When should the engine oil be changed?

Most major automakers agree that the idea of ​​replacing the 4,800 km engine oil once is too outdated, even 8,000 km, to be considered too frequent.

Ford is the latest car manufacturer to develop a new guideline for engine oil change and its proposed public announcement of the time of oil change from 8000 km to 11,200 km on reconstructed and finished 2007 models. both new or rebuilt models.

Like many other manufacturers, its oil quality standards are increasing and new engine designs allow longer oil change times for cars under normal conditions. ' Oil has been greatly improved since the introduction of the typical oil change formula 4,800 km once.' Dennis Bachelder, a longtime engineer at the American Petroleum Institute - an industrial organization that sets standards for quality - said. 'Certainly the new oil will be stronger than the oils of 10, 15 years ago.'

Engine oil is now of higher quality than before and contains many antioxidants that create longer lubrication properties and other additives that keep precipitates from sticking to the engine. Ford's lubricant investigator, said the company has conducted several lab tests on new oils before recommending this oil change interval.

Some manufacturers like Honda and General Motors do not offer oil change advice for all or most of their models, instead they rely on the oil's highest temperature sensors and dynamic improvements. muscle through the ages to calculate the life cycle of the oil and advise when to change the oil. The oil may lose its lubricating properties if it operates at too low or too high temperatures. Peter Lord, GM's director of service business, said the oil could last 19,200 km or even more for drivers who don't drive in too hot or cold or pull heavy objects. 'It depends entirely on the customers themselves and how they use the car,' he said.

Ford discovered that his customers calculated the total mileage to change the oil rather than waiting for the sensor to tell them what to do. For those who do not believe in sensors, GM has a lot of data to show that they are very reliable, and they warn drivers a long time before the time of the oil change is needed.

'We absolutely believe in this technology. Currently, we are applying it with a 160,000 km engine warranty term, so there's no reason to suspect that the sensor doesn't work well. ' Lord said.

The longer life of lubricants can help customers save money. Ford estimates that drivers will save $ 600 over a five-year period by changing oil after traveling 8,000 km to 12,000 km. Moreover, saving a large amount of oil is also a way to preserve the environment. 'There is no reason to waste precious oil by replacing oil too soon. And we don't have to 'get rid of' too much oil even though oil change is a matter of course, there's no need to argue. '

However, Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong said Toyota had reduced the oil change interval from 12,000 km to 8,000 km in 2004 partly because the company realized that more and more drivers drove under the conditions Short transfer and continuous stop making the oil break away quickly.

Toyota also had problems with oil sludge status of approximately 1% in 1997-2002 models. Regular oil change will prevent oil sludge from oil change cars after traveling more than 12,000 km . To overcome this situation, the company extended the warranty period for affected engines, even before some owners filed a lawsuit.

Nissan recommends a 12,000 km or 6 month replacement period for Nissan and Infiniti cars - unless the vehicle is primarily used to tow or drive less than 8 km in normal temperature, 16 km in freezing weather , constantly stopping in hot weather or driving at low speeds for long distances, the oil change should be shortened to about 6,000 km or every 3 months.

For some engineers and machinists, 8000 km is a long time.

In general, fast or slow oil changes depend on many factors. Drivers must take into account the weather and driving conditions before deciding when to change the oil for their vehicle.

HH