Are we driving ourselves nut with oil changes?

[myother45isalesbaer]

I was just wondering if we are not going over board with all changes? I have read many posts about do it this many miles or use regular or sync oil and got to wondering.

My father had a 1956 Ford 292ci engine and hardly ever changed the oil or filter. That old dog car didn't die until it hit about 150,000 miles. If it was low on oil he would tell the service guys just add what you need to. And away we went. It never blew blue smoke. It just ran and ran.

Makes me wonder about all oil changes in general. Are they really needed as often as we all do them?

[VietGuy03]

I think this is one of those things you really have to reserve your own opinion about. I change mine every 3, 000 - 5, 000 with full synthetic.

I have a piece of mind, can a car go longer than that interval? Yeah sure, but doesn't mean it is for the best optimal operation of the car either.

[DeanM45]

Ford had lower operating temps, no cats (allows heat to escape from heads much faster), single in-block cam, lower rpms, "open" crankcase vents, etc. All things that help to extend oil's life.

[Larz]

I was just wondering if we are not going over board with all changes?
My father had a 1956 Ford 292ci engine and hardly ever changed the oil or filter. That old dog car didn't die until it hit about 150,000 miles.
Makes me wonder about all oil changes in general. Are they really needed as often as we all do them?

Bloody Nora! 1956 ??? Weren't engines built from a ton of pure iron back then? I have NO trouble believing those old engines were tuff. Everything was tougher back in that era.
But you make a great point. I know with no doubt I change my oil much more often than is required. I do it every 3-4 months regardless of mileage (and i use Mobil-1 which can go alot longer). If I'm going on a trip up north to Va, etc I leave FL with a new filter and oil change and when I return to FL I get another new filter and oil change. I have NO clue if that makes any difference to the engine, but I do it. I try to be conscious of the environment in everything I buy or discard, but oil changes are my exception and I tell myself my engine is producing less pollution whilst I add to the oil dumping (though I doubt its all that much less pollution).
I think we all change our oil at our personal set intervals because we haven't had trouble with our engines doing it our way - that does NOT make it required except in our own minds. And as Dean so aptly stated - it gives us peace of mind.
I'm also getting my spark plugs changes next month as I will have close to 80k miles on them. My Infiniti guy tells me I can 100k or until I notice a problem, but I'm going to do it anyway. I clean my entire engine bay about twice per year. What the heck is that for? I actually mop and shine the floors in the garage although no actual work is done in them - mostly storage for my windsurfer, water skis, assorted mess, and my 68 fleetwood. I even scrub my driveway! OK I'm gonna stop take a deep breath and a sip-o-tea now coz I'm scaring myself, LOL

[wingFeather]

If you drive a 60 year old car, then SURE it's not going to need oil changes... the oil leaks out before it ever gets too old!!! Adding a quart every time you stop for gas = the equivalent of doing an oil change.

[White-Rush]

Well, i personally think the 3k mile change is a little over rated. Which brings me to an article that I either read or saw on tv related to this very subject. Someone had asked the question, "Is it still necessary to do oil changes every 3k miles". The host / editor replied back pretty much saying that it's all up to the individual.

Case in point, earlier this year I leased a 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe Sport w/ 2.0T. While closing out the lease paperwork I agreed to add on the prepaid maintenance pkg (general). Now, I don't know if they do it to save money or whatever, but during the write up of the maint. contract I was told that oil changes would be done at 5k mile intervals, and this was with conventional oil. Soo, i was like, um k. It's your vehicle, we agree to your terms.

Basically I think everyone can agree that we have come a long way with car engines. They are being built for lower emissions, better fuel economy and to run quieter. All of this has to somehow benefit oil consumption and burning, righttt??? For me though, I'll probably stick to changing mine at 4k mile intervals. However, with this car I'm thinking about using the semi synthetic oil or going full synthetic.

btw.. will the dealer allow you to bring your own oil for oil changes? My home owners assoc. isn't having that in the driveways.

[DaSerb]

During the summer months, I do it myself but in the winter, I buy my own oil and take it to the shop for them to change it. Synthetic or regular, I always change it every 4K-5K miles. I don't think you can go wrong with that.

The Infiniti dealer in the area told me that our cars (M35/45) should have oil changed every 4K miles.

[TXT]

I took a road trip to Jersey a month ago and put approx 2,500 miles from then till Saturday. I went to the dealership so they can top off the oil because I knew it was low (I heard the engine get a little louder, small engine ticks etc). I was low two quarts. No visible blue smoke when the engine is warm, only sometimes when I turn the car on when its cold.

tl;dr - Burned 2 quarts of oil in 1 month/2,500 miles.

I guess for me, I need to get oil changes regularly! (not change the oil per say, but add oil).
Maybe I should buy a Ford.

[svard75]

I'll bet that ford would've still been running had he bothered the change the oil. I personally don't think oil changes are necessary more than once per year especially after the initial engine break in is over but it depends on how you drive. If the pedal is always to the metal from a cold start or if your always starting for short trips and stopping then change it during regular intervals. If its all highway miles and you take the time to allow the engine to properly warm up screw it change it once per year and synthetic vs dyno oil, here I go, it's the same damn thing if you buy the same weight oil. For newer cars use lighter weight, for older cars use heavier. MO

[myother45isalesbaer]

I can't disagree with anyone's post. He also had a 1960 T'Bird with the 352ci engine pushing around 300hp. He used the same no oil change maintence on that one too. It went close to 200,000 miles before it was obvious the engine was just plain worn out.

My point was somehow we (the Government) got the bug that open vent pipes, PCV values and cats where going to solve the pollution problems. But I question, did it really make a difference or are we still polluting in just a different way? We now have high tech cars with electronic valve timing, sophisticated fuel injection, lighter engines, smaller displacement all things not available in the 50's and 60's. They run really well, get better mileage and supposedly pollute less. That's all good stuff.

But, and its a big but, was all that worth it when we all are getting a little anal about oil changes. I include myself in the last statement. It's 3000 miles and I feel I must have new oil and filter. What did we really accomplish with so called low polluting cars that need oil changes almost on a daily basis?

Now we can go to hybrids, another big push by the Government to not pollute. I don't think I buy into that one either. They pollute but in different ways. The batteries are full of toxic waste and the electricity needed for plug ins comes from some type of coal, oil, nucular power plant. So do they pollute less or did we just change it so you can't see it and everyone goes away happy, happy?

[svard75]

Ha an infinite topic!

Used oil is recycled now days but you're correct in that more frequent oil recycling will produce some sort of process which could or could not be environmentally safe. Hybrids are an imaginary solution (really a bigger problem) to a non-issue. The batteries used in cars are typically sealed units and could be toxic if not recycled properly. But again that process produces a byproduct which could or could not be environmentally friendly. I don't have time to research how these things are recycled but search youtube and I'm sure you'll find a vid on this. In my opinion we're on a downward spiral. We've become so lazy and dependent on vehicles that we're ruining our health and the environment. If you really care about your children and the future switch to leg powered as much as possible.

[myother45isalesbaer]

Ha an infinite topic!

Used oil is recycled now days but you're correct in that more frequent oil recycling will produce some sort of process which could or could not be environmentally safe. Hybrids are an imaginary solution (really a bigger problem) to a non-issue. The batteries used in cars are typically sealed units and could be toxic if not recycled properly. But again that process produces a byproduct which could or could not be environmentally friendly. I don't have time to research how these things are recycled but search youtube and I'm sure you'll find a vid on this. In my opinion we're on a downward spiral. We've become so lazy and dependent on vehicles that we're ruining our health and the environment. If you really care about your children and the future switch to leg powered as much as possible.

While this is not exactly related to just Infiniti's it is relevant to the Infiniti's we drive. You mention recycled often. We all hear that and think we are doing a good thing once we hear the "recycled" word. Are we really doing a good thing, or is it just a lot of hype. Not every battery is recycled and not all oil is either. I have done research on this issue. I agree we are on a downward spiral every time we start our great machines up. We are ruining our health and the environment! There are so many toxic metals in batteries and other car parts its insane. I didn't even touch on R12 or R134 blowing the crap out of the ozone layer. It just seems to me the recycling is not all it cracked up to be. We are just transferring the pollution from one place, the car, to another place we don't see, the landfills or power plants. In effect we are committing suicide. Leg power would most certainly help. But if you have a long commute to work, how many miles can you go on leg power?

I own 3 cars and a variety of gas powered machines. I don't have a solution. I am just as much at fault as any one else. I just wonder if we are not all being duped as we transfer our pollution to oil changes, cats and the like as the EPA now rates our cars as low polluters. Where did the pollution go? Not near me so I must be happy, happy since I am cutting down on pollution. NOT!

[svard75]

I did a quick read on automotive engine oil recycling and it sounds pretty decent from the wiki. The used oil is refined into other oil based byproducts such as the oil used within oil heaters or sent to kilns to be used as fuel for the flame. It used to be dumped in landfills so from that perspective it's decent but the process for refining the oil into these uses or even further into lubricants etc could be a cause for concern. It does state that everything is performed to current environmental standards so I guess we should assume the best?

Anyhow we should be the last ones to discuss environmental concerns given the cars we own. I think things will soon change as the price of fuel rises to match European prices. Imagine paying $10/gal?! All it will take is for the US government to say sorry we can no longer subsidize fuel prices. In Canada we're at $5.30/gal and rising!

[Larz]

What a great discussion! A mate of mine has a Ford Explorer (don't know what model year) - it is rated as low emissions. His mechanic showed him how they did it. He has 3 (yes 3!) catalytic converters on his single exhaust. Seems they found a way to improve emissions without improving the car at all.
Back home in London, we have a rather harsh way to cut back on pollution and driving. If you drive your car inside London between 7am and 6pm, you are levied a "congestion fee" of about 10 pounds per day. It's charged by plate reconition from one of the cross-country CCTV cams or the local roadway traffic cams. You get a discount rate of 9 pounds per day if your plate is registered with CC pay through Tfl (Transport for London) which takes the fee from your credit card automatically. If your plate isnt registered at Tfl, you must pay before each day's end or you are charged 12 pounds instead of 10. Failure to pay after 30 days costs you about 130 pounds fine against your plate for EACH day your plate was recorded and unpaid and you cannot renew your plate until all fees are paid. We were lucky because if you happen to live INSIDE London you are charged only 1 pound per day if your plate is registered with CCpay. The fees are wavied on holidays and weekends. The only good thing is that all fees remain in London and are used as investment and maintenance of London roads instead of disappearing into some general govenment slush fund.
Just a side note .... driving without a current plate and insurance isn't at all easy in the UK. Every time you pass by an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cam on the roadway or in a police vehical, your details are taken and stored on the national database and kept for 2 years. Important 'hits' for infractions are stored for 5 years. Your plate provides authorities with your insurance data, your criminal history, tax details, MOT details, your address and even your phone number. Your car can be located anywhere in near-real time and if your plate or insurance has expired, the PoPo can pull you over. Drive without insurance - you are given a limited time to insure and pay the fine - don't pay it and if car is located and you're at the wheel, it can be seized and crushed wether it's new, old, paid for, or not.

[myother45isalesbaer]

What a great discussion! A mate of mine has a Ford Explorer (don't know what model year) - it is rated as low emissions. His mechanic showed him how they did it. He has 3 (yes 3!) catalytic converters on his single exhaust. Seems they found a way to improve emissions without improving the car at all.
Back home in London, we have a rather harsh way to cut back on pollution and driving. If you drive your car inside London between 7am and 6pm, you are levied a "congestion fee" of about 10 pounds per day. It's charged by plate reconition from one of the cross-country CCTV cams or the local roadway traffic cams. You get a discount rate of 9 pounds per day if your plate is registered with CC pay through Tfl (Transport for London) which takes the fee from your credit card automatically. If your plate isnt registered at Tfl, you must pay before each day's end or you are charged 12 pounds instead of 10. Failure to pay after 30 days costs you about 130 pounds fine against your plate for EACH day your plate was recorded and unpaid and you cannot renew your plate until all fees are paid. We were lucky because if you happen to live INSIDE London you are charged only 1 pound per day if your plate is registered with CCpay. The fees are wavied on holidays and weekends. The only good thing is that all fees remain in London and are used as investment and maintenance of London roads instead of disappearing into some general govenment slush fund.
Just a side note .... driving without a current plate and insurance isn't at all easy in the UK. Every time you pass by an ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cam on the roadway or in a police vehical, your details are taken and stored on the national database and kept for 2 years. Important 'hits' for infractions are stored for 5 years. Your plate provides authorities with your insurance data, your criminal history, tax details, MOT details, your address and even your phone number. Your car can be located anywhere in near-real time and if your plate or insurance has expired, the PoPo can pull you over. Drive without insurance - you are given a limited time to insure and pay the fine - don't pay it and if car is located and you're at the wheel, it can be seized and crushed wether it's new, old, paid for, or not.

Nice interesting and educational post. However in the US we do not appreciate the snooping and spying by our Government for any reason. But we seem to be getting there very quickly. You must admit in the UK, being a small country compared to the US things just cannot be that tightly controlled. So the UK is trying to stop pollution and comments about cats is well taken.

So here we go again. Where is your pollution going? Countries like China and India don't give a hoot where theirs is going! My main point being are we getting so anal about controlling our little part of the world by recycling and is that really doing any of us any good when we just find a way or sweep it under the rug for some one else to deal with it. Its not going away by less polluting cars, we are really just hiding it out of sight and out of mind. So we feel good. But it is still there regardless of the recycle business. So what is the US or UK really accomplishing? Fines, more cats, more often needed oil changes on engines today than were needed yesterday? In the US the EPA runs our pollution and mileage standards and they keep raising the bar every year. For what? Take the pollution out of the car and pass it down the line?

I am old enough to not give a dang. Let the next generation of techno wizards, video game, cell phone addicts deal with it. There will come a time when it is so out of hand its unmanageable. My point being stop changing the oil everyday and lets go back to the 50's and 60's when oil changes were not needed as often. We didn't need PCV valves, blow by tubes eliminated or anything else that applied to pollution control. Remember when we had air pumps to double cycle the blow by gases. They didn't last long.

Oh well, I will just hot ride my M45 because the EPA says I can do so and not pollute too much. Then I will smell all the fumes coming off the engine and the nice luxury leather seats and say to myself the EPA told me its OK. I'm happy!

[Larz]

You're right and I was a little off-topic, mainly coz I have no good solutions to contribute. I think hig-tech improvements have value (research always leads to advancements in other areas not part of the original project). But, when we improve technology, we don't ask all the questions we should ask before we jump on it.
New engines make more HP and go farther on one gallon of fuel .... BUT .... we're still using the same type of fuel which was the problem to begin with.
BP and others found a way to drill miles deep under the ocean .... BUT ..... nobody asked, or nobody cared enough to invent a way to stop the oil flow when the most predictable thing goes wrong.
Hybrid cars that use batteries consume less fuel ... BUT ... they use a different contraption just as deadly to the environment.
Clean coal is a contradiction in terms - there is no such thing - we just store the pollution in a huge holding tank for .......... does anyone know? NO.
I grew up in a place where it's normal for the majority of peeps to walk for 30min or more to get to the tube or the bus. I LOVE New York and it's much the same there - public transpoprt is available and highly used. But having said that, guess what powers public transpoprt? Oi ! There is no way to stop pollution, only ways to trim it down.
Myohter is right - we can't expect the gov to fix this - we have to fix it as individuals and do what we can to leave less damage after we are gone.
Politicians speak of going to Mars, etc. I would have the best laugh if, when our first shuttle arrives, they see a sign that says: Earthlings NOT welcome. This planet is clean!

[myother45isalesbaer]

You're right and I was a little off-topic, mainly coz I have no good solutions to contribute. I think hig-tech improvements have value (research always leads to advancements in other areas not part of the original project). But, when we improve technology, we don't ask all the questions we should ask before we jump on it.
New engines make more HP and go farther on one gallon of fuel .... BUT .... we're still using the same type of fuel which was the problem to begin with.
BP and others found a way to drill miles deep under the ocean .... BUT ..... nobody asked, or nobody cared enough to invent a way to stop the oil flow when the most predictable thing goes wrong.
Hybrid cars that use batteries consume less fuel ... BUT ... they use a different contraption just as deadly to the environment.
Clean coal is a contradiction in terms - there is no such thing - we just store the pollution in a huge holding tank for .......... does anyone know? NO.
I grew up in a place where it's normal for the majority of peeps to walk for 30min or more to get to the tube or the bus. I LOVE New York and it's much the same there - public transpoprt is available and highly used. But having said that, guess what powers public transpoprt? Oi ! There is no way to stop pollution, only ways to trim it down.
Myohter is right - we can't expect the gov to fix this - we have to fix it as individuals and do what we can to leave less damage after we are gone.
Politicians speak of going to Mars, etc. I would have the best laugh if, when our first shuttle arrives, they see a sign that says: Earthlings NOT welcome. This planet is clean!

Larz,

I have to agree with all of your well stated points. There is a solution that is not aggressively being pursued. Its Hydrogen. The only by product from burning it is water. CA is the only state taking a serious active interest in the technology. The many points you have made are all true in my OP. Mass transit is not the answer. Maybe we can't reduce all pollution but converting all cars worldwide to run on Hydrogen I think would be a major step in the right direction. Of course the oil producers would have a mass heart attack if we demanded Hydrogen over oil. The car manufacturers, including Infiniti would be pulling their hair out trying to comply. I don't have a crystal ball to predict the future, but hydrogen seems to be the way to go. We would still need some petro chemical products but not nearly as much as we use today. Many posters may think I am a fanantic go green person. But going green has been hyped enough and I generally think it's BS. I firmly believe we need to stop reproducing so much and stop cutting down the trees that absorb many pollutants.

I seem to have taken this thread way off the usual NICO posts such as what wheels are you using, does your ipod or whatever play music and murder your car out. All I have to say to those posters is maybe you should look at what your favorite Infiniti is doing from a big picture standpoint. So I will stay with my 3000 mile oil changes, burn the gasoline and just hope some day we get our heads out of our butts and pay attention to the bigger important issues.

[wingFeather]

I don't recall seeing any road improvements the last time I was in London. I think they're blowing smoke up your bottom.

[Larz]

I don't recall seeing any road improvements the last time I was in London. I think they're blowing smoke up your bottom.

I disagree. Although pot holes and loose cobbles may appear 'random' to the avgerage driver, the crews spare no effort or expense whilst choosing which cobbles to loosen / remove, or where to place the humps and dips to achieve the most UK-like driving experience. It's a back-breaking, thank-less job and they do it so you and I take full measure of pride when we say: "Bloody Nora! I just drove through London!".
And let us not forget the 'traffic calming' road effects (you lot call them speed bumps).