[6cylVWguy]

When does everyone change the oil in their cars. I am reading the maintenance manual that came with my Corrado and it states that oil and filter changes should occur every 7500 miles. Does anyone adhere to this? I try to change my oil and filter at around 4k miles. Is this too soon?
Tom
94 SLC
86 Jetta coupe

 

[sergevr6]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

i always thought it was 3k, and even less for FI cars. I do my VR6 every 2000-2500 mi to keep it clean. using synthetic too.

 

[6cylVWguy]

Re: Oil change interval (sergevr6)

Wow, that's a lot of clean oil. Maybe I should consider lowering the change interval to between 3000 and 4000 miles! Can anything bad happen if you change the oil too often?
Tom
94 SLC
86 Jetta coupe

 

[evi1gtiguy]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

haha no...i do it every 2500 - 3000 miles

 

[vr6Cop]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

I use Mobil 1 in mine, and change it at 5000 miles religiously.

 

[climbingcue]

Re: Oil change interval (vr6Cop)

Mobil 1 and I do it about every 4K miles....

 

[graff48]

Re: Oil change interval (climbingcue)

Man, you guys are wasting some serious cash! I use non-synthetic oil and change it every 5000 miles. There's a reason why your manual says 7500 miles. Some of you guys have been brainwashed!

 

[Golfather]

Re: Oil change interval (graff48)

I agree with graff48.
Oil change intervals for the Golf VR6 are 10,000 miles.
Most tuners recommend doing it at every 5-6000 which is when I do mine.
Any earlier and you are wasting your time.
I've done 120k miles in my motor with 10,000 intervals from the dealer for nearly all of its life and its running just as strong and probably cleaner than one which has been over pampered.
Doing unnecessary oil changes arent a bad thing for sure, but they are not really necessary and it does not achieve anything.
5-6000 miles is a safe bet to stick with.

 

[tcrboravr6]

Re: Oil change interval (graff48)

Regular oil I changed every 3 thousand. Synthetic that I am using now I plan to change ever 5000.

 

[machschnell]

Re: Oil change interval (tcrboravr6)

When using Mobil1 synth, was around 4-5k, now with valvoline synth (reduces oil consumption) I change it every 3k on the dot almost. 5w in the winter, 10w in the summer. Uses about 1 quart a change now with over 96k miles.
Say what you want about wasting money, but I've had no problems since new. I'd rather not call it luck.
PJ


[Modified by machschnell, 8:15 AM 11-29-2001]

 

[dagmando]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

2K - 3K miles changes are a complete waste, ESPECIALLY with synthetics. It's been proven over and over and over and .... unless you are racing 100% of the time. This does not include "I drive my car hard" 7500miles with a good synthetic is perfect. I use Synpower 5w-40 every 7500 miles and I burn about 3/4 quart the entire time.

 

[machschnell]

Re: Oil change interval (dagmando)

There is no substitute for *clean* oil. 100 miles, 1000 miles, 5000 miles, I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. The oil itself, sure, it could probably last 10,000 miles, kind of useless if something gets in there. "Yeah, sure, that's what the filter is for". True, but we all take out insurance on our houses and cars, right? Trannies, cooling, brake, p/s systems are relatively 'sealed' hard for foreign matter to get in there. In the oiling system, stuff get in there easy, and when it does - good bye.
Not this is a good way to determine the life of an oil, but right around 2500 miles, my oil starts to lose the goldish 'hue', so I figure 3000 is good guideline. It was 50 years ago, I think it still is, regardless of what oil companies have been able to do.
PJ

 

[6cylVWguy]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

I take the car over to the dealer to get the changes done (I'm too lazy to do it myself) and I doubt the dealer uses synthetic. So I guess for normal driving, non-synth is just as good, if you can wait 7500 miles to change "regular" oil.
Tom
94 SLC
86 Jetta coupe


[Modified by 6cylVWguy, 3:01 PM 11-29-2001]

 

[MIA]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

Give me a break, if I changed the oil in my TDI everytime it losses it's golden hue, I'd be changing it every 100 miles! TDI's do great with 10,000 mile change intervals. Gas engines are much nicer to their oil and this 3000 mile with SYNTHETIC crap is rediculous. Stop listening to your dad/grandfather/Jiffy Lube. Every 3k or 3 months is a joke with conventional oil! (unless you drive extremely short trips or redline your engine constantly)

 

[machschnell]

Re: Oil change interval (MIA)

Sure, I can give you a break.
I did a quick calculation, If I changed at 5k instead of 3k, for 15k mile/year, I would change the oil 3 times, as opposed to 5 times. that's 12 quarts of oil and filter. probably $80-$100 a year. Worth it to me. Probably $50 if you took it the local Quickety Lube and drive off w/out that peace of mind about something as simple as motor oil. I know I wouldn't take it to the lube place to save $50, so I don't change at 5k to save about the same amount. Break it down however you want - it's my baby.
I love the goldish hue, if it were as cheap as milk, I would eat my corn flakes with it. Peace see ya later.
PJ

 

[eeman]

Re: Oil change interval (machschnell)

Using Castrol 5W50 Syntec, I followed VW recommendations of 15,000 Km (10,000 mile) change intervals, and the VR6 now has 32,000 Km on it. A sample of the oil was extracted after 7,500 Km of use, and again at the 15,000 Km change point, and tested by a professional lab. Both samples showed minimal wear, viscosity change and contamination, and even after 15,000 Km, the recommendation was for continued use and not to change the oil.
This is with about 85% highway use, and you have to factor in your specific driving conditions, but the results speak for themselves. I'll continue to change at the recommended interval and have samples analyzed. The results will be posted. I have switched to LubroMoly 5W40 synthetic, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to the Syntec.

 

[VRSexed]

Re: Oil change interval (6cylVWguy)

What some people fail to realize is that motor oil is not only a lubricant, but a detergent as well. So if your oil is dark, you know it's doing it's job. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif

 

[machschnell]

Re: Oil change interval (VRSexed)

I would almost have no problem waiting until 5k if the oil remained relatively clean, although I know that will probably never happen.
PJ

 

[RedShift42]

Re: Oil change interval (machschnell)

...And the Dairy Council recommends you drink 8 glasses of milk a day.
Ever wonder about these gurus who have your best interests at heart?
They're usually marketers.
Or maybe Jiffy Lube just has better engineers than Volkswagen...?

I used to work for a lubrication company, we had an active fleet of at least 20 pickups and a few minivans. Every vehicle was put on the same maintenance schedule and same fluids: generic 5w-30 synthetic, changed every 20,000 miles (yes, twenty thousand) w/ a filter change & topoff every ~5k.
These vehicles lead a modestly challenging life, usually carrying weighty equipment and lube over the highway and into industrial worksites.
Each vehicle was typically retired around 200,000 miles and, most often, the rep opted to purchase it from the company for his personal use. To my knowledge we never had any engine lubrication-related failures. In fact, in 2 years there, the only engine I ever remember seeing cracked open in the shop was mechanic's Harley.
I bought one of the '92 Grand Caravans at 200k and happily put another 60k on before selling it. It spent its service life w/ the seats pulled out, as a hauler. The trans had been replaced but the engine never opened, just maintenance.
I saw one of our older Caravans, now driven by an employee's college kid, w/ over 320k.
I'll underscore what you've all heard:
- Modern oils are superb.
- Synthetics are even better (but hardly necessary).
- The base stock stays good and the additives suspend what the filter doesn't catch.
- It don't have to look pretty to still be working.
- 3000 miles, my butt.
- Most oil conventional-wisdom is anachronistic.
- There's no need to send good oil to the incinerator.

Personally I do my changes somewhere between the severe and regular maintenance schedule, ie., somewhere between 5-10k miles; normally using 5w-30 in winter and 10w-30 in summer, synthetic in cars I love, mineral in cars I like.
Unless you're truly *hammering* on your car or talking about hi-performance motorcycles, this isn't an issue worth obsessing over.
I've found better things to do w/ those annual 75 dollars and 2 hours of my life.

 

[machschnell]

Re: Oil change interval (RedShift42)

Good advice, Red, this is an argument that will go on forever.
You're not going to believe this, but I change the oil in our aircooled Bug every 1500 miles! AAAA! This guy is nuts! Well, that's what most anybody who services aircooleds will tell you (or at least what I've heard) b/c the crankcase is vented to the outside, and they don't run the types of filters found on modern cars. Just another point of view to draw from.
PJ