously worked for a company that made chemical additive packages for motor oil. One of his jobs was to perform destructive engine testing. Basically, they would add oil to an engine, run it, take it apart and measure wear on the various parts.

I've asked him a number of questions over the years about what kind of oil to use and how often to change it. His response has always been "follow the manufacurer's recommendation." Basically, if you change it too early or use synthetic when the manufacturer says non-synthertic is OK you are wasting money. His point is that the manufactures perform extensive testing on their engines and make their recommendations based on facts.

In response to the statement "I've always changed my oil at 3000 miles and never have a problem" he says, "If you had changed it at 6000 (or whatever the manufacturer requires) you wouldn't have a problem either. Think about this: With all the Boxster engine failures that we read about on this board, I don't think I've seen one attributed to oil failure or lack of lubrication from old oil.

Just for the record - I do use synthetic oil on one of my cars that doesn't require it because it does seem to slightly improve the gas mileage - although not enought to justify the higher cost. I also change the oil slightly more frequrently than the manufacturer requires. I drive my Boxster about 10k a year and change the oil every October.

Couldn't agree more! What motivation would a manufacturer have for suggesting a maintenance interval that's too long? They have a team of engineers who have years of training in this, and their goal is to get it RIGHT, not to come up with an arbitrary number to be debated by amateurs like us on a web forum. :)

Every car in my family (of which there have been many that have been around for a while) gets changes within 100 miles of the recommended interval, using the recommended oil (syn for the Boxster, non-syn for the Accord, for example), and I've never had a lubrication-related failure in any of my cars.

You know what I do on alot of my cars and limos. Buy the mobile 1 fully synthetic extended performance guaranteed for 15,000 miles and change the oil around 10,000 miles. It works wonders and is the best oil you can buy and really not that much more money if your an enthusiast, and really it saves you time and money cause you have to do 2-3 times less oil changes per interval.

my friend's Merc service guy said the same thing. Which struck me as shocking that the stealerships would pass up the oppurtunity for some business. I guess they would rather have the car on the lift doing an expensive repair than having it on the lift for half an hour for a low cost job.

I thought all boxster run stagger setup? how do you rotate the tires?