Conflicts

just before lunchtime on Saturday, the 30th of June 2007 by Chad

Anyone ever join one of those forums for a particular car you may own? If so, you are guaranteed to have seen the “oil change” argument.

It goes like this: The manufacturer who has 1000 automotive engineers says you can do oil changes every 10k miles. Someone else who has the sum total experience of having just driven a car before says that’s crap, you have to do it every 3k miles on the dot or your engine will explode.

Then you get the people who try to balance the conflict by saying you should do it every 5k miles. And now many cars have oil life sensors that tell you when to change it, from 3-15k miles depending on how you drive. But of course the very car these people bought because they’re so dependable, well, that sensor they have is just not to be trusted.

On the other hand is my one buddy who shall remain nameless. When 100,000 mile tune ups just came out on vehicles, the sales guy explained that included oil changes. Yeah, he was a sales guy. So 65k miles later he’s still on the same oil. Just added more when it needed it. Around this point he found out what the rules really were and changed the oil finally.

No, the engine didn’t give up immediately thereafter. But he did immediately put the thing up for sale!

Anyways, trust in the professionals who sell the car. Change it when they say. What group of people push the 3k mile oil change? Could it be… the people who sell you oil or perform the oil change themselves??? No conflict of interest there of course.