change oil according to computer?

Unruh

Member
I didn't want to barge in the oil discussion below, but did find it interesting. I've used Pennzoil for maybe 60 years with no known problem.
My question: I have a 2011 Buick Lucern that will tell me what percentage of oil life I have left. Is it safe to trust it and let it run down to say 5% before I change? I've always changed oil according to the odometer at around 3,000 miles.
 
I bought a Duramax brand new in 2005. I traded it in 2011(worst move I ever made) with 240k on the odometer. I changed the oil by the computer, it worked out to 8 to 10k mi. When I traded there was nothing wrong with truck, no oil consumption, nothing. I would trust the computer.
 
3000 is way to early to change oil.Before fuel injection and computers that is what they recomended.My 2010 Silverado usually changes around 9000.
 
You know, just thinking about these two recent posts on oil. What the manufacturers are saying, with their computers / timing / amount of time at certain temperatures / RPM"s / speeds, etc, is that the brand of oil doesn"t matter. Any brand you choose must be OK, so long as viscosity index is correct and you change it when they say.
 
used Pennzoil for 60 years with no problems,...I"ve used whatever was cheapest for 46 years and never had an oil related failure, to each his own....
 
Friend has a chevy malibu. At 3000 miles 50%, hasn't used any oil. 4000 miles, down 1/2 quart. 5000 miles still a small % like 10-15% on computer, down 1.5 qts, oil looks like tar. I think it only holds 3.5 qts.

Trust the computer if you want.

I'm sticking to the old school 3K rule.

George
 
As far as oil, (especially viscosity) follow the manufacturers recommendation. I change oil and filter every 5000 miles. If you wanted to be sure, pull an oil sample at 5000 miles and if that looks good, pull another when the computer tells you to change.
 
computer! it monitors engine rpm's and oil temperatures and bases oil changes on those factors. o8 gmc always changed by computer, no problems.
 
What you need to pay attention to is the API service categories include SN, SM, SL and SJ for current car engines. Not all 10W30s are the same.
 
It moniters that - but it doesn't actually monitor the condition of the oil. If your water pump is weeping coolant into your oil pan the computer may say it has 40% left but your engine is full of sludge. You wait until 8000 miles and wonder why your engine is cooked.
 
Yep, follow the computers advise. We have a fleet of Chevy vans and do it that way. Seldom if ever have problems due to lubrication.
 
going by the computer for suggested oil changes does not mean you do not ever check the oil levels and condition of oil.
 
I don't go by the computer, but Dad has started to do that, with out any problems. We tore a Ford pick up engine down that had used Pennzoil all its life, and we have refused to use that brand ever again! It was absolutely sick what that oil had done in there!
 
That computer monitor is assuming your getting your oil changed at the dealer whom is using GM spec Dexos oil which is synthetic. If your using an aftermarket shop or doing it yourself with straight dino oil then keep on at 3000 miles. I am a aftermarket shop and my bulk 5w30 is a synthetic blend. Most of my customers with similar vehicles run 4-5000 miles between services.

Casey in SD
 
I would not use semi-synthetic to oil a red wagon. The semi-syn is a marketing scheme. To suck in consumers who think that paying half way between dino and syn will give them some advantage. I would use syn or dino, but not get swindled on a semi-syn. How much syn is in it? 40 percent, 30 percent, 10 percent or 1 percent? Ripoff.
Tom
 
I'm not saying it's a scam one way or the other. I just know as a shop owner my job is to provide a quality product that meets or exceeds OEM. I was a dealer man for 8 years and the OEM oil was synthetic blend so that's what I try to maintain, right or wrong...

Casey in SD
 
I used to be a professional certified auto mechanic for 27 years and I always used the 3k method but now I go by the computer which is almost twice as long. The reason is (and this is with cars I've owned since new) that the oil I was draining at 3k was looking almost as clean as when I put it in. I'm presuming oil improvements over the last half century. I just bought a new car and the owners manual says to strictly use 5W-20, no thicker. That's sewing machine oil!
 
The last time I looked under the hood was when I bought my 2010 Silverado. I get it serviced when I get an email from GM telling me it's time.They also check other engine specs.
 
I haven,t owned a GM product since 1979 but have two 2013 fords and I think the computer is pretty much set to tell you to change ever 5000 miles which is also what the operator,s manual calls for. It may be that we are just average drivers but I am thinking the computer is checking millage only.
 
I put about 5000 a year on the Ranger try to change every 6 months but go over now and then. I use what ever brand they have at the oil service never could see any difference in brands other than maybe cost. When I had my service station I charged 10 cents per quart more for Pennzoil even though I paid the same for it. People think if it cost more it has to be better.
My little Saab out in the barn with 350,000 on it was changed once a year anything from 15,000 to 20,000 miles. Never once had to add any oil to it. Spoiled me I should check mine once in a while.
To me oil is oil as long as the specs are correct for the engine use it. You want buy that expensive stuff well it's your money not mine.
Walt
 
When I was 16 and started to drive I was told to change oil every 2000 miles did that till I was 60 and then went to 3000 miles. I wonder if I will make it to 4000 miles. In my eyes oil is the cheapest repair. Also just remember to err is human, but to really screw up is COMPUTOR.

Bob
 
'01 Silverado, 4.8, 250,000 miles, Castrol 10w30, changed by the computer. Peeking into the valve cover only a light brown tinting, no residue to be seen.

MHO... Except for cases of extreme abuse, a sludged up engine is a symptom, not a cause of failure. Once the compression rings are leaking, the engine will sludge up regardless how often the oil is changed or what brand of oil is used.
 
I change mine on the 02 Chevy when the computer says to. Has 144k on it only had it since 91k no issues use shell oil which is normally cheaper than others normally around 5k intervals. My wife's vw has Mobil syn in it try to run that to 5k or so
 
Last year they reprogramed our computer on our 11 Buick Regal so it will not run us over 7500 miles. that is using dexos semi synthetic. we will probably put 6-7000 on it in the next 2 months, mostly highway miles. I used to change at 3000 miles, but when it looks the same coming out as it did going in its a waste of money. Although the way it looks means almost nothing!
 
Not even close. 5w20 has been standard on fords since around 2001 and dodge since around 2006. Toyota has been 0w20 since around 2010 along with Nissan. I service them all regularly.

Casey in SD
 

so with all this discussion has anyone ever had had oil analysis done at oil change time? I have had it done on the semi truck about once a year. Armand
 

so with all this discussion has anyone ever had had oil analysis done at oil change time? I have had it done on the semi truck about once a year. I change oil every 10,000 miles. Armand
 
I not a believer in 7,500 mile oil and filter changes unless virtually all of the mileage is highway speed.

Even though somewhere near 80% of my mileage is highway, I NEVER allow the oil change monitor to get below 55 - 60%. This usually translates into 4,000 - 5,000 miles.

Dean
 
We run GM pickups at work. It is optimistic to say the oil gets changed when the computer says to. Some of them have 250000+ mi. with no engine problems.
 
The new company 2013 Chevy van told me across the speedometer to "Change Oil" at 7,000 miles. Oddly enough, I got an Email from our fleet department telling me the same thing the day before. I was going to ignore both, but one night the temperature really dropped like a rock, which generally affects air density, and then my speedometer started telling me "Driver Front Tire Low Pressure...Passenger Rear Tire Low Pressure...Change Oil". At that point, I assumed that the GPS would squeal on me to the fleet manager, and he would tell my boss, and then my boss would yell at me again, so I took it to GoodYear. Now everyone is happy and I didn't get yelled at.

Mark
 

GM found out their guesstimate was wrong it has cost them big $ in warranty claims... They admit it so why do folks continue to believe it...
 
well with these new engines and injectors pretty much can triple the oil change intervals from the old carbureted engines. that damm carburetor just let the engine take whatever gas it wants, and even diluting the oil with gas. cold weather the worst. technology has improved, yep they sure don't build em like they used to... they build em better! along with better oil! so just follow the computer. 10,000 miles is no big deal.
 
This one i'm not sure on... computer on the other halfs Ford, tells us when to change the oil (about 3000 miles)... but my brother works in the UK, has the same engine, the book for his car says every 12000 miles/once per year! Now i know they don't deal with -30 weather, but they do do more stop and go driving... so, who knows.

I generally change the oil when i feel like it... once before winter sets in, again in the early spring, and mid summer.
 
I don't know about all of them but the Ford Exploder I used to have at work came with directions on how to program the oil change interval YOU wanted into the computer. As for 5W-20 in Fords that's what's recommended in my personal 2001 F-150, as well as the daughter's 06 Fusion and the Wife's 07 Grand Caravan and the previously mentioned 06 Exploder.
 
I had oil testing done on my 2 diesels to set oil change intervals. About 12k on a 15l Cat and 5k on a 5.9 Cummins.
I test about once a year now just to confirm everything is ok.

My gas engines are run in stop and go traffic so arbitrarily get changed every 3k.
 
First thing is to use the right oil, since the oil change interval assumes you're using the approved oil. For several years GM has specified the use of oil meeting their "Dexos" spec, which typically means a full or semi-synthetic oil. Not all oil makers submit their products for Dexos approval, since it costs them money, so most full-synthetic oils are probably satisfactory even if they don't have the Dexos label. I am not aware of any non-synthetic oil that has been certified as Dexos. Looking at the list of Dexos1-approved oils, Pennzoil makes several approved full and semi-synthetic oils.

As for the oil change indicator, I'd say it's very good if you follow it religiously. If you're in the habit of ignoring it for several weeks, then you're probably not changing your oil often enough. Be honest: do you REALLY change your oil every 3000 miles? Or do you start to think about scheduling an oil change when it hits 3K and maybe get it changed around five or six thousand? I drive about 3K a month; no way am I going to change my oil once a month.

I am told by some folks who should know that the oil change indicator algorithm doesn't necessarily account for trailering. This is of particular concern with some of the vehicles that have very long oil change intervals (such as the 4.2L Trailblazer, which seems to go around 14K); if you do a lot of trailering it makes sense to go with a more-frequent oil change interval. I doubt that's an issue with your Buick.
 
(quoted from post at 16:38:59 12/30/13) I don't go by the computer, but Dad has started to do that, with out any problems. We tore a Ford pick up engine down that had used Pennzoil all its life, and we have refused to use that brand ever again! It was absolutely sick what that oil had done in there!

So tell us:How many miles on the engine?How many miles between oil/filter changes?Was the cooling system in good condition,no leaks into the oil?PCV system up to snuff?Pennzoil is no worse or better than any other QUALITY oil!
 
(quoted from post at 17:33:16 12/30/13) I haven,t owned a GM product since 1979 but have two 2013 fords and I think the computer is pretty much set to tell you to change ever 5000 miles which is also what the operator,s manual calls for. It may be that we are just average drivers but I am thinking the computer is checking millage only.

The wife has an'11 Escape with the V6.I change the oil/filter at 5000+- miles.The oil change monitor says 30 to 32% remaining.My '06 250 gets fresh oil/filter at 4000 to 5000 miles.Both get the recommended motorcraft semi syn.5/20 and M/C filter.
 
I have an upscale BS engine in a ZT lawn mower from DR in Vermont. It has an hour meter and a computer somewhere that tells me when to change my engine oil. What it doesn't know is that I use 100% synthetic and it doesn't need to be changed for the whole season.

On my Chev truck, you just push and hold the check mark on the dash status buttons and it will reset.

Mark
 
I don't drive my truck that much anymore,
harsh weather, short trips.....
So, I stay with the 3000 mile changes I've always done.
doesn't cost much and the old, pretty clean oil can be strained and used in old machinery.
Working inside engines, where we clean everything spotless,
even washing our hands before assembling critical parts...
It just doesn't make sense to me to leave dirty oil in there.
Besides, in our tractor hobby, where we buy oil by the pail/drum,
buying 5-6 qts for my truck seems like cheap insurance.
 
Hard for me to get away from the 3000 mile idea,but I'm doing it more and more. My car has an oil index and at 40-50 % it has around 5000 miles on it so I do it then. I'd hate to go full term as that may hit around 10,000 miles ?
Try and do the wife and daughters at 5,000-6,000 ? They are on the go so much hard to keep up with them. Still thinking about switching to synthetic and changing once a year ? Doubt I'll do it though.
 
I changed the oil in my Mom's Taurus in November 2010 with Mobile 1 10W30 when it had 45K on it. Checked it at Christmas - the car had 48K and some change. I'll try to get it done in the next couple weeks. Meanwhile it sits with the 3 year old brand new GoodYears that I put on it the same day.
 
Is this the 1970's with carburators and leaded gasoline? Or is this the late 1980's and later with fuel injection and unleaded fuel?
Why change oil at 3000miles when it isn't contaminated?
We have 3000mile oil people here that will drive across town to save a dollar on a filter and $2 on the oil.
. Yet they can't see the sense of a better grade oil, a wix or Napa filter and a 5000-10,000 oil change?
Get with the present. Exhaust systems don't rot off every 3-5 years any more either . Why?
 

Lot of people on here say synthetic and dino don't mix. So how could there be a semi synthetic anyway LOL. I have run over 500k miles on the GM 5.3 with a synthetic oil. 3 different trucks though, but no motor issues with any of them. They simply rotted away.
 

I have seen many testing results on oils. They vary quite a bit, but you are on the right track. That is the only way to tell how your oil is. I believe Ford uses a Viscosity sensor, which tells the computer how much the oil thickness has decreased.
 
A friend changed it at 50% and the timing chain wore out in a GM product. Heard GM had some models with defective timing chains and this could have been one of them. However I wouldn't consider trusting the computer enough to shoot for 5% unless it was a leased vehicle.
 

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