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Thread: 3,000-4,000 mile oil change interval

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7milesout View Post
    Well, that doesn't sound unreasonable to me. I just drained my oil at a 7,500 mile interval, and same as above. The oil level was still at the top. The oil didn't look "clean" like new oil, but it looked like it was carrying a very manageable amount of suspended particles and looked quite healthy. A 7,500 mile oci on mostly suburban driving doesn't concern me the least. It's probably overkill, but I'll stick to the manufacturer's recommendation.

    So, with some explanation from minibishi2, I think he seems to be aware of what he's doing, and I doubt he's doing any engine killing harm. More power to him!

    However mb2, Fummins knows his stuff. I'm betting his reply is based on various others that have posted same or similar things as you, but didn't follow up or explain their rationale. He B OK.

    Even Mobil 1 (Annual/20,000 mile) recommends following the manufacturer recommended oil change interval. Thus, they are off the hook if you don't follow it.

    Everyone's situation is different. It's only 3 quarts of oil, & I don't mind changing it myself. Plus I paid big bucks (not really) for my Fomoto oil drain valve, & I want to get my money's worth using it.



  2. #32
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    I am a fan of the fumoto. Was skeptical at first but bought one for the mirage, now I have one on every vehicle I maintain. Rolled in from work the other day, slid the pan underneath and removed lock flipped switch and went in for dinner in 5 minutes without getting my shirt sleeves dirty. Finished after dinner in maybe another 10. Nice thing with the mirage and fumoto I never have to get underneath for oil changes.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 automatic: 46.2 mpg (US) ... 19.6 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by jbarr View Post
    I am a fan of the fumoto. Was skeptical at first but bought one for the mirage, now I have one on every vehicle I maintain. Rolled in from work the other day, slid the pan underneath and removed lock flipped switch and went in for dinner in 5 minutes without getting my shirt sleeves dirty. Finished after dinner in maybe another 10. Nice thing with the mirage and fumoto I never have to get underneath for oil changes.

    You can reach the fumoto valve from the top??

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    Quote Originally Posted by AtomicPunk View Post
    You can reach the fumoto valve from the top??
    No, for that I crouch down and can reach it. To unscrew the drain plug I would have had to lay under it with a wrench. Downside is that I now don't get under as much to look for things like cracked or torn cv boots

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 automatic: 46.2 mpg (US) ... 19.6 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by jbarr View Post
    No, for that I crouch down and can reach it.
    Have you ever seen Shrek crouch down? That's me. I doubt I'm reaching a fumoto without laying down.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2020 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.4 mpg (US) ... 18.0 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.9 mpg (Imp)


  6. #36
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    Still just your arm underneath unless you are more like T-Shrex

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 automatic: 46.2 mpg (US) ... 19.6 km/L ... 5.1 L/100 km ... 55.5 mpg (Imp)


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    Quote Originally Posted by Fummins View Post
    Oil change intervals are like religion. Everyone has their own opinion as to who's right and who's wrong. You do you. Everyone else just guesses or takes other people's words as gospel.

    How long can oil last=how long is a rope?
    Would opinions change if these cars only held one or 1/2 a qt of oil? My 2 cylinder .8L side by side holds 4qt of oil and it gets changed every 600 miles. I should put the old oil in my car now that I think of it.
    I liked this response.

    Ya don't know what you don't know and yet people still decide based on what they don't know.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grumpy Bear View Post
    I liked this response.

    Ya don't know what you don't know and yet people still decide based on what they don't know.
    We're like sheep without a shepherd!

    Blind leading the blind!

    On a personal level, I have always changed my own oil. For a long time, it seemed simple. 3,000 mile oil change intervals with conventional oil was the norm for a very long time. Pull a Fram oil filter off the shelf @ Walmart, grab a jug of oil, & you were set. I can't really say it was ever a problem doing things that way.

    From my perspective, using synthetic oils still seems new, but it's really not. It's been 10+ years since I have used conventional oil in my personal vehicles. I'm somewhat responsible for a few driving school cars having maintenance done, & we have gone full synthetic for those the past 7 years or so, too. The added cost of full synthetic oil is somewhat justified by longer change intervals (which for our cars have been 3,000 miles to 5,000 miles).

    Given the two Mirage Maintenance schedules, I have sort of adopted the same for my 2017 Mirage & 2011 Forester. I value oil filters a bit more now, too. I'm very comfortable using Purolator ONE oil filters changed every 5,000 miles. If I did longer change intervals, I would consider the extra cost of the Purolaor BOSS. The Fram Ultra Synthetic (if you can't find the Purolator filters locally) is not a bad alternative in my mind. It may be even better. Wix XP is also a good choice, & I am sure there are others. I have a Farm & Fleet that carries Purolator (on sale often), and my search has stopped there I guess.

    When it comes down to it, a person needs to do what they feel is best for their car. For example, I prefer using a 5W-30 full synthetic oil in my vehicles. Thus, I explored that possibility by looking at other Mirage markets like the UK. The 0W-20 only recommendation is not a world-wide thing. I don't push my thoughts on others, but I share my findings & thoughts freely. I'm not an oil expert by any means, & I don't have the desire to be one.

    Others like yourself can surely offer information that can guide others in a good or better direction for sure.

    In my mind, good maintenance practices usually trump what products are used. For example - I'd rather buy a used Mirage that had its oil changed regularly than from someone who felt a certain oil product can go 15,000 miles between changes. Obviously, there are other factors like type of driving, too. If a car has done mostly highway miles, a little longer interval may not matter all that much.

    There's lots of different variables, and that's why I love vehicles like a highly discounted Mirage. Unlike a used vehicle, you know how much TLC it has received from day one. I felt the same way about my 1990 Ford Festiva. I thought nothing about buying that car brand new ($5,300 after a $1,000 Ford rebate). Designed by Mazda, it was a tough little car. I would do stuff with that car that I wouldn't try with my Mirage today. I sold it after 14 years, but I should have driven it for another 5-10 years. I'm not making that same mistake with my Mirage. If I take care of it, I hope it takes care of me for a long time.

    I like oil & filter discussions. When Steve started sharing about his "cheap plastic car ", I had to ask him what the Cadillac dealership was giving his car during those 55+ free oil changes. Quite frankly, he didn't know. He looked it up, because of my inquiry. All good stuff in my mind!

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to Mark For This Useful Post:

    Grumpy Bear (01-13-2024)

  10. #39
    Senior Member sunbeam's Avatar
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    I see a lot of conflicting opinions on oil so I did want to see for myself if I could notice a difference between the "cheap" and expensive oils / filters.

    The real surprising thing is the owners manuals... it looks to me like many of these are calculated to get the car to the end of the warranty without a claim.

  11. #40
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    Little secret. There is no such thing as a "Standard OCI Length". Oh, there's a number in the book based on Joe Average, governmental whims, current warranty length and whatever else makes a buck and allot of marketing. That circles back to the $$$$.

    First clue is that the number does not change during the life of the vehicle. The two biggest choices you will make most don't even consider. Ring seal and base oil type. All other things equal, and they never are, those two items set the oxidation rate (for a given temperature) the oil will experience. Blow by gasses load the oil with oxidation precursors and the base oil type resist those changes. The more oil you motor uses that is caused by ring seal loss the shorter the life of the oil. That doesn't mean that a motor that doesn't use oil doesn't need an oil change. ALL motors use oil. When someone, like myself, says, "my motor doesn't use oil" it means that by the time I change my oil, it hasn't used an amount I can measure.

    Now you don't actually choose ring seal, but you chose, or don't, to adjust OCI length accordingly. Machines are cleaver like that. They respond to exactly the inputs you give them in a very predictable way. We just are not well informed enough to understand the language they speak. Like a baby, it can't tell you it has a tummy ache but if you are in tune with the child you can figure it out. Right?

    A lot of things can condemn an oil. Some are obvious. Glycol contamination from a blown head gasket will get you to change your oil even if you changed it yesterday. Some are less obvious. Fuel dilution related viscosity break. Additive depletion. Rapid oxidation caused by the increased blowby of heavy loading, towing, high speed and increased temperature of the oil for the same reason. Excess water loading from winter driving and short tripping. Frozen PCV or ineffective CCV orifices. Leaky injectors even in dry MPFI systems. Worse, HPFP leaks in GDI engines. List is endless and most of it has nothing to do with the health of the motor and much to do with the environment it lives in and is operated under.

    Those differences start arguments when one fella who treats his machine X has no issues at recommended OCI and another has nothing but issues but treats it like Y. Or guy one uses a PAO/POE based oil and the other a mineral straight cut solvent dewaxed oil.

    Everything matters and nothing is standard. This leaves a guy with three choices. 1.) Do what you've always done and get the result you've always gotten, hopefully. This is what most choose to do 2.) Test to FIND the correct length for your service and monitor once in a while or when conditions change. 3.) Use really short OCI's.

    I'm 70. My 95-year-old father has run a few motors well past 750,000 miles on mineral oils that 'used no oil' and were as clean inside and the day they were built. Trick? 1K mile oil changes. On mineral oils from the late 1930's to the mid 1970's. His first car, a 28 Model A was changed every weekend and bulk oil strained through cheese cloth. LOL. Ah, what the heck. Oil was cheap then. Under a buck a quart when I started driving.

    Well, likely more than most will read these days so I'll stop here.


    Last edited by Grumpy Bear; 01-13-2024 at 09:49 AM.

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