gunterwalker

I'll just listen to my DIC. I'll bet the new GM engineers know more than just a little more than grandpa when he told us the 3 month/3k mile rule on his 76 Olds....

fennerhillpro

I change mine about at about 50% usually about 5,000 miles.

HANNY

no sensor at all in this system, its based purely off an equation of temperature, ignitions etc.... oils are alot better today compared to 20 years ago. YET we still change every 3000???? over kill for sure. If you drive on dirt roads maybe 3k is ok but for most 5 to 7k is more the enuf

BSE1956

I believe that there is too much attention paid to just watching the DIC oil life monitor.
I think that it's best used as a guide only. Frequent checking of your oil, including the smell, feel, color and level should be part of oil maintenance. If you are driving under "extreme" conditions, which are listed in the manual as basically everything except driving in a vacuum, then change your oil frequently. Why take a chance for a $30-$35 DIY oil change? IF IN DOUBT, CHANGE IT OUT!

vettedoogie

Why not every 500 miles? Why not every time you fill up?

Dave_C6

My dad bought a 1967 Chevy Caprice new and never once changed the oil in the eight years he owned it. (I learned to drive in that car). He finally sold it to our next door neighbor. I remember the guy opening the hood and pulling the dipstick and seeing a creamy white goo... like the oil had been whipped by butter. A few days later the neighbor had the old oil flushed out under pressure and new oil put in, and on the way home from the service station the engine blew up. Lesson learned: change oil regularly or not at all.

vettedoogie

Now you know why your dad sold it!
I have seen that kind of whipped frothy oil before and it is a sure sign of impending doom...it is also a sign of water/coolant in the oil...as in a cracked block or head.

BTW, I sure hope your neighbor didn't pay much for it...and that he knew your dad never changed the oil.

gunterwalker

Could you please post your Dad's information on here so no one buys a car from him

RussellZ

I had an 02 Lexus which I bought new. I never changed the oil just because I didn't give a damn. I sold the car to Carmax and let it be someone else's problem. I've never kept a car over 40K miles so I don't maintain them too well. I'm good about maintaining my Corvette & Mercedes and I change the fluids on my Harley every 2K-3K miles. I have a 3 year old Jeep which has been washed twice and the oil was changed once.

vettedoogie

Right...now we know why EVERY used Corvette needs to have it's service history checked closely. I bet Hertz does a far better job of maintainance than many private owners.

lamboguy

Funny you should say that, because I bought my C6 used from Hertz.

I don't really have an opinion on your statement -- except to say that I'm sure individual owners vary greatly on how they service their cars... and Hertz probably doesn't. But also, some owners probably service their cars a lot better than Hertz does...

Fred

vettedoogie

Yeah, I remember. You may remember that at the time I was saying that every used Corvette's service history needs to be examined closely.

CessnaDriver

Every 3K on a normally operated vehicle (and thats probably 99% of them) is emotionalism plain and simple these days.

It's a massive waste of time and money and honestly...

I think it is an old man thing.

They can't let go of the old ways.

It will die off with them, until then we will keep hearing the same old sad comments....

Cleaner is better,

Cheap insurance,

I feel better

Etc etc etc


Hell some men just feel good changing oil. It's a weird thing.


If anything the OLM is probably conservative.

So if someone needs to be foolish about oil changes, there isn't much that can be done, however the rest of us can enjoy the reduced maintainance that technology has brought us and we payed for it afterall.
And help to keep others from being mislead by foolish, old and very outdated oil change "advice".

kh400

Oil doesn't really wear out. But it gets contaminated with dirt and diluted with gasoline. Common sense would dictate that you at least change your oil when the monitor says to, or even before that. After paying a rather large sum of money for your car, it seems foolish to me to try to save a few bucks by stretching out your oil change intervals. Just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like.

Gary '09 C6

just had the first oil change on my 'Vette yesterday...
at 14 months/3300 miles...DIC indicated 73% remaining oil life.

(I know--wish I could drive it more, but work/travel alot, and have a short commute)

plan on having this Mobil 1 synthetic oil change service done at least once a year, regardless of mileage...or when DIC indicates 25% remaining oil life, if sooner

b-t-w, used the dealer where I bought the car [Allen Samuels Chevrolet on SW Freeway (Rt 59) in Houston]...

made sure the car was put on a "drive-on" lift...the service dept. there appears to be fairly knowledegable about Corvettes...we checked for TSB upgrades etc.

so far I am satisfied with this dealer and their team

Gearhead Jim

Would those be the same high paid engineers who gave us the oil-gulping 2001 engines, delaminating tops, DBS, etc etc etc?

Actually, I have a lot of respect for GM engineering. But they are not perfect.

In my case, I'm using their system (OLI) combined with independent oil analysis, to make my decisions.

Your car, your money, your choice.

jimhild

100% on our 2008 Convertible with the LS3 engine and NPP averages about 13,000 miles. We use the car as a daily driver and have 35,000 miles on the engine in 30 months.

RussellZ

Yes, you are correct but if you read my post I stated that I take care of my Corvette. I know how to turn a wrench and it's in impeccable condition.

Mike's Sweet 19

Fred,

I hear your pain owning the 59 MG. My MG was a a disaster in rainy weather. Sometimes I had more water on the floor then outside and rainy weather would cause its electrical system to fail at the most in- apporpriate times.

My 2005 vert does not leak, runs well in the damp weather of Florida, has A/C, well you know the rest. By the way my 2005 has 62k+ miles and change the oil at about 40% life which equates for my driving about 8500 miles. However I check the oil's color and feel the slipperyness. For more info on oil see the web site called Bobtheoilguy.

Hope this helps.

Mike

napacruzerc5

I change oil at 25% or one year which ever comes up first. Or before a long road trip.