The Big Question - Part 2

Over the years I have to shake my head when one more consumer “advocate” writes about the “3,000 mile oil change myth.”  Wow, you’re really breaking new ground with that one.  This has only been happening since 1996.  Nationally, the average service interval is between 6k-7k miles so I don’t really think legions of drivers are pre-programmed robots  that simply must get their oil changed every 3k miles.  And in fact, there are vehicles out there that still need to be serviced every 3k miles as per the owner’s manual.  The big rub is over “normal service” and “severe service”. 

At this point I would like to give you an assignment;  physically go and get your owner’s manual and look up your vehicle’s service schedule.  I did exactly that and my manual lists three service schedules.  It is a Ford F-150 so in addition to normal and severe schedules, it has a schedule for  “extreme service”.  Guess what?  The recommended service interval for my 2012 Ford F-150 begins at 3,000 miles for extreme service which they define as “maximum load towing” and

“extreme hot or cold conditions.”  Think Minneapolis in the winter and Phoenix in the summer.  For “severe service” (which I  believe is the conditions under which most of us drive) they list things such as “heavy loads/towing”, “hot or cold conditions”, “extended idling” and “mountainous or off road conditions.”  I believe hot or cold could pretty much cover NM, AZ and CO where we have stores.  Extended idling to me means stop and go traffic.  In the past, they have also defined it as “short trip driving”, i.e., trips of less than 10 miles.  That pretty well covers how my wife drives.  Short trips, running errands, etc.  The engine never has an adequate chance to warm up to operating temperatures so it can boil off the impurities that build up in a crankcase.  For “normal” service they show “normal commuting with highway driving”, “no or moderate load/towing”, “flat to moderate hilly roads” and “no extended idling.”  What’s normal about that?  How many people do you know that only drive long trips on the freeway, in ideal weather and hardly ever stop and let the engine idle?  Yeah, I couldn’t think of anyone either.  But that’s how the auto makers choose to define the service schedules.   And all automakers define severe service differently.  Not dramatically different but each one seems to have their own wrinkles.

So check your owner’s manual and get familiar with what your auto manufacturer recommends.  And then stick to that schedule.  Probably the #2 most asked question when I ran a store was “what oil brand is best.”  My stock response was “all of the well known brands are good brands.”  I don’t know enough to say if there really is one “best brand”.  Of course the oil companies spend millions to convince you that theirs is absolutely the best.  OK, if you say so. 

In Part 3 of The Big Question, I will give you some practical applications

Click here to go back and read Part 1 of The Big Question.