# oil change questions



## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

If anything, better heat tolerance. My Chevy dealer has Mobile 1 available for those who are want it. That is the required oil for the Corvettes.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

Will it affect mpg at all? mine is pretty bad.


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## elegant (Jan 6, 2011)

I believe that you will get a little better mileage with Mobil 1, but doubt that the increase will make the change to a full synthetic cost effective. Nevertheless when I change my Cruze's oil next, I will be going with Mobil 1 also.

Interesting thing about Mobil 1 is that every Ferrari, every Porsche and every Corvette leaves the factory with Mobil 1. That's enough of a recommendation for me.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Going from regular to fully synthetic will not affect your fuel economy. The oil will have the same viscosity. If you have problems getting decent gas mileage, create a thread on it and we can try to figure it out.


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## eagleco (May 3, 2011)

If you live in a cold climate, the full synthetic will flow better when cold. I don't know that you would get a measurable improvement in gas mileage, but I do know from experience that my car starts easier in the dead of winter.


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## 72oly300 (Apr 9, 2011)

I've read the Dexos additive package is better for longer oil life per the oil life monitor. Also, it has different anti-foaming agents for more consistent variable valve timing performance (activated using oilo pressure). To each their own, I am using Dexos and changing oil per the monitor.


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## cruze01 (Mar 25, 2011)

Going full synthetic has two major benefits. 
1. Longevity, Mobil 1 or other premium synthetics will last much longer. Considering that the Cruze pushes most of us to a 10,000 mile oil change I strongly recommend that you go full synthetic. I have tested the A/C Delco stuff that the dealer uses and I can tell you it wont make it to the 10k mark.
2. Much better cold weather performance. The car will start easier and suffer much less wear in cold weather with synthetic oil.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I had a great oil analysis on full synthetic Quaker State. It could easily have run out the oil life monitor according to the wear metals and TBN of 2.7 after 7100 miles on the oil. I changed it with 30% life indicated on the OLM.


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## SeanM402 (Aug 8, 2011)

So far from what I have seen the A/C Delco is not getting very good longevity results when people are having an oil analysis performed on the used oil. I am running Mobil 1 right now in my car and have gotten great results so far. I posted my oil analysis here: http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/34-1-4l-turbo/5018-updated-oil-analysis-results.html


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

If you read your owners manual, your warranty will only be in effect if you use only Dexos specification oil. In shopping around, Mobil One is the only bottle I could find with that green dexos symbol on it.

Since I plan on changing my own oil, plan on cutting that label off along with the lid on a genuine Delco filter and putting that in the log book. Not that I am paranoid, with another new car, a high school kid was changing the oil and used an anti-freeze container to pour in whatever oil that came out of that drum. Along with the date and miliage.

Traditionally, the price of a quart of oil equaled the price of a gallon of gas, yep, four bucks a quart now. Glanced at a sign someplace, if you want synthetic oil was like 40 bucks more. But at the stores, synthetic runs about between a buck or two more than standard oil. Cruze takes 4 1/2 quarts, and you have to use synthetic to maintain your warranty. At the most, should be about nine bucks more, so where do they come up with 40 bucks?


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## OverHeight (Jan 8, 2012)

How does changing to synthetic affect our oil life monitors in the car? Can they read synthetic properly?


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## 20126spdRS (Dec 27, 2011)

the only difference in the m1 is the teflon additive... i run it exclusivly for longer ovrall engine life


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

Macman said:


> Will it affect mpg at all? mine is pretty bad.


Macman, I don't think you should expect much in MPG's improvement by going full-synthetic. I didn't. I went full synthetic at 2,000 miles on the clock. I've seen some
improvement, but that may have been due to break-in since I went full-synthetic pre-break-in. I have also read somewhere on this forum that Full-synthetic buys more
time between changes but will not improve MPG. In my experience, as mentioned above, I cannot attribute any mileage gains to having gone full-synthetic.



OverHeight said:


> How does changing to synthetic affect our oil life monitors in the car? Can they read synthetic properly?


OverHeight,
I'm pretty sure the OLM cannot detect or sense what grade/type oil you are running. It simply monitors driving habits/starts/stops, etc. I run regular oil in my wife's '10 Equinox. We follow the OLM to between 5-6,000 miles between changes on it. My Cruze runs Full Synthetic from the same dealership, and following my OLM, I am approaching the 35% level after driving just over 6,000 miles. I change oil when we reach about 25% in either one. I can go farther in my Cruze on an oil change simply because she works in town (starts/stops, etc.) and my commute is mainly on open roads, less starts/stops, etc.
So the Cruze will need oil changes at 7-8K intervals where the 'Nox requires them at about 5-6K intervals. Hope this helps.


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## finklejag (Jul 9, 2011)

elegant said:


> I believe that you will get a little better mileage with Mobil 1, but doubt that the increase will make the change to a full synthetic cost effective. Nevertheless when I change my Cruze's oil next, I will be going with Mobil 1 also.
> 
> Interesting thing about Mobil 1 is that every Ferrari, every Porsche and every Corvette leaves the factory with Mobil 1. That's enough of a recommendation for me.



The Corvette factory fill is the synthetic blend dexos1 oil these days. GM doesn't use Mobil 1 for its factory fills any more. The factory fill for Ferrari is Shell Helix Ultra. The US Ferrari dealers use Quaker State Euro 5W-40 for their oil changes. 


The dexos1 spec replaces the Corvette 4718M spec. The dexos1 spec is used in every 2011+ GM product now.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

They had it since 7 am. They now say that to check the speaker grill and wind coming into door will take until 3 pm to look at. Transmission is fine they say, it's supposed to struggle getting into 2nd and then slam into 2nd.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

My car is finally ready, no problems found, of course.I find that my car actually is the same without the CAI, other than the sound. I will drive it stock a week to see if mpg changes.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Macman said:


> My car is finally ready, no problems found, of course.I find that my car actually is the same without the CAI, other than the sound. I will drive it stock a week to see if mpg changes.


"
[h=2]Risks[/h] Aftermarket cold air intakes can pose a risk of damage to the vehicle.


Hydrolock - The intake opening may be closer to the street than an original-equipment air intake, and more likely to introduce water into the engine when fording streams or flooded roads.
 

Noise - Stock air filtration systems usually include resonator-based muffling tubes. Removing them reduces pumping losses but increases noise.
 

Can void the vehicle warranty."
Been reading about these aftermarket gadgets, and even playing with them and the greatest effect is psychological, you want them to work so driver your vehicle a lot easier.

With the guys that design these things, have millions of dollars worth of equipment alone with a zillion government regulations to comply with, are not idiots. One thing they do not have control of is the crap you pay four bucks per gallon at your local gas station, but have to take that into consideration. Cold air forms fuel droplets that don't combust very well leading to carbon problems. Just leave it stock, engine is a system, just screwing with the air cleaner fouls up that system. But does give you more noise so you think it is doing something.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

What about just a short ram? No risk of hydrolock or fuel droplets plus I assume you get better gas mileage as compared to a CAI.


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## wallbngr (Feb 2, 2012)

I had a 2004 Impala .. Ran both Synthetic and Regular Valvoline oil in it , Changed the oil when the monitor said to.. Really wasn't muchdifference in the Lubricity when I drained both types of oil.. 
That car had 180,000 on it and is still going .. All i Did to it was put a shift kit in the Tranny.
I bought My Cruze last April and Changed the oil twice GM Dexos .. Seems to do well with it .
I have 20,000 on it ,usually change the oil when it is at 30% .. 
I'm I see you people are running full synthetic .. Maybe I should go to that .
As for Cold weather starting ,worked well when it was -26 .
Idled it for a while tho


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## Camcruse (Oct 4, 2011)

Macman said:


> My car is finally ready, no problems found, of course.I find that my car actually is the same without the CAI, other than the sound. I will drive it stock a week to see if mpg changes.


You're kidding me. 

8.5 hours for an oil change and a wasted day.

Guess my Cruze won't be seeing the dealer for the so-called free oil changes.


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## UpstateNYBill (Jan 14, 2012)

wallbngr said:


> I had a 2004 Impala .. Ran both Synthetic and Regular Valvoline oil in it , Changed the oil when the monitor said to.. Really wasn't muchdifference in the Lubricity when I drained both types of oil..
> That car had 180,000 on it and is still going .. All i Did to it was put a shift kit in the Tranny.


Good car. Did it have the 3.8? My last car was an 02 Impala and I beat the snot out of it. Changed the oil every 10 - 12k with mostly regular dino oil, only switching to high mileage and semi-synth oil later in it's life. I'd still be driving it, but the intake manifold gasket went bad on it and I didn't feel like putting any money into a car with 264K on it.

I'll definitely have to take much better care of the Cruze. I'm going full synthetic all the way.


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## Macman (May 4, 2011)

Just an update, I changed the oil at the dealer and discovered I had 5 free oil changes, so I'll be uisng those before going synthetic.


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## stormcruzer (Dec 16, 2010)

I've had two oil changes at the dealership (after the initial 3,000 mile oil change). 
I got approximately 9,000 miles on the Dexos oil from the dealership. This is really good considering that I drive in a ridiculous amount of stop and go traffic in Los Angeles.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

NickD said:


> Hydrolock - The intake opening may be closer to the street than an original-equipment air intake, and more likely to introduce water into the engine when fording streams or flooded roads.


Unless you're driving in water that goes over the tires for longer than a few seconds, you don't really have to worry about the air filter sucking up water. And in that case you should question why the **** you're out driving in the first place.

And I always wait and take the ferry when fording rivers.

I also would trust a drunk, blind monkey with a blowtorch to change my oil before I took it to a dealership.

PS - h3ll is censored on this board?


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## OLD SFG GUY (Mar 27, 2012)

Going to Syn is a good choice. I use strictly Amsoil in everything. Before the rebuild in my wifes 94 Impala SS, it ran Mobil 1 in it since day 1 when we bought it new. The LT1's were required to run it or it voided warranty. Same as the LS1, 2, 3, 7 & 9 motors.
I ran M1 in the ImpSS all the way to 174,xxx miles. Within that time I had done a head/cam swap @ 95k and added nitrous @ 135k. This car had seen trips from Ky/Tn areas to Florida, Utah, Cali, Pa a few times and quite a few dragstrips...alot. On the teardown a few months ago, NO ridge on the cylinders, bearings were very good but you could see the wear in the centers from where the nitrous hits will cause wear. The only reason we chose to tear down and rebuild is she'd blown a head gasket on a nitrous run and I figured it was about time for more NA power.

So, IMHO, yes, M1 is totally worth it. Plus, GM uses it so if they can trust it in their 400-800hp cars, it should be fine for our little 138hp grocery getters.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

What gets me, is how some people can cross thread a drain plug, but they manage, somehow, beats the **** out of me.

But did find a way to do with with an old oil pan, use a six point socket with a 560 ft-lb impact wrench, hold the drain plug at an angle, and squeeze the trigger with lots of force on the impact. 

With this hidden oil filter and extra profits to be made, how are you sure they changed it. Good reasons to go back to changing the oil myself, all but a twenty minute job at the most, also spray all those rubber bushings with silicone, does your oil change place to that? Suppose too. I know exactly what kind of oil went in, what kind of filter, and now with a new state law forcing places that sell oil to take back your old oil, makes that chore a lot easier. Don't have to drive clear across town anymore.


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## crnbrdfrts (Apr 22, 2012)

Currently at 2393 miles on my new Eco. Oil life monitor says 76% remaining. I bought the extended warranty. Do I change it at 3000 to maintain my warranty or go by the oil life monitor?


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Again its in the owners manual.

"Engine Oil Life System
When to Change Engine Oil
This vehicle has a computer system
that indicates when to change the
engine oil and filter. This is based
on a combination of factors which
include engine revolutions, engine
temperature, and miles driven.
Based on driving conditions, the
mileage at which an oil change is
indicated can vary considerably.
For the oil life system to work
properly, the system must be reset
every time the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated
that oil life has been diminished,
it indicates that an oil change is
necessary. A CHANGE ENGINE
OIL SOON DIC message or Code
82 DIC message comes on. See
Engine Oil Messages on page 5‑30.
Change the oil as soon as possible
within the next 1 000 km (600 mi).
It is possible that, if driving under
the best conditions, the oil life
system might indicate that an oil
change is not necessary for up to a
year. The engine oil and filter must
be changed at least once a year
and, at this time, the system must
be reset. Your dealer has trained
service people who will perform this
work and reset the system. It is also
important to check the oil regularly
over the course of an oil drain
interval and keep it at the
proper level.
If the system is ever reset
accidentally, the oil must be
changed at 5 000 km (3,000 mi)
since the last oil change.
Remember to reset the oil life
system whenever the oil
is changed."

With the kind of oil to use, again in the owners manual:

"Use only engine oil licensed to the dexos1 specfication, or equivalent, of
the proper SAE viscosity grade. ACDelco dexos1 Synthetic Blend is
recommended."

Augmented by this statement in the owners manual:

*"Notice: Failure to use the
recommended engine oil or
equivalent can result in engine
damage not covered by the
vehicle warranty. Check with your
dealer or service provider on
whether the oil is approved to the
dexos1 specification."*

Shocked by dealers that don't even read their own literature.


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## evo77 (Sep 5, 2011)

crnbrdfrts said:


> Currently at 2393 miles on my new Eco. Oil life monitor says 76% remaining. I bought the extended warranty. Do I change it at 3000 to maintain my warranty or go by the oil life monitor?


There are many discussions about this already.

One member has discovered thru oil analysis that the factory fill of dexos 1 syn blend is not suitable for living out the OLM. Its best you change out at 3k and switch to a full syn dexos 1 oil. And then you can follow the owners manual instructions as posted previously.

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/34-1-4l-turbo/5727-oil-change.html#post77164


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## StoneCrab (Sep 14, 2011)

Why is the owners manual and onboard OLM disregarded? GM warranties the motor for 100k miles with nothing more than using Dexos oil and change it when the OLM says to. My dealer went a step beyond and provides a powertrain warranty for life (as long as I own the vehicle), as long as I have it serviced at their shop. Yes, I fully understand it is a gimmick to get the service business, but their prices are not out of line and they have all the service records documented in the GM system. I expect them to change it with Dexos oil and I'll have them change it when the OLM is <10%. This is not an exotic with exotic maintenance requirements. 

I understand we all want the best performance and longevity from our vehicles but I am convinced this is all much ado about nothing. The Dexos standard is fairly stringent as I understand it, and designed for economy and extended oil change intervals.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

StoneCrab said:


> Why is the owners manual and onboard OLM disregarded? GM warranties the motor for 100k miles with nothing more than using Dexos oil and change it when the OLM says to. My dealer went a step beyond and provides a powertrain warranty for life (as long as I own the vehicle), as long as I have it serviced at their shop. Yes, I fully understand it is a gimmick to get the service business, but their prices are not out of line and they have all the service records documented in the GM system. I expect them to change it with Dexos oil and I'll have them change it when the OLM is <10%. This is not an exotic with exotic maintenance requirements.
> 
> I understand we all want the best performance and longevity from our vehicles but I am convinced this is all much ado about nothing. The Dexos standard is fairly stringent as I understand it, and designed for economy and extended oil change intervals.


I'll sum up my understanding of the topic: everything needs to be taken critically and sometimes with a grain of salt. 

For example, the manufacturer recommends 35PSI tire pressure. Why? Is it for tire wear? Nope, people on both ecomodder.com and cleanmpg.com have noted significantly better tire life and wear patterns using higher pressure up to and even exceeding maximum sidewall pressure. 

The manufacturer I'm sure would rather have you change your oil based on the OLM, but you have to ask yourself, what exact oil? Does the OLM know what oil you're using? Nope. The reason why nobody wants to let their factory DEXOS1 oil up to the OLM is because one person on this board tested said oil at 5,000 miles by sending it in for analysis and the results indicated that the oil was not suitable for the 10,000 mile service that the OLM indicated it was. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was doubt over if it was even suitable for 7,500 miles. 

GM warrantied the motor for 100k, and I'm sure that following the OLM and using GM's oil will get you to 100k, but I took my last car to 247k miles before getting the Cruze and I expect the Cruze to take me two 247k as well. If I know GM's DEXOS1 oil is unsuitable for 10,000 mile service, I'll use a proven full synthetic oil instead if I am to follow the OLM's recommendation.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

evo77 said:


> There are many discussions about this already.
> 
> One member has discovered thru oil analysis that the factory fill of dexos 1 syn blend is not suitable for living out the OLM. Its best you change out at 3k and switch to a full syn dexos 1 oil. And then you can follow the owners manual instructions as posted previously.
> 
> http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/34-1-4l-turbo/5727-oil-change.html#post77164


Recommended oil change on my old 1930 Ford Model A was 500 miles. Had no air filter, no oil filter, used a breather pipe that sucked in road dust, and when this car was made, dusty roads were quite common.

Other vehicles I have owned with an oil change reminder would be even under 3,000 miles if you did a lot of town driving, and that was using real oil, not this synthetic stuff. But gave just two numbers, one for city driving at 3,000 miles, the other for highway driving at 7,500 miles, or a time limit of six months, whether you drove it or not.

Cruze specifications for an oil change are definitely different, but being old fashion, will still go by the color of the oil, and still check it at every gas fill up. With my dealer changes of oil change, begin to notice a lot of sludge build up in my oil. Have no idea what they are using. *It took me three of my own oil changes to get that engine clean again.* Chevy dealer in town is advertising a $19.64 oil change, how can he do that?

Over history, a quart of oil always costs around the price of a gallon of gas. When gas was 20 cents a gallon, a quart of oil was 20 cents, a buck a gallon, a buck a quart. With synthetics, about one and a half times as much, so are we getting a higher mileage oil for that additional price? Suppose time will tell.

On other automotive boards, if someone has PCM or automatic climate control problems, lucky to get one or two responses. But if someone comes on and asks, what kind of oil should I use and how often should I change it, about 50,000 responses.

LOL, this board doesn't appear to be any different.


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## SunnyinHollister (Mar 17, 2011)

A lot of the major oil manufacturers are refusing to pay the royalty fees required by dexos program. Recently the Pennzoil line left the program. Valvoline and Castrol refused to be part of it from the beginning. I DO like the specification because it is more rigorous than GF5 and I like the compliance auditing aspect of it. However, I use whatever full synthetic is on sale regardless of the spec. in the manual it states, "Use only engine oil licensed to the dexos1 specification, or equivalent." The FTC has already sent a out concerning the defacto dexos requirement and are looking into the matter. Most of the brand name full synthetic oils meet the requirements and state as much. I change my oil a little early so the OLM does not get to 0, I use AC Delco filters, and I keep my receipts and document my oil changes. I'm not really worried about it. Now if I used the cheapest bulk oil I could find and not change it for 15k miles, I can see where there would be warranty implications.


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## StoneCrab (Sep 14, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> The manufacturer I'm sure would rather have you change your oil based on the OLM, but you have to ask yourself, what exact oil? Does the OLM know what oil you're using? Nope. The reason why nobody wants to let their factory DEXOS1 oil up to the OLM is because one person on this board tested said oil at 5,000 miles by sending it in for analysis and the results indicated that the oil was not suitable for the 10,000 mile service that the OLM indicated it was. In fact, if I remember correctly, there was doubt over if it was even suitable for 7,500 miles.
> 
> GM warrantied the motor for 100k, and I'm sure that following the OLM and using GM's oil will get you to 100k, but I took my last car to 247k miles before getting the Cruze and I expect the Cruze to take me two 247k as well. If I know GM's DEXOS1 oil is unsuitable for 10,000 mile service, I'll use a proven full synthetic oil instead if I am to follow the OLM's recommendation.


Why would GM encourage an oil change interval longer than appropriate for the oil and usage of the vehicle? That is, what incentive is there for GM to recommend 'too long' of an oil change interval with their OLM algorithms? None that I can see. If anything, it could be argued the opposite - there is an incentive for too frequent of changes to drive service business and proactive maintenance to reduce warranty claims. 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I don't buy the claim that one person had an oil analysis and therefore we should all change our oil at 3000 mile intervals and usually only full synthetic oil, nevermind what General Motors says. GM has taken it a step further and said that failure to use Dexos oil can void the warranty - that tells me they have done their research and believe that Dexos oil meets their requirements for OCI according to the OLM algorithm (which takes into account many variables). I trust the system, and I have a warranty that backs it all up. 

GM has a spec for the trans fluid - why don't we scrutinize that and suggest full synthetic fluid change even when the manufacturer says not necessary? I have seen many more trans failures than I have oil related engine failures. Brake fluid? Coolant? Frequent oil changes are a placebo, and benefit our psychology much more than the engine. 

I've seen this debate on every car forum. I've owned a lot of performance cars, and done a lot of maintenance myself. I have a LS7 that calls for Mobil 1 specifically and that is what it gets. I change the oil in that car way ahead of the OLM, but I know deep down the only thing that does is make me sleep better at night. Nothing wrong with that though!


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## Cleck (Dec 5, 2011)

My .02, from a tech's point of view:

The DEXOS is a semi-synthetic blend. We rate it for 5000 miles. The OLM as stated and put more simply, is dependent on the driver and how they put the car through its courses. I did my LOF of my '12 a few months ago with 1500 miles. It's due again at 6500 miles and my wife has been driving the car since then, putting on significant more mileage than I would have. It's due for a change in less than 1000 miles and yet the OLM is still reading 60% or so remaining, which would put me over that mark, imo. She doesn't drive hard or fast and doesn't race the engine or rev it high. It's completely dependent on who is driving. I've noticed people coming in for their LOF because their OLM read low, yet they had plenty of mileage remaining, according to their sticker.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

StoneCrab said:


> Why would GM encourage an oil change interval longer than appropriate for the oil and usage of the vehicle? That is, what incentive is there for GM to recommend 'too long' of an oil change interval with their OLM algorithms? None that I can see. If anything, it could be argued the opposite - there is an incentive for too frequent of changes to drive service business and proactive maintenance to reduce warranty claims.
> 
> I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I don't buy the claim that one person had an oil analysis and therefore we should all change our oil at 3000 mile intervals and usually only full synthetic oil, nevermind what General Motors says. GM has taken it a step further and said that failure to use Dexos oil can void the warranty - that tells me they have done their research and believe that Dexos oil meets their requirements for OCI according to the OLM algorithm (which takes into account many variables). I trust the system, and I have a warranty that backs it all up.
> 
> ...


I know you're not trying to be argumentative. I like a good discussion too, so here's what I can contribute. 

I wouldn't extend my OCI based on one person's tests. Everyone drives differently, different commutes, different temperatures, etc. When the 10,000 mile mark comes near on my Mobil 1 synthetic change, I'll send in a sample to have it tested. If the testing indicates that I can continue to drive my car for a short while on that change of oil, I would consider going those extra 2-3k miles. 

I don't really trust the OLM with GM's ACDelco branded oil because as noted, it is a synthetic blend, not a full synthetic, and people have noted through oil testing and analysis that it is not suitable for 10,000 mile service. However, I now have 5,200 miles on my Cruze on the original oil (changing it today...hopefully) and my OLM says I have 50% oil life remaining. Do I feel safe or confident running that extra 5,200 miles? This is just to point out the significance of the OLM not knowing what kind of oil you're actually using in your car. 

We don't scrutinize GM for their trans fluid because we don't have to change our trans fluid every 5-10k miles.


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## turbobob_01 (Mar 20, 2013)

260,000 miles and only use Mobil 1. I have used different viscosities. No engine issues. No oil burning. Speaks for itself. 2011 1.4L automatic


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