As a retired tech, I'd also add that we used to see people go their entire lease without servicing the vehicle so we'd get it back well sludged and in rough shape with 36,000 miles. Well those cars got an oil change and got sold. This could have been a sludge car that saw proper oil changes with the second owner, but the damage had already been done.
Also when I worked at cmax the first thing that got done to the car was to check for sludge. If it had any. It got pulled to the side and someone later would remove valve cover to verify and than shipped off to wholesale lot.
Exactly! In this video, he admits that there is absolutely no record of oil changes for the first 53,000 miles. It is very unlikely that this car had anything but the minimum done to it during the lease. But he still posts this video. This sure makes me question the legitimacy of videos on this channel.
I use full synthetic every 3k. Ford Senior Master tech, 35 years experience. The OEMs receive CAFE credits for their 7500 mile recommendations. I do not know how many people realize that. Love your videos and thanks for great into.
But testing shows that 3k is very conservative for full synthetic oil. It doesn’t hurt to do it but it sure is expensive and a hassle to do that often.
I'm a 30 year tech also. I do mine every 3k as well. My car has 250,000 miles on it, and looks like new under the valve cover. Oil is cheaper than engines
Problem is, the new owner waits for the free oil changes and other free servicing that comes with the purchase. The service departments will not change the oil for free unless the maintenance minder says it's ready. For instance, I bought a new Honda. It comes with 2 complimentary oil and filter changes.....when the maintenance minder says 15% or less. By that time, it's well over a year and 10K miles.
Exactly the right advice. I would also add 6 months or twice a year. I drain the summer oil the first day of fall even if I haven’t gone 5000 miles. That oil is cooked and not worth a shit. Same the first day of spring. That oil has been fuel soaked from all the cold starts all winter.
I hate to be paranoid, but when you have your oil changed at a dealer or fast service place it comes out of a bulk barrel. How do you know what oil is actually in that container?
Just use a cheap synthetic and change your oil every 3000 miles. If 3000 miles worked with conventional oil it should be no problem with a cheap synthetic which is much better.
Mileage between oil changes has minimal impact on whether the engine has sludge. Distance traveled in vehicle when daily driving is the main factor in whether the engine develops sludge…Driving short distances every day..”less than 20 miles a day is the Major contributor of sludge build up in an engine…Why??? Moisture!!! Humidity!!! An engine has 1:20 a certain amount of moisture in it every morning at start up. The engine needs to burn off this internal moisture along with getting to the proper temperature for the oil detergents to function properly….. if it does not sludge will begin to build up… my two cents…. I’m a retired mechanic of 40 years… hope this helps some folks….
Yes I think this makes sense. I change oil every 9-10k miles but I drive my car over 1100 miles a week. I have no sludge and very minimal oil consumption.
I mean oil breaks down, and gets dirty. Especially with conventional. That’s the primary sludge factor. Going 10k on oil will cause extreme breakdown and therefore compound sludge. There’s been extensive research on oil breakdown, mileage, etc. if you’re driving longer days, or idling a lot, that just speeds up that process of “cooking” the oil. It’s all about dirt and breakdown. Obviously a little moisture can sludge up fast, but that’s not the primary issue in most cases. We do regularly testing on oil when changing.
@@Roger-il8iw I agree with you on the conventional oil…Not to mention turbo engines….if you’re running conventional oil in a Turbo vehicle then your lost!!!! The turbo is actually being cooled and for bearing lubricant…bottom line…. A high quality Full Synthetic oil is the only way to go…period
That's a big reason why I change my own. The shops keep the drain plug off for at the most 5 minutes and usually a lot less. I let mine drip for about 30 minutes or more. I guess I have issues with trusting people working on my car too.
Same here. My aunt once came over after an “oil change”. My dad checked the dipstick send it was completely black. The shop was literally doing nothing.
Being a retired tech, I totally agree. You have to take care of the new technology! You don't get an engine rebuild for $1,500 any more! Listen to him folks.
Knowing Ford dealerships, the techs probably pulled the vehicle in..hit the vape pen and then pulled the vehicle out and put a new oil change sticker on.
Once worked with a guy who did oil changes at the Ford dealership next door. He said, when they got backed up they'd skip changing the oil filters on the elderly folks cars. They were the least likely to check.
Excellent video! After 40+ years as a shadetree mechanic, I change my oil every 3,000 miles. Only internal engine trouble I've ever had with any car was believing Audi's 10,000 mile oil change intervals. Thank you for your objective and honest information.
Buying an Audi (aka fancy Volks) might have something to do with it too, not just the oil. Those things are known for horrible reliability, bad engines and pricy repair bills.
@@SevenSixTwo2012 It seemed like a good idea at the time. I bought it new and maintained it precisely to the manufacturer’s instructions. It was a fantastic car when it ran. Nonetheless, everything in your comment came true.
I've been changing my bought used five years ago 2013 Q5 every 3,000 miles, total miles now 80,000. Now that my wife is retired, that's still only 2X a year.
@SevenSixTwo2012 not true. audis are great cars and very reliable. but most people that buy them dont maintain them at all, same goes with mercedes and bmw
Back in the day, I owned two service stations, been working on cars for 50+ years. For me, it's always been 3-5k miles for oil/filter. People think I'm nuts, but I never have engine problems.
Oil is cheap engines are not. I do full synthetic at 5k miles on all my cars. The manual said 10k…..yeah whatever. Thanks for you awesome videos and great info.
I tell my customers, " It never hurts your engine to change it early. It always hurts your engine to change it late." If you do 7,000 mile interval oil changes, you will do 14 oil changes in 100,000 miles. If you change intervals to every 5,000 miles, you'll do 20 oil changes in 100,000 miles. That's only 6 more oil changes in that time. 6 oil changes is a lot cheaper than a timing chain job with all the variable valve timing components. And that doesn't even address the issue with piston rings sticking and burning oil, clogging catalytic converters.
Yeah well if you own a shop then you will tell people that, what a surprise. 😅 It is not the 1980's anymore when fuel and oil quality was bad and engines had bypass carbon deposits many times more than they do now. I manage a fleet of about 35 vehicles and tend to keep them for lot longer than warranty lasts. Have been using intervals that range 7000 to 12000 miles and had no issues about sludge or premature wear. The age old mantra how short oil change interval is going to save your car is just BS. Sorry but everything else keeps breaking up anyway. Either transmission, electronics or the bodywork just rots if used in cold climate and not bothered by rust prevention.
I've been doing full synthetic 7,500 oil change intervals for years...I'll now be having it done at 5,000 miles. Thanks for the very information video. I'm a huge fan of ya'll.
It really depends on the car...My 2011honda crv since new has had changes aprox 7500 miles too( I use the in car oil change indicator)...no sludge at all and purrs like a kitten...0w-20 full synthetic and I have personally done every oil change....
Depending how much you drive, 7500 miles is fine with full synthetic. If you drive 12-14k a year? Probably do 5k. I do 25-30k a year. I hit 7500 miles every 2.5-3 months. My oil looks great when I change it. Because I take relatively long trips, my oil doesn't get diluted or accumulate moisture. If you drive in the city, those short trips don't get the oil fully heated and rapidly heating and cooling the oil does build sludge. Oil change intervals don't necessarily have a clear cut answer, there is definitely some nuance needed to decide how often you should do it.
Send a sample of the used oil off for analysis. That will tell you wether you can lengthen or shorten intervals. The length of time that you can go for varies geatly depending on your engine, oil quality and how the vehicle is used.
7500 miles is about 12 000 kilometers, I changed oil on my old gasoline Audi at about 10 000 miles/15 000 kilometers, used 10w40 Valvoline and some cheaper semi synthetics. There was no sludge when I took head off. Has this car even had a oil change? Looks like it has been just topped up.
I recommend every 6-7.5k if you run a good full synthetic so it can be done with the tire rotate. The important thing is to change the oil at the end of every winter. Much of the problem is oil gets diluted with fuel and condensation from cold starts during winter and then the oil breaks down quickly. Many people run compromised oil into the summer heat and that's when the sludge starts. Auto repair shops won't tell you this because they like steady business through out the year.
Been a mechanic for over 40 years. The folks saying this is not possible in a short time frame don’t realize that engines today’s run at higher compressions and higher temperatures. The Fore Edge you got there is a 4 banger ECO Boost. Extremely high compression.
Correct. And on top of that oil is also circulating through the turbo in these motors, which gets incredibly hot. The hotter the oil gets, the faster it oxidizes and turns into sludge. That sludge gets into the oil rings and turns into carbon with prolonged heat. I have pics of significant carbon build up on intake valves of a vehicle with less than 6k miles. I’m a huge advocate of using BG MOA every oil change and BG EPR every 15-20k miles.
I will ALWAYS agree with changing oil like you or anyone recommends, sooner than later!! Retired mechanic here also. There’s one BIG variable NO ONE ever puts into the equation. How many HOT miles is the vehicle driven between oil changes. In other words, is the engine driven just for short drives so it builds up sludge, (change sooner), or highway miles to get hot and keep the engine clean!! Again I agree with less miles between changes! But let’s use me in my vehicle, but ONLY when I drive long distance! I’ve driven to Alaska (from Michigan), in a month 11,000 miles, 28 days, that’s round figures 400 miles a day, and never changed oil, and never used an oz of oil in that time period. The first 5 days to Alaska & last five days coming home were sometimes 7-800 mile days. Get an engine hot, keep it hot, they run a LOT cleaner. So in retrospect I love your videos, but next time maybe ask customer HOW he drives between oil changes, very little & short runs, or longer runs and hot drives and let us know.
My Dad taught me to change the oil every 5,000 miles back in the 1960's when we were using single weight "Dino" oil.. Many years later and many cars later, I still change oil at 5,000 miles. I'm old school, but it works!
Thank you for this! I worked in the Oldsmobile Engine factory in 1972. In those days, engine oil was an unknown chemical mixture, that varied from batch to batch from the same company, much less from competing companies. The design-engineers knew this and accounted for it. I learned in that factory the importance of the oil change. Just as Sherwood says at 5:00, the cost of multiple oil changes is cheep compared to what this car now needs. BUT ... times have changed, and they design engines to much tighter tolerances now than they did 50-years-ago, and I did not know that I needed to get the oil changed more often than the manufacturer's recommendation.
I have a 1998 e36 bmw with 217000 miles. Always used full synthetic oil. Recently changed the valve cover gasket. The inside still looks like new. Very clean.
Lifelong BMW tech hear. I had a 1998 E36 that i drove hard AF used nitrous etc. change my oil with full syn, 3500 miles. Had it for 6 years. When i sold it, i did a compression and leak down test for the new owner and only had 3 percent loss. You could eat off the cams.
Every 5k is easy to remember, but I will also rotate the tires at the same interval as the tire techs suggest. I had a car with a 10k oil interval, but it actually worked out with the 1qt/1k miles oil loss plus the 8qt capacity, and really just a new filter every 5k. The trans went out long before the engine was ever going to fail.
As if an oil change is the only service ever needed. Reading these articles you would think so. Transmission fluid change is the most ignored service in the states. Differential and 4x4 service. I change the air and cabin filter every year in May. My 30k mile service list has gotten away from me. It's now 35k miles and all that's left is changing the brake fluid and steering fluid. Think about that for three vehicles in the driveway. Your awful busy or your spending money for the more involved stuff.
If most of your driving is short-runs where the engine barely warms up, that's Severe Service, and you need to halve your oil change intervals at minimum. Short runs, where the combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture collects in the cold oil and never evaporates off. THAT'S how sludge forms. It's NOT 'lower quality oil'. If you don't have regular extended highway runs to 'burn off' the combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture, you're going to get sludge build up. 5,000-mile oil changes will cut down on that sludge build up, but the solution IS NOT more frequent oil changes. The solution is at least weekly highway runs of 20-miles or more. Don't waste money on more frequent oil changes, when the real cause of sludge is the accumulation of combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture. Make sure you get your engine oil hot for at least 20 minutes to burn it off and you won't have a sludge build-up problem!
That don’t matter I get it short runs the engine won’t heat up as fast but the engine dose heat up quick unless it’s really cold outside. I can drive around the block no less then 2 minutes and the engines already at operating temperature. So that’s a little bit of a stretch most people just drive to work okay 20 minute drive for most people by then the engines already cooking so that’s not really an issues. The issue is people going way to long before changing the oil people also not checking there oil if it’s low or how dark it’s getting. When new the oil is light almost transparent then it turns brown then slightly darker and then black. I don’t care what the manufacturer says they are there to make money they want you to break your car so you buy a new one. Change it every 3,000 to 5,000 you’ll be okay. Even if you don’t drive the car that much when it hits 5,000 change it it’s that simple.
Or, just buy an EV if you mostly use your car for occasional short trips at below highway speeds. Someone needs to come out with a $10k basic EV intended for such situations, and municipalities need to convert parking meters to EV chargers, and set aside parking lot spots for chargers, to encourage this. ICE-based cars are intended for longer distance and higher speed driving, not short distance low speed driving.
I've been doing 10k OCIs with M1 oils for the last 46 years in my Ford's including the engines in my 4 cyl Duratechs. I get 200-400 k before selling and they still perform great.
I do once a year in my 83 Caprice resto project. I do the oil filter every other change. She’s been driven about 250 miles since 2005. Wife’s Camry every 6 months or 5,000. My Civic is getting it about 8 months at 6,500.. The Civic calls for an every other oil change for the filter but I do it every time since it’s right next to the drain.
Depends on engine oil capacity. I have a 2011 Mercedes 3.5l V6, NA. Nine quart sump. Been running 7500 to 10k OCI since day one. I’m at 140k miles now. Oil analysis is great. Looks good inside via camera inspection. No oil consumption. I ran the MB Mobil1 5w40 under warranty and Amsoil 5w40 for the last 100k miles.
I kept my 2003 Honda Odyssey to about 220k and did 10k - 13k oil changes on M1. Having said that, I ran used oil analysis every oil change and the report was always clean, TBN was good still indicating oil was not sludging up.
The engine in my 2005 A8 ran like a top when I traded it in, 8qt sump, I ran it to 175k miles. Unfortunately the wiring on that car was failing faster than I could replace it. My wife's Mercedes has ~130k miles and mine has ~70k. Always had 9-12k miles oil changes.
@juicebox22a Correct. I was basing my statement on 5 quart capacity. If we're talking gallons of oil like a tractor trailer then I'm sure the oil change intervals would be more than 5,000 miles. I should have been more specific.
My uncle told me this. A friend of his bought a "little old ladies car". It was very clean, 11000 miles, 15 years old. She only drove it a few miles to the store once a week, and every so often to get her hair styled. She was selling it to buy a smaller car easier to park, it will be due for oil change at 12,000 miles. He checked the oil it was a bit dirty but her knowledge of it needing an oil change gave him reason to think she took good care of it. She told the guy to just drive through town and come right back. She knew her car was very clean and didn't want to risk it getting damaged. The car ran great. He bought it. When he drove it home, it would not go faster than 40. He removed the drain plug but nothing came out. He knew it was full, so he poked the drain hole with a screwdriver and the oil came out slow. He removed the valve cover and it was really sludged up. He called a trusted mechanic and asked what to do. Put the valve cover back on, install the drain plug. Fill it to the hole with kerosene. Remove spark plugs and give generous amount of STP gas treatment to each cylinder. Let it sit for a whole week. Drain the kerosene. Replace drain plug, Fill with one quart transmission fluid one quart Marvel mystery oil, and top it off with cheap regular oil. Add another pint mystery oil to the gas tank. Remove spark plugs and crank engine to spit out the STP. Install new spark plugs and start it. Drive it 500 miles, change oil and repeat. But this time use good quality oil, drive 1000 miles before changing oil. The car should be running better. Then Change oil and drive 3000 miles. Remove valve cover and see what happened. The guy was stunned. With each oil change the engine ran better until it could cruise at 65 with no trouble. Inside the valve cover it was clean as could be
That is why most oil change stickers say x amount of miles OR x amount of months. Time is a factor but if all she did was take short trips also not ideal. The engine never has the time to properly heat up to temp and circulate oil leading to further sludge. I'm more leery of cars that were driven sparingly or parked for long periods than a higher mileage car that was driven and maintained properly. Sitting cars have dried out seals and contaminant build up from fluids not circulated and filtered. Not always the case but seen it again and again.
I had a similar problem with a stationary 71 Corvette. East Coast Corvette told me to drive it more and change the oil and filter every 500 miles. I pulled the valve covers again after about 3,000 miles and no sludge . And no more slugs coming out of the drain hole. I’ve heard about the kerosine trick.
@@jasonweishaupt1828 Slightly off topic, but, a bit of kerosine did wonders for my old diesel. Much less smoke on startup and sounds smoother when cold.
I have a 2007 Corolla that got me through college and still have today in 2024. It has 289,000 miles on it. I’ve always changed the oil every 5-6k miles using super tech full synthetic. I actually took that engine apart last year and that engine was SUPER clean. Engine is still running today. I also have a 2008 Mercedes CLS 550 with 240k miles, still runs so amazingly and change that every 9k miles. Not every vehicle you can do this with. My 2013 F250 6.2 I change every 3k miles- 282k miles.
As a shop owner and master "wrench" of 30+ years I have always recommended 3,500-4,000 oil change intervals and I often get the wary customer "fisheye" look of doubt with the comment that their owners manual recommends 7, 8, or 10K intervals, even sadder is the "lifetime" ATF BS! It's all a great sales pitch with little basis in reality. Personally I change my and my wife's oil about every 3.5K before the oil loses it's translucence, if you can't see the dipstick through the oil CHANGE IT! And ATF every 35-40,K! IMO VVT SUCK! PS, THANK YOU TOO FOR THE "MEDICAL" ANALOGY!
2019 honda civic coupe ex-t. Been doing 3500 mile oil changes since new. Valvoline 0w20, then switched to valvoline high mileage 0w20 . Wix XP (made in usa) filters. Im at 73,000 miles now, and it still runs and feels like new. Change my pcv valve every 30,000. So many people these days dont change their pcv valves, and they need to with todays engines and the stresses theyre under.
I change the oil in my daily 2.0l commuter every 4k-5k miles. I recently had to replace the valve cover gasket (150k miles), which allowed me to see the condition of the cams...etc. The cams looked brand new; zero wear on the lobs and no sludge whatsoever. What you're showing makes it hard for me to believe the oil was changed consistently throughout its life.
I change amsoil oil yearly, put 16-18 k miles on a acura tsx , already have 250k , removed the cover to adjust valves and was like a new car. And doesn't burn any oil in that year. A 96 tacoma i put 530k the same way before selling it and was also like a new engine.I say its the quality of the oil that matters most. Quick lubes you never know what they use.
I did the same thing on both of my work vehicles this summer and winter vehicle a Ford fusion and then a Kia Sorento and they were absolutely spotless when I changed the valve cover gaskets granted I put the last hundred thousand miles on them and I changed the oil every 3,000 mi with full synthetic in use of 10,000 mi rated filter. I recently upgraded 2 is Subaru Forester with only 70,000 miles and I almost want to change the valve cover gasket even though it's not leaking just to see what it looks like lol I almost pulled it off during the 7 day test drive period.
I can confirm your findings. I change my 4 vehicles with M1 advanced synthetic every 5k miles. The engine on one has reached 190k miles and when the valve covers were removed the valve train was clean as a whistle. The valve actuator screens were checked, also clean. I had a 36 yr old Toyota Celica I used standard 10w-30 oil in but changed every 3k miles. Valve train was very clean after 195k miles and 36 yrs. I had the oil pan off, and all the internals, under the pistons, crank etc all very clean. Oil changes will help keep the engine clean and is a must to make the engine run well over 200k miles. Any changes at 7-10k miles is asking for trouble.
i hardly changed my oil the first 100k miles, i just kept adding oil as it burned it its a kia soul, then I got a new job that made more money and started doing oil changed myself every 3000 miles, it now has 255000 miles on it and c ounting and I took the valve cover off and it also looks brand new, no sludge, shiney everywhere, im a Royal Purple oil user myself, like the purple erple
You can't generalize like that. It all depends on how you drive. When I did field service I was driving 30,000 miles a year, mostly highway driving. I started using Mobil Delvac in my 1993 Dodge Dakota 3.9 and changed it every 10,000 miles.
@@spaceflight1019 3000 is my limit and will always be my limit, i dont care if its too soon, its one of those better safe than sorry type of things, so you go ahead and do 10,000 mile changes, I thnk that is INSANELY stupid for one very good reason, how long does it take you to drive `10,000 miles I guess if you are getting there in a couple of months fine otherwise some people thats a long ass time not to be looking at your oil WHO knows if its still there or not
I typically do less than 5000 miles a year, and change my own oil. I use full synthetic. This year Carfax is telling me that I don't have to change the oil for two years. Not doing that. It'll be changed next July.
Was those 5K change intervals with Name Brand Full Synthetic Oil also Dexos rated? (At least since 2011 when GM to first began "requiring" it on the newer vehicles) Been thinking of trying Valvoline's Restore and Protect Oil but it isn't Dexos rated so curious what level of risk(s) I might be in for. My 2014 Terrain (2.4L Ecotec, AWD) is at risk of Oil Consumption issues (not yet for me thankfully, Expecting to stick with 3K mile intervals for the foreseeable future... Had an Oil sample tested at 3K/8 months and had 5.5% Fuel Dilution and TBN was low so it was "done" (OLM claimed around 56% Oil Life Left... assuming 7500 mile /12 month is GM's MAX Interval, I don't want to guess what kind of problems/damage running my last Oil to 5K much less 6K. My 2003 Saturn ION is over 191K and often got changed during its Saturn recommended 6K/6 months interval. Sample testing often showed the Oil held up during that so I was comfortable if I "tested" the OLM once and a while (It's often trip around 6-8K miles)... As of 191K it has been burning Oil so I put Restore and Protect in for its last Oil Change... Not sure it'll make 200K (No fault of the Engine/Oil... Frame has seen too many Salty Northern Winters...) but I'll probably still get a sample and probably look for any improvements before it gets retired... Then make sure to put all the lessons I've learned into not repeating them on the Terrain
I drive my 2019 VW Mk7 GTI Performance now with 130.000km (~ 81.000 miles) on a 12.000km Oilchange Interval. At 128500km I changed my PCV in precaution (known issue for this engines). In the work I have a free look on my camshafts and they look brandnew. No sludge, all super clean. Result: don’t do longline service! Change your oil all 12.000km or max 7.500 miles and your car drive way longer.
Very telling video. I have a 2014 Avalon with the 2GR-FE. I am the third owner, but it only had 27,000 miles when I got it. I now have 86,000 miles with 5,000 mile oil changes. Just for grins, I pulled the cam actuator screens. They looked brand new and weren't even discolored. I have worked on my own cars since 1966 as a teenager. Maintenance is my favorite concern with my cars. I feel so good when I perform these acts of increasing longevity with anything I work on. My wife has a 2005 Golf GL with 187,000 miles. Burns no oil at all, just the typical German engine oil usage. Five thousand miles on an oil change appears to be the correct call. To me, that is money well-spent. At $313 a pop for actuators, I can buy a lot of oil. Thanks for another great video.
Wow, I am astounded at the amount of sludge in that Ford Edge. I'm sitting here looking at pictures I took of my Ford 5.4 after pulling the valve covers off, and everything is spotless... cams, springs, rockers... zero varnish, sludge or discoloration. This is after owning the truck for 40k miles and doing 4 - 4.5k mile oil changes with Pennzoil Platinum.
The fact is you don't know if the oil was changed at all in the first 43k miles. This is not a very good test case. I can tell you the company I worked for before I retired had a fleet of 50+ vehicles (a mix of pickups and cars) and oil changes were every 10k miles. Most vehicles were sold when they reached 200k miles and in the 12 years I was there not a single engine died or had to be replaced. I change my personal vehicle's oil every 5k like clockwork, so I'm with you on the 5k intervals, but it would take more than this truck to convince me that 10k intervals spell certain doom. Enjoyed the video!
It depends on the engine and oil type and winter/viscosity used. Always has. These Ford 2.0L engines are garbage, they literally need oil changes every 5000k or this will happen.
Depends on the engine, cylinder ring design, cams, etc. Toyota recommended a 5,000 mile oil change for cars with their 1MZ-FE engine, but this led to sludging issues on the valves. Ford's well known 5.4l 3v Triton engine is also less likely to have cam problems with 3,000 mile oil changes. These are naturally aspirated engines. Ford's Turbo-Charged engines annihilate oil to the point that I'd be nervous about a 5,000 mile oil change interval on any modern Ford with a Turbo.
I’ve been in this business for 30 years. We didn’t start seeing engine sludge issues until the manufacturers changed the interval from 3k to 5k. Then when they went to 7500k to 10k the problem really compounded. The customers I have changing their oil at 3k do not have ANY issues while the other ones do. If you’re going to keep a car for an extended period of time, I recommend every 3k. Remember these manufacturers are not in the business to keep your car that you bought 5 years ago on the road, they’re in the business of selling cars. The reason they changed maintenance intervals from 3k to 5k is to keep cost of maintenance down. There’s always a motive to what they do.
Oil tech has gotten much better. 5k with full synthetic is perfectly safe. 3k is flushing $$ down the drain, especially if you do majority highway driving. But, 5k should be max.
My 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road has a Toyota recommended oil and filter change every 10K miles with Full Synthetic. Screw that, I have it changed every 5K miles. My dealership gave me free oil and filter changes every 10K miles, so I still pay for every other oil / filter change.
For does with the blended oil but full synthetic 5k is good my bmw and Tacoma after removing valve cover looks like the head was just cleaned in a machine shop
I personally drove a 1992 Dodge van and knew the mechanic who changed the oil every 10,000 using Amzoil synthetic. There were no engine problems at all past 220,000 miles. Since that time, I always change oil at 10,000 miles using synthetic oil and have had no engine oil problems over the last 30 years. Usually, I am the only one who touches my car because I have known others who had problems with some dealerships and mechanics. In my opinion, the engine we're looking at was not being serviced with synthetic oil or, perhaps, the oil was not changed at all by whoever said they were doing the service. This is more likely a mechanic trust issue than an oil change interval problem.
I change my oil around every 4500 miles, and I always use full synthetic oil. I stopped using Mobil One after many, many years of use because it tends to cause varnishing. I swapped from it to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum for a while, and it was very good. Now, I am using Valvoline Restore and Protect, and I have been very happy with it so far. I think the most important thing besides changing the oil regularly is to buy a high-quality oil filter. I swear by Purolator Boss oil filters. A must-have.
Speed Lake, an oil test expert made a video about extended mileage oil changes. OEMs push 10-25k change intervals, then the engine dies outside of the warranty period. It's a good video to watch. His channel is a good one to subscribe too.
@@hoobeydoobey1267 from Amsoil: "AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil is guaranteed for 25,000 miles, 700 hours of operation, or one year, whichever comes first, under normal service conditions. In severe service conditions, such as commercial or fleet vehicles, excessive idling, or frequent towing, hauling, plowing, or driving in dusty conditions, the guarantee is for up to 15,000 miles. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are made from synthetic base stocks and additives, and are designed to resist chemical breakdown and extreme heat. They are also compatible with modern seal materials and can be used in any mechanically sound gasoline or diesel-fueled engine. AMSOIL also offers a limited warranty that covers their products for as long as they are used, and does not restrict coverage based on mileage. AMSOIL products are also Warranty Secure, which means they keep a vehicle's factory warranty intact."
@@noconsentgiven There are articles on Bob is the oil guy about the ill effects, believe it or not, of changing oil too often. Something about the additive package not being given enough time to do its job.
I do it every 3k because a guy working for a petrochemical co told me that synthetic oil starts to degrade as soon as 3k miles. Doing this since 2008 I've had multiple Subaru CVT issues and blown head gasket on my XC70 but no engine issues related to oil...
@@spaceflight1019 every 3k-3.5k with the oil the manufacturer put in it fresh out the factory plus lucas. I have 200k engines running like kittens. Might just be my experience though, to each their own.
I have a 2002 6.0 chevy silverado with 189k miles and used synthetic mobile 1 all it's life at 10k change intervals no sludge nowhere to be found when I pulled the valve covers just to see the valve train👍🏿...I think a contributing factor for sludge is short drives and not letting the oil get to operating temperature to burn off any moisture that has accumulated in the oil
Same here ! I use mobil one full synthetic at almost 10k and NEVER had sludge in the engine. People that get their cars serviced at a garage ,don't know if they really use full synthetic oil. I've been in the business and I know of many scam chain stores.
Also that 6.0 Vortec Engine is not GDI or turbo just solid pushrod V8 American Power it doesn't even have that AFM/DFM crap that made the 5.3 a total clunker later on
As always, excellent presentation with incredibly important information shared. Maybe it's trust issues, OCD, whatever....but I've been changing my own oil and filter for 38 years and am still going strong. I'm currently 56 years old and drive a 2022 VW GLI with the 2.0 liter turbo. I change the oil religiously every 4,500 to 5,000 with Ravenol Fully Synthetic 0w-20 and a can of Liqui Moly Anti-friction treatment. I typically use Hengst oil filters and change them every 2,500 miles. Do the work....there is no substitute.
Great video, also want to mention 5K of highway mile and 5K of city mile is drastically different in wear and tear on the engine. My rule of thumb is 5K or 6 month interval oil changes, whichever comes first.
I’ve been daily driving a 2014 base Chevy Cruze 5 days a week for the last 7 years. I change the oil with full synthetic every 5k since I bought it used 7 years ago. It currently has 167k miles on it and it runs like a top! It doesn’t burn a drop of oil and there is no sludgein my engine. I replaced the valve cover recently and the engine looks clean.
I'm driving a 20 year-old car Oil changes at 3,000 m intervals With no problem whatsoever oil is cheaper than engine parts! I'm with you on the oil changes It's cheap insurance.
My car turned 20 in April and I do oil changes every 5,000 and I’ve had no issues. I had the valve covers off to replace the gaskets and the top end looked very clean almost looked new.
Great information. I always enjoy getting tips like this from the mechanics that actually work on the cars. I've been going by the mfr's "% oil" info on the dash, which ends up in the 7500 mile range, but you've convinced me that that's not often enough. Will be going to 5000 mile changes as a result of this video. Thank you.
Sir, I totally get it. I've been putting full synthetic in all my vech's and always change at 5K. Don't care what the free dealer oil changes say.. Bought a new 2024 Toyota Corolla and they told me 10K free oil changes. Nope already did it at 5K. I have never had a vehicle have a internal failure from sludge. Good call every 5K full syn.!! my thoughts exactly. (Btw loved your brake video the other day)..Keep up the good work!! Pat
I learned from my father about the importance of oil change on time. I do my own oil changes at 3k. Some people would say is overkill but after 12 years of ownership my car had never had any issues.
Spot on. I am a tech for 50+ years, (Yes, still learning & working 6 days/week) I recommend to all my customers to get in at 5000 miles oil change and HAVE NOT use regular or synthetic blend oil for over 8+ years. Agree with the $ involved if you don't pay attention.
Because of your videos (and others) I do full Syn in my 2010 Lexus ES350 (175k miles) every 5000 miles. Runs like a top. Our (new to us) 2018 Sienna had 25k when we bought it, I will change the oil every 5k with full syn (got 1 under my belt so far). My 2009 Suburban 2500 has 253k miles, same deal. For about $50 and 30 minutes it's cheap insurance. Keep up the good work, appreciate the transparent videos!
Excellent video! I change my vehicles at 4,000 - 5,000 miles. As you say oil is cheaper then an engine rebuild. One question I had was what sort of conditions has the vehicle been driven. Short trips where the engine never really warms up to regular operating temps could be a sludge builder. Also if the thermostat is stuck open where it doesn't reach normal operating temperature could be a factor. I'm still driving a 1986 Camry and 2006 Camry with no problems. Maintenance is the key.
I remember not long ago watching a TH-cam video of two recently retired Toyota engineers. They said if you want your engine to go 100,000 mi change your oil every 10k..... If you want your engine to go 200k change your oil every 3500 miles.....
I have a POS Ford Fusion V6 with 300,000 miles, oil changed every 5K with basic bulk oil from the shop. How the car engine is used comes into play as well. This was all highway miles.
@@818guy6 I also have a 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 with 244,000 miles, that I just got running again after the previous owner sludged the engine and clogged the oil pump pickup screen. No engine damage, amazingly. If you want a car that might run 500,000 miles older Toyota would be a great bet!
That's laughable. You won't find a Toyota with 10k oil change intervals that breaks down before 200k, and it certainly won't have sludge like this after 200k. The 2009-2014 2AZ-FE had a design flaw so it would burn excess oil if you did 10k intervals, but that was a design law. This sludge is guaranteed from no oil change during that lease period.
I've always done 3000-5000 mile oil changes on my cars, since the 1980's. I remember when manufacturers came out with extended oils changes, and I was like no way! I've never had a major engine malfunction on any car of mine. Whenever I sell a car, folks who know enough to remove the oil fill cap and take a peek are blown away how clean it looks inside.
You and I both! 5K is the max I go if anything and I always use full synthetic Mobil oil. I own a 2005 Pilot EXL with 216K Miles and engine is super clean inside. Recently bought a Certified Pre own Grand Cherokee and that car will also go with oil change of intervals 4K to 5K max with Full Synthetic oil.
Currently a Nissan Service advisor, we do 5k intervals for services, on my personal car (full bolt on and tuned) Focus ST and I stick to 3k for oil changes and 15k for gear box oil change. It pays off to over maintenance on fluids, cause it's still cheaper than an engine or timing job.
I've been running 5k mile intervals on full synthetic on all my vehicles for 10+ years. After a top-end rebuild due to a failed lifter on conventional oil I learned my lesson. The valve covers were also pretty varnished up. Full synthetic also seems to clean up the grime left behind by conventional oil.
I drive an 07 Subaru Legacy with 280,000 miles on it and my wife has a much newer car and I probably drive her crazy about this but I'm like "do you want to spend $80 on an oil change now or spend 3k or who knows how much later out of the kids college fund later. I'm changing the oil". Biggest single thing you can do to prolong the life of your car.
I have a 22 Camry that takes 0W-16 oil and is recommended by Toyota to change the oil at 10K which came with 2yr/25k Toyota care with oil changes every 10k. I paid for every other oil change at 5k, I like peace of mind.
I used costco brand full synthetic in my corolla. Change it every 5K miles and use OEM filters. I'm at over 200 k miles, and costco oil is about 30 bucks for 10 quarts.
My first new car i bought in 1974. Datsun 710 with an L-18 engine. Changed the oil every 4000 ,iles. At 120k when I sold it there was not a bit of sludge. It is puzzling why sludge builds up so quickly today. BTW when Mobil 1 first came out many touted 15,000 mile oil changes.
Oh, I believe it! I still change the oil every 3,000 miles. It is getting dark by that point, and I am going to get it OUT! The EPA pushed the auto makers to extend those "recommended service intervals". And ANYTHING the government wants is SELDOM good for us. I had to replace a head gasket on my wifes car at around 100,000 miles. and the engine surfaces were clean, with a nice golden color. I won't change anything I am doing.
My father is a retired mechanic for the NYPD. Their entire fleet is almost Ford and 7.5-8k they would change oil. The amount to engines my father installed because of prolonged oil changes back then was ridiculous imagine now! I currently have 3 newer Jaguars F-TypeR,XF and F-PaceS. I Always use full synthetic premium oil and change it @5k or before. Jaguar dealership recommends to do an oil change 7.5k-10k or 1year. And to top it off they say the transmission fluid is a sealed unit and should never be changed. But ZF who engineered and manufactured the transmission recommends to change the transmission fluid and filter @50k miles. @5k the oil is already used up and dirty I strongly believe the supercharger adds wear on the oil and changing your oil more with more then 5k miles is gambling with your engine!
I get your point but I think it highly depends on the type of oil and driving. I change oil every 9-10k miles using mobile one. Mostly highway miles. 460k on my car and never had a mechanical issue.
I bought a 1993 Ford Escort GT with the Mazda BP5 engine brand new. Take the valve cover off and you saw an engine with absolutely no sludge. It was a 30 year old car. I would get compliments on how nice the engine compartment looks. Some Ahole ran a red light and totaled it.
I use a 💯 % full synthetic "Amsoil"for the engine transmission rear axel and transfer case. Excellent video!!! I've always said leased vehicles there's no incentive for the leasee to look after it.
The rings get coked and stick in the piston land. The rings should be free to move. In some cases, a top cylinder soak will free up the rings, but there may be too much damage. In an inline motor you can get away with removing the head and pistons and running a dingle ball hone, install new rings, refresh the head and be pretty good again.
I’m not an automotive technician or a shop owner just a DIYer and I learned from my late Dad about the importance of changing the engine oil. I’m retired and my car is a ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. My vehicle has the early version of the Pentastar V6 with four overhead cams and Camshaft Phasers and it is important to use a good oil with good detergent capabilities. I’ve been using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30 since I bought it used in early 2017. I change the oil about every 3,000 miles and my car currently has 76,000 miles.
I also do full synthetic at 3.5k miles just because of all the new solenoids dependent on oil pressure and clean oil. It is an inexpensive way to keep your car running for 10 years. I do the changes myself with the OE filter. (Honda). I saw under the valve cover of a 200k mile ISF that had the 3.5k mile oil changes and that thing looked brand new. Ever since that, I am a believer.
I'm a low mileage driver since retirement. I'm averaging 5K miles per year on my purchased new 2019 VW Arteon SEL Premium R-Line. I was doing oil changes every 5K miles or one year (whichever came first) but over the past few years I'm doing a change every 6 months. I use full synthetic Motul 5w/40.
@@Ascotman Unless you track your vehicle every month and tow in a dusty environment and short trips in cold weather, changing your oil every 3k miles is a waste of money and natural recourses.
I can't understand why people think lease returns are real good deals and good cars. I hear this from dealers all the time. Lease cars usually have the minimal maintenance done b/c the owner usually knows they're not keeping it so it becomes like a rental to them and they don't care.
It really depends on your driving habits, lots of short trips lots of stop and go, shorter oil change intervals. Longer 100 mile trips on the highway, you can stick with manufacturer intervals. I like to split the difference at 7500 miles; my last car was a 2016 VW GTI, for 84k miles, still ran great when it got sold.
You should try doing a few oil changes using Valvoline Restore and Protect oil on this. I would love to see what it does on such an excellent specimen.
Issue with restore oils or Engine cleaner oils is if any debris gets stuck to oil pressure sump filter, it can total the engine. Correct methodology will be to change OIL every 2000 km for 10,000 km and thus engines can be revived. I've seen many engines getting destroyed by these Engine cleaner oils. 😊
@@garyganser2451 I just did an oil change with Valvoline Restore and protect at 2,800 mile on a 1998 toyota sienna. it was definitley darker than normal. I will continue to use this oil .
My wife struggles to understand why I insist on changing her vehicles oil before the computer tells her it's time. 5k miles, man. That's what we do in my home shop. Tires get rotated at that time, as well. And congrats on 100k subs, guys!
thatrealba, I wouldn't say she struggles to understand, as much as you haven't conveyed Why it's a good idea. You understand, she doesn't . . .yet. Take your time, slowly explain and she'll be with you. ☆
Computer algorithm is based on millions of miles along with oil analysis. Real science, not guessing. Never heard of a Honda engine going out at any point when using the maintenance minder. Had a '90 Accord (no maint minder) that went almost 400k with 5k Dino oil change intervals. Car rusted and hard to get any parts so did not junk due to any engine issues. 300k on a '96 1MZFE with 5k Dino intervals. Full syn goes longer.
I've long been suspicious about the newer cars I've been buying telling me they only needed an oil change every 10k miles and this just confirms it for me.
I'm a retired chemist, I've been doing 10k mile oil changes (myself because I and many others don't trust the industry) ever since synthetics were invented. I have retired all my past vehicles at 300k miles with engines still running GOOD.
That vehicle probably went 44,935 miles before it saw the first oil change. It looks like it didn't start getting regular oil changes until the second owner bought it.
It’s far more likely they were being done at a place that doesn’t report or part of the lease services than not being serviced one time in 45,000 miles.
Exactly. Very few people who lease cars take care of them as well as they would if they owned it. Also, very few people who lease cars do their own oil changes. It's likely they drove it for the duration of the lease and never did any maintenance on it.
I got a Trax 2024 last month. Turbo 1.2L Aluminum engine. Internal wet rubber timing belt. I'll be changing the oil every 4000 miles (I just got it changed at 850 and will again between 2500-3000, then I'll move to the 4000 schedule)
When I got my new 2005 VW Jetta GLI my mechanic told me the trade magazines were saying the 1.8 turbo engine needed full synthetic rather than conventional. (Believe manusl said conventional) I took his word and only used that oil even when other places tried to say conventional. Drove for 13 years with 180k miles and traded up for an Audi. Car still drove like a dream. I also do break in period and do first oil change after that 1000 miles just in case anything from manufacturing came loose. Love your car by maintaining it.
It should be taken back to the Ford Delarship and confront the shop manager for an explanation. This video should also be sent to all the oil/filter companies claiming their product will last 10,000 - 20,000mil. It´s nothing more than FALSE ADDVERTIZING!
Agree 100% that preventive maintenance is not only cost effective in the long run, the additional peace of mind has value as well. With a 2021 Audi A4, I change every 3000 miles using Mobil 1 ESP X2 with an OE Audi filter. Zero issues. If it wasn't turbocharged, maybe I'd push it to 5,000, but turbochargers can really break down oil much quicker than normal. As well, air filter is always checked at each oil change and replaced if necessary with an OE filter.
Just remember the manufacturers don't want your car to last a long time. They want you to come back and buy a new car sooner than later so their recommendations are not in the owners best interest. I don't care what oil is used, 5000 miles is the absolute longest I would go before changing it.
Little known fact: due to EPA waste penalties, all automakers extended the oil change and other fluid change intervals far past what they should be. This is to reduce the pollution penalties on each car and truck. However, it penalizes the trusting vehicle owner who won't service his or her car when it should be done. 50 years ago, the oil and fluid changes were correct i.e. 3000 miles on the oil, 25,000 on the ATF, and the coolant gets changed every other year. All that got changed solely for red tape reasons in 1980 IIRC when Ford was the first to claim 10,000 mile oil changes. I do remember the advertisements on their new Granada for 1981 featuring extended service intervals on all fluids. I was young but, even I knew that was BS.
I'm just a random 30 year old guy who was raised holding a flashlight for my old man as a kid I'm not a master mechanic. I can do a bit of work on vehicles but I'm not fully rebuilding a motor. I change the oil in all of me and my wife's vehicles every 3-3500 miles with full synthetic and a 10k mile rated filter. Every time no matter what and I do it myself so I can physically look at the oil to see if there is any change in how it's looking. A set of ramps is literally 60 bucks there is no reason not to
@@willg.5168 always did with normal non synthetic. It's not expensive less than 120 dollars for the oil and filter for both vehicles for synthetic so no reason not to I figure. I'm doing it myself so the risk of cross threading the oil filter or drain plug let alone wrong oil or filter is zero. it's 5-20 if you live in Nebraska seriously come get it lol
@@WhyFacetattoos it's not your method I was referring to my friend, but the frequency with the sources that you can clearly go a bit longer between changes. I'm the same with my vehicles regarding doing the labor myself; it just gives me peace when I know what's in my motor 🙂👍🏽
@@willg.5168 oh I know what you mean. And I know personally it's definitely overkill but if the only downside is spending the say 50 dollars per vehicle on oil and filter a month early when I have time so that I don't HAVE TO At 5k miles or 6k whenever it's rated for. I can deal with non engine and transmission problems. Minor engine work is fine and fuel system cooling system etc I work to God damn hard to be spending 10k or whatever it would be getting a new motor put in
Pour some fuel into it, button it up, drive it for a few days, then drain it, fill it with oil and put a new filter. I change my oil every six months, in March and September. Still clean inside the engine, 267,000 miles. No ticking, oil burning or leaks. I just drove it from Florida to Canada and back this summer. It is an E39 528i M54 that I have been driving it for twenty years. I bought it when it was four years old. It gets 25 mpg.
These videos are so informative. We just bought a new Rogue. Never owned a Nissan, a turbo or a 3 cylinder. My oil changes will be no more than 5000 and closer to 4000. I’ve learned that these turbos use that oil as well. I’m hopeful for years of service, and as such, we strive to drive our cars easily
Everything i’ve read says to Change the CVT fluid every 30k miles also. That is something else I don’t think the dealer (owners manual) will tell you. The rogue should have both a screen and a filter for the transmission fluid - I don’t think those need to be changed every 30k. Maybe 60k to 90k for those.
I enjoy your informative videos. One thought to add: sludge can build up if the combustion gases that blow past the pistons accumulate in the oil because of inadequate ventilation, e.g. clogged PCV or design flaw. Toyota had that issue a few decades ago.
As a retired tech, I'd also add that we used to see people go their entire lease without servicing the vehicle so we'd get it back well sludged and in rough shape with 36,000 miles. Well those cars got an oil change and got sold. This could have been a sludge car that saw proper oil changes with the second owner, but the damage had already been done.
Carfax is good to have, especially if it was dealer serviced. I got my car off lease around the same miles.
Exactly. I bet it was hardly changed in the first 50k and with who knows what oil after that.
Also when I worked at cmax the first thing that got done to the car was to check for sludge. If it had any. It got pulled to the side and someone later would remove valve cover to verify and than shipped off to wholesale lot.
This is exactly why I won’t buy a previously leased vehicle.
Exactly! In this video, he admits that there is absolutely no record of oil changes for the first 53,000 miles. It is very unlikely that this car had anything but the minimum done to it during the lease. But he still posts this video. This sure makes me question the legitimacy of videos on this channel.
I use full synthetic every 3k. Ford Senior Master tech, 35 years experience. The OEMs receive CAFE credits for their 7500 mile recommendations. I do not know how many people realize that. Love your videos and thanks for great into.
But testing shows that 3k is very conservative for full synthetic oil. It doesn’t hurt to do it but it sure is expensive and a hassle to do that often.
I'm a 30 year tech also. I do mine every 3k as well. My car has 250,000 miles on it, and looks like new under the valve cover. Oil is cheaper than engines
What are CAFE credits and why does that even matter?
Problem is, the new owner waits for the free oil changes and other free servicing that comes with the purchase. The service departments will not change the oil for free unless the maintenance minder says it's ready. For instance, I bought a new Honda. It comes with 2 complimentary oil and filter changes.....when the maintenance minder says 15% or less. By that time, it's well over a year and 10K miles.
What does your oil look like when drained?
Have you considered having your oil tested?
Conventional oil- 3,000. Synthetic blend- 4,000. Full synthetic- 5,000. Great video, thank you. One of my favorite channels!
I use full synthetic oil and wix oil filter
Every 4000 it’s changed period 😊
300k on Chevy V8 pickup
Exactly the right advice. I would also add 6 months or twice a year. I drain the summer oil the first day of fall even if I haven’t gone 5000 miles. That oil is cooked and not worth a shit. Same the first day of spring. That oil has been fuel soaked from all the cold starts all winter.
I hate to be paranoid, but when you have your oil changed at a dealer or fast service place it comes out of a bulk barrel.
How do you know what oil is actually in that container?
@@philliphall5198 Those old 5.3s dont die even if you dont change the oil.
Just use a cheap synthetic and change your oil every 3000 miles. If 3000 miles worked with conventional oil it should be no problem with a cheap synthetic which is much better.
Mileage between oil changes has minimal impact on whether the engine has sludge. Distance traveled in vehicle when daily driving is the main factor in whether the engine develops sludge…Driving short distances every day..”less than 20 miles a day is the Major contributor of sludge build up in an engine…Why??? Moisture!!! Humidity!!! An engine has 1:20 a certain amount of moisture in it every morning at start up. The engine needs to burn off this internal moisture along with getting to the proper temperature for the oil detergents to function properly….. if it does not sludge will begin to build up… my two cents…. I’m a retired mechanic of 40 years… hope this helps some folks….
Yes I think this makes sense. I change oil every 9-10k miles but I drive my car over 1100 miles a week. I have no sludge and very minimal oil consumption.
I mean oil breaks down, and gets dirty. Especially with conventional. That’s the primary sludge factor. Going 10k on oil will cause extreme breakdown and therefore compound sludge. There’s been extensive research on oil breakdown, mileage, etc. if you’re driving longer days, or idling a lot, that just speeds up that process of “cooking” the oil. It’s all about dirt and breakdown. Obviously a little moisture can sludge up fast, but that’s not the primary issue in most cases. We do regularly testing on oil when changing.
@@Roger-il8iw I agree with you on the conventional oil…Not to mention turbo engines….if you’re running conventional oil in a Turbo vehicle then your lost!!!! The turbo is actually being cooled and for bearing lubricant…bottom line…. A high quality Full Synthetic oil is the only way to go…period
@patm95 youre still changing oil every 2 months so thats not too bad
Most realistic comment here plus E85
That's a big reason why I change my own. The shops keep the drain plug off for at the most 5 minutes and usually a lot less. I let mine drip for about 30 minutes or more. I guess I have issues with trusting people working on my car too.
Same here. My aunt once came over after an “oil change”. My dad checked the dipstick send it was completely black. The shop was literally doing nothing.
I let mine drip for an hour .
I let mine drip for a day.
I let mine drip for 6 months. I Change my oil every 500 miles. Hardly drive the car
Bro, I do the same thing. I drain the oil when is warm so it flows better
Being a retired tech, I totally agree. You have to take care of the new technology! You don't get an engine rebuild for $1,500 any more! Listen to him folks.
😊 Hello fellow WV neighbor how are you
Knowing Ford dealerships, the techs probably pulled the vehicle in..hit the vape pen and then pulled the vehicle out and put a new oil change sticker on.
I've taken a black marker in the past and marked the crush washer. 😁
Lmao hell yea bro
They’d run circles around you child
@@pwrshotsat that point you could have just changed your own oil 😂
Once worked with a guy who did oil changes at the Ford dealership next door. He said, when they got backed up they'd skip changing the oil filters on the elderly folks cars. They were the least likely to check.
Excellent video! After 40+ years as a shadetree mechanic, I change my oil every 3,000 miles. Only internal engine trouble I've ever had with any car was believing Audi's 10,000 mile oil change intervals. Thank you for your objective and honest information.
Buying an Audi (aka fancy Volks) might have something to do with it too, not just the oil. Those things are known for horrible reliability, bad engines and pricy repair bills.
@@SevenSixTwo2012 It seemed like a good idea at the time. I bought it new and maintained it precisely to the manufacturer’s instructions. It was a fantastic car when it ran. Nonetheless, everything in your comment came true.
I've been changing my bought used five years ago 2013 Q5 every 3,000 miles, total miles now 80,000. Now that my wife is retired, that's still only 2X a year.
@@dogsbyfire We've all made bad choices, at some point. The goal in life is not to repeat them, lol! 🙂
@SevenSixTwo2012 not true. audis are great cars and very reliable. but most people that buy them dont maintain them at all, same goes with mercedes and bmw
Back in the day, I owned two service stations, been working on cars for 50+ years. For me, it's always been 3-5k miles for oil/filter. People think I'm nuts, but I never have engine problems.
YES! 4000 makes sense and an oil change not that costly.
Oil is cheap engines are not. I do full synthetic at 5k miles on all my cars. The manual said 10k…..yeah whatever. Thanks for you awesome videos and great info.
Just smart.
I tell my customers, " It never hurts your engine to change it early. It always hurts your engine to change it late."
If you do 7,000 mile interval oil changes, you will do 14 oil changes in 100,000 miles. If you change intervals to every 5,000 miles, you'll do 20 oil changes in 100,000 miles. That's only 6 more oil changes in that time. 6 oil changes is a lot cheaper than a timing chain job with all the variable valve timing components. And that doesn't even address the issue with piston rings sticking and burning oil, clogging catalytic converters.
I just done that math also, no brainer for me.
@@rmckee334it's better to use mineral for early oil change, mineral engine oils are now API SN plus and will sooner be sp
You should tell your customers to do 3,000 you'll make more money
As Dave's Auto says the most expensive oil change is the one you didn't do
Yeah well if you own a shop then you will tell people that, what a surprise. 😅 It is not the 1980's anymore when fuel and oil quality was bad and engines had bypass carbon deposits many times more than they do now. I manage a fleet of about 35 vehicles and tend to keep them for lot longer than warranty lasts. Have been using intervals that range 7000 to 12000 miles and had no issues about sludge or premature wear. The age old mantra how short oil change interval is going to save your car is just BS. Sorry but everything else keeps breaking up anyway. Either transmission, electronics or the bodywork just rots if used in cold climate and not bothered by rust prevention.
I've been doing full synthetic 7,500 oil change intervals for years...I'll now be having it done at 5,000 miles. Thanks for the very information video. I'm a huge fan of ya'll.
It really depends on the car...My 2011honda crv since new has had changes aprox 7500 miles too( I use the in car oil change indicator)...no sludge at all and purrs like a kitten...0w-20 full synthetic and I have personally done every oil change....
Depending how much you drive, 7500 miles is fine with full synthetic. If you drive 12-14k a year? Probably do 5k. I do 25-30k a year. I hit 7500 miles every 2.5-3 months. My oil looks great when I change it. Because I take relatively long trips, my oil doesn't get diluted or accumulate moisture. If you drive in the city, those short trips don't get the oil fully heated and rapidly heating and cooling the oil does build sludge.
Oil change intervals don't necessarily have a clear cut answer, there is definitely some nuance needed to decide how often you should do it.
Send a sample of the used oil off for analysis. That will tell you wether you can lengthen or shorten intervals. The length of time that you can go for varies geatly depending on your engine, oil quality and how the vehicle is used.
7500 miles is about 12 000 kilometers, I changed oil on my old gasoline Audi at about 10 000 miles/15 000 kilometers, used 10w40 Valvoline and some cheaper semi synthetics. There was no sludge when I took head off. Has this car even had a oil change? Looks like it has been just topped up.
@@heroofharo I think this is the big thing being glossed over here: Driving conditions and also *how* it's being driven.
The vehicle was a lease with no service history... and there it is.
You arr right the problem is the lake if maintenance during the lease period. And how the car was driven then.
I recommend every 6-7.5k if you run a good full synthetic so it can be done with the tire rotate. The important thing is to change the oil at the end of every winter. Much of the problem is oil gets diluted with fuel and condensation from cold starts during winter and then the oil breaks down quickly. Many people run compromised oil into the summer heat and that's when the sludge starts. Auto repair shops won't tell you this because they like steady business through out the year.
Great video! I get my F-150’s oils changed between 4,000-4,500. I’m that one guy that starts getting nervous 😂
Been a mechanic for over 40 years. The folks saying this is not possible in a short time frame don’t realize that engines today’s run at higher compressions and higher temperatures. The Fore Edge you got there is a 4 banger ECO Boost. Extremely high compression.
Good point
Ford's 4-cylinder Eco Boost engines are also well known for having the heads carbon up and run rough once they get over 50,000 miles on them.
Eco trash. Refuse to buy Ford anymore because of head coolant channels and turbos
Correct. And on top of that oil is also circulating through the turbo in these motors, which gets incredibly hot. The hotter the oil gets, the faster it oxidizes and turns into sludge. That sludge gets into the oil rings and turns into carbon with prolonged heat. I have pics of significant carbon build up on intake valves of a vehicle with less than 6k miles.
I’m a huge advocate of using BG MOA every oil change and BG EPR every 15-20k miles.
*low compression ratio, but very high operating pressure. Your point stands-they need extra maintenance, not delayed maintenance!
I will ALWAYS agree with changing oil like you or anyone recommends, sooner than later!! Retired mechanic here also. There’s one BIG variable NO ONE ever puts into the equation. How many HOT miles is the vehicle driven between oil changes. In other words, is the engine driven just for short drives so it builds up sludge, (change sooner), or highway miles to get hot and keep the engine clean!! Again I agree with less miles between changes! But let’s use me in my vehicle, but ONLY when I drive long distance! I’ve driven to Alaska (from Michigan), in a month 11,000 miles, 28 days, that’s round figures 400 miles a day, and never changed oil, and never used an oz of oil in that time period. The first 5 days to Alaska & last five days coming home were sometimes 7-800 mile days. Get an engine hot, keep it hot, they run a LOT cleaner. So in retrospect I love your videos, but next time maybe ask customer HOW he drives between oil changes, very little & short runs, or longer runs and hot drives and let us know.
I'm saving this comment, thanks for sharing the knowledge!
HOT SPOTS on the head is the cause of the sludge; it is poor head design.
My Dad taught me to change the oil every 5,000 miles back in the 1960's when we were using single weight "Dino" oil.. Many years later and many cars later, I still change oil at 5,000 miles. I'm old school, but it works!
The "single weight" oil probably held up longer than the "multi vis" oils of the same brands and vintage.
Love it !
Old school = wise !
Old school was 3,000 miles.
3K would be better bud
@@trustme7731yep
Best commercial for changing your own oil.
Thank you for this! I worked in the Oldsmobile Engine factory in 1972. In those days, engine oil was an unknown chemical mixture, that varied from batch to batch from the same company, much less from competing companies. The design-engineers knew this and accounted for it. I learned in that factory the importance of the oil change. Just as Sherwood says at 5:00, the cost of multiple oil changes is cheep compared to what this car now needs. BUT ... times have changed, and they design engines to much tighter tolerances now than they did 50-years-ago, and I did not know that I needed to get the oil changed more often than the manufacturer's recommendation.
I have a 1998 e36 bmw with 217000 miles. Always used full synthetic oil. Recently changed the valve cover gasket. The inside still looks like new. Very clean.
I had an E46 with over 200,000 mi, changed it every 15,000, and looked perfectly clean.
What oil change interval did you use?
Lifelong BMW tech hear. I had a 1998 E36 that i drove hard AF used nitrous etc. change my oil with full syn, 3500 miles. Had it for 6 years. When i sold it, i did a compression and leak down test for the new owner and only had 3 percent loss. You could eat off the cams.
@@JoeKubinec I changed the oil every 4-5 thousand miles.
Pontiac here 20 years old Sneaking up on 300k miles change at 3k
Every 5k is easy to keep track of, especially when you have multiple vehicles to service.
5k oil change and 10k tire rotation to maximize the life of your tires.
What???
Every 5k is easy to remember, but I will also rotate the tires at the same interval as the tire techs suggest.
I had a car with a 10k oil interval, but it actually worked out with the 1qt/1k miles oil loss plus the 8qt capacity, and really just a new filter every 5k. The trans went out long before the engine was ever going to fail.
As if an oil change is the only service ever needed. Reading these articles you would think so. Transmission fluid change is the most ignored service in the states. Differential and 4x4 service. I change the air and cabin filter every year in May. My 30k mile service list has gotten away from me. It's now 35k miles and all that's left is changing the brake fluid and steering fluid. Think about that for three vehicles in the driveway. Your awful busy or your spending money for the more involved stuff.
3k or every 3 months 4 times a year.
If most of your driving is short-runs where the engine barely warms up, that's Severe Service, and you need to halve your oil change intervals at minimum. Short runs, where the combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture collects in the cold oil and never evaporates off. THAT'S how sludge forms. It's NOT 'lower quality oil'. If you don't have regular extended highway runs to 'burn off' the combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture, you're going to get sludge build up. 5,000-mile oil changes will cut down on that sludge build up, but the solution IS NOT more frequent oil changes. The solution is at least weekly highway runs of 20-miles or more. Don't waste money on more frequent oil changes, when the real cause of sludge is the accumulation of combustion ring blow-by of unburned fuel and moisture. Make sure you get your engine oil hot for at least 20 minutes to burn it off and you won't have a sludge build-up problem!
Yup. People that say “I only use “name brand”,” are goof balls
Spot on response, Gary 👍🏽
That’s the truth. The old saying “ Italian tune-up”, “get out on the highway & blow it out” are real. Those short runs are killers.
That don’t matter I get it short runs the engine won’t heat up as fast but the engine dose heat up quick unless it’s really cold outside. I can drive around the block no less then 2 minutes and the engines already at operating temperature. So that’s a little bit of a stretch most people just drive to work okay 20 minute drive for most people by then the engines already cooking so that’s not really an issues. The issue is people going way to long before changing the oil people also not checking there oil if it’s low or how dark it’s getting. When new the oil is light almost transparent then it turns brown then slightly darker and then black. I don’t care what the manufacturer says they are there to make money they want you to break your car so you buy a new one. Change it every 3,000 to 5,000 you’ll be okay. Even if you don’t drive the car that much when it hits 5,000 change it it’s that simple.
Or, just buy an EV if you mostly use your car for occasional short trips at below highway speeds. Someone needs to come out with a $10k basic EV intended for such situations, and municipalities need to convert parking meters to EV chargers, and set aside parking lot spots for chargers, to encourage this. ICE-based cars are intended for longer distance and higher speed driving, not short distance low speed driving.
I've been doing 10k OCIs with M1 oils for the last 46 years in my Ford's including the engines in my 4 cyl Duratechs. I get 200-400 k before selling and they still perform great.
Hi, are you by any chance a forum member from Bobistheoilguy?
I do once a year in my 83 Caprice resto project. I do the oil filter every other change. She’s been driven about 250 miles since 2005. Wife’s Camry every 6 months or 5,000. My Civic is getting it about 8 months at 6,500.. The Civic calls for an every other oil change for the filter but I do it every time since it’s right next to the drain.
Most people that claim to never have a problem with 10,000 mile oil changes don't keep a vehicle longer than 50,000 miles.
Depends on engine oil capacity. I have a 2011 Mercedes 3.5l V6, NA. Nine quart sump. Been running 7500 to 10k OCI since day one. I’m at 140k miles now. Oil analysis is great. Looks good inside via camera inspection. No oil consumption. I ran the MB Mobil1 5w40 under warranty and Amsoil 5w40 for the last 100k miles.
I kept my 2003 Honda Odyssey to about 220k and did 10k - 13k oil changes on M1. Having said that, I ran used oil analysis every oil change and the report was always clean, TBN was good still indicating oil was not sludging up.
The engine in my 2005 A8 ran like a top when I traded it in, 8qt sump, I ran it to 175k miles.
Unfortunately the wiring on that car was failing faster than I could replace it.
My wife's Mercedes has ~130k miles and mine has ~70k.
Always had 9-12k miles oil changes.
@@This.Handle.Is.Taken.Already your right there, I never take any mechanical advice from people that trade every few years.
@juicebox22a Correct. I was basing my statement on 5 quart capacity. If we're talking gallons of oil like a tractor trailer then I'm sure the oil change intervals would be more than 5,000 miles. I should have been more specific.
My uncle told me this.
A friend of his bought a "little old ladies car". It was very clean, 11000 miles, 15 years old. She only drove it a few miles to the store once a week, and every so often to get her hair styled. She was selling it to buy a smaller car easier to park, it will be due for oil change at 12,000 miles. He checked the oil it was a bit dirty but her knowledge of it needing an oil change gave him reason to think she took good care of it. She told the guy to just drive through town and come right back. She knew her car was very clean and didn't want to risk it getting damaged. The car ran great. He bought it. When he drove it home, it would not go faster than 40. He removed the drain plug but nothing came out. He knew it was full, so he poked the drain hole with a screwdriver and the oil came out slow. He removed the valve cover and it was really sludged up. He called a trusted mechanic and asked what to do.
Put the valve cover back on, install the drain plug. Fill it to the hole with kerosene. Remove spark plugs and give generous amount of STP gas treatment to each cylinder. Let it sit for a whole week. Drain the kerosene. Replace drain plug, Fill with one quart transmission fluid one quart Marvel mystery oil, and top it off with cheap regular oil. Add another pint mystery oil to the gas tank. Remove spark plugs and crank engine to spit out the STP. Install new spark plugs and start it. Drive it 500 miles, change oil and repeat. But this time use good quality oil, drive 1000 miles before changing oil. The car should be running better. Then Change oil and drive 3000 miles. Remove valve cover and see what happened. The guy was stunned.
With each oil change the engine ran better until it could cruise at 65 with no trouble. Inside the valve cover it was clean as could be
We must have the same uncle😂
That is wild
That is why most oil change stickers say x amount of miles OR x amount of months. Time is a factor but if all she did was take short trips also not ideal. The engine never has the time to properly heat up to temp and circulate oil leading to further sludge.
I'm more leery of cars that were driven sparingly or parked for long periods than a higher mileage car that was driven and maintained properly. Sitting cars have dried out seals and contaminant build up from fluids not circulated and filtered. Not always the case but seen it again and again.
I had a similar problem with a stationary 71 Corvette. East Coast Corvette told me to drive it more and change the oil and filter every 500 miles. I pulled the valve covers again after about 3,000 miles and no sludge . And no more slugs coming out of the drain hole. I’ve heard about the kerosine trick.
@@jasonweishaupt1828 Slightly off topic, but, a bit of kerosine did wonders for my old diesel. Much less smoke on startup and sounds smoother when cold.
I have a 2007 Corolla that got me through college and still have today in 2024. It has 289,000 miles on it. I’ve always changed the oil every 5-6k miles using super tech full synthetic. I actually took that engine apart last year and that engine was SUPER clean. Engine is still running today. I also have a 2008 Mercedes CLS 550 with 240k miles, still runs so amazingly and change that every 9k miles. Not every vehicle you can do this with. My 2013 F250 6.2 I change every 3k miles- 282k miles.
As a shop owner and master "wrench" of 30+ years I have always recommended 3,500-4,000 oil change intervals and I often get the wary customer "fisheye" look of doubt with the comment that their owners manual recommends 7, 8, or 10K intervals, even sadder is the "lifetime" ATF BS! It's all a great sales pitch with little basis in reality. Personally I change my and my wife's oil about every 3.5K before the oil loses it's translucence, if you can't see the dipstick through the oil CHANGE IT! And ATF every 35-40,K! IMO VVT SUCK! PS, THANK YOU TOO FOR THE "MEDICAL" ANALOGY!
7-12k is 100% dependent on oil brand product quality. So for safety reasons 5000 is used as a result of consumers using brands.
My Nissan Altima owners manual says to change the engine oil every 3,750 miles or 3 months whichever comes first.
What is VVT suck? What's better than VVT?
2019 honda civic coupe ex-t. Been doing 3500 mile oil changes since new. Valvoline 0w20, then switched to valvoline high mileage 0w20 . Wix XP (made in usa) filters. Im at 73,000 miles now, and it still runs and feels like new. Change my pcv valve every 30,000. So many people these days dont change their pcv valves, and they need to with todays engines and the stresses theyre under.
I change the oil in my daily 2.0l commuter every 4k-5k miles. I recently had to replace the valve cover gasket (150k miles), which allowed me to see the condition of the cams...etc. The cams looked brand new; zero wear on the lobs and no sludge whatsoever. What you're showing makes it hard for me to believe the oil was changed consistently throughout its life.
It looks like the original owner who leased it neglected to do routine maintenace on it.
I change amsoil oil yearly, put 16-18 k miles on a acura tsx , already have 250k , removed the cover to adjust valves and was like a new car. And doesn't burn any oil in that year. A 96 tacoma i put 530k the same way before selling it and was also like a new engine.I say its the quality of the oil that matters most. Quick lubes you never know what they use.
I did the same thing on both of my work vehicles this summer and winter vehicle a Ford fusion and then a Kia Sorento and they were absolutely spotless when I changed the valve cover gaskets granted I put the last hundred thousand miles on them and I changed the oil every 3,000 mi with full synthetic in use of 10,000 mi rated filter. I recently upgraded 2 is Subaru Forester with only 70,000 miles and I almost want to change the valve cover gasket even though it's not leaking just to see what it looks like lol I almost pulled it off during the 7 day test drive period.
@@WhyFacetattoosyou gotta removes the front wheels for the valve covers right? Since it's a boxer motor
@@reyfuentes4572 I doubt it there is a ton of room. Maybe
I can confirm your findings. I change my 4 vehicles with M1 advanced synthetic every 5k miles. The engine on one has reached 190k miles and when the valve covers were removed the valve train was clean as a whistle. The valve actuator screens were checked, also clean. I had a 36 yr old Toyota Celica I used standard 10w-30 oil in but changed every 3k miles. Valve train was very clean after 195k miles and 36 yrs. I had the oil pan off, and all the internals, under the pistons, crank etc all very clean. Oil changes will help keep the engine clean and is a must to make the engine run well over 200k miles. Any changes at 7-10k miles is asking for trouble.
i hardly changed my oil the first 100k miles, i just kept adding oil as it burned it its a kia soul, then I got a new job that made more money and started doing oil changed myself every 3000 miles, it now has 255000 miles on it and c ounting and I took the valve cover off and it also looks brand new, no sludge, shiney everywhere, im a Royal Purple oil user myself, like the purple erple
You can't generalize like that. It all depends on how you drive. When I did field service I was driving 30,000 miles a year, mostly highway driving. I started using Mobil Delvac in my 1993 Dodge Dakota 3.9 and changed it every 10,000 miles.
@@spaceflight1019 3000 is my limit and will always be my limit, i dont care if its too soon, its one of those better safe than sorry type of things, so you go ahead and do 10,000 mile changes, I thnk that is INSANELY stupid for one very good reason, how long does it take you to drive `10,000 miles I guess if you are getting there in a couple of months fine otherwise some people thats a long ass time not to be looking at your oil WHO knows if its still there or not
@@adairjanney7109 When I was doing 3000 miles a month, mostly interstate driving, I was changing oil every month. Switching to Delvac was a good idea.
I’ve been using full synthetic name brand oil at 5000 for 15 years now on my GM vehicles. So far no issues, knock on wood!
I typically do less than 5000 miles a year, and change my own oil. I use full synthetic. This year Carfax is telling me that I don't have to change the oil for two years. Not doing that. It'll be changed next July.
5k oil change with full synthetic is well worth the money.
Was those 5K change intervals with Name Brand Full Synthetic Oil also Dexos rated? (At least since 2011 when GM to first began "requiring" it on the newer vehicles)
Been thinking of trying Valvoline's Restore and Protect Oil but it isn't Dexos rated so curious what level of risk(s) I might be in for. My 2014 Terrain (2.4L Ecotec, AWD) is at risk of Oil Consumption issues (not yet for me thankfully, Expecting to stick with 3K mile intervals for the foreseeable future... Had an Oil sample tested at 3K/8 months and had 5.5% Fuel Dilution and TBN was low so it was "done" (OLM claimed around 56% Oil Life Left... assuming 7500 mile /12 month is GM's MAX Interval, I don't want to guess what kind of problems/damage running my last Oil to 5K much less 6K.
My 2003 Saturn ION is over 191K and often got changed during its Saturn recommended 6K/6 months interval. Sample testing often showed the Oil held up during that so I was comfortable if I "tested" the OLM once and a while (It's often trip around 6-8K miles)... As of 191K it has been burning Oil so I put Restore and Protect in for its last Oil Change... Not sure it'll make 200K (No fault of the Engine/Oil... Frame has seen too many Salty Northern Winters...) but I'll probably still get a sample and probably look for any improvements before it gets retired... Then make sure to put all the lessons I've learned into not repeating them on the Terrain
Been using the cheap bulk oil for years change the oil every 5,000 no issues.
I drive my 2019 VW Mk7 GTI Performance now with 130.000km (~ 81.000 miles) on a 12.000km Oilchange Interval.
At 128500km I changed my PCV in precaution (known issue for this engines). In the work I have a free look on my camshafts and they look brandnew. No sludge, all super clean.
Result: don’t do longline service! Change your oil all 12.000km or max 7.500 miles and your car drive way longer.
Very telling video. I have a 2014 Avalon with the 2GR-FE. I am the third owner, but it only had 27,000 miles when I got it. I now have 86,000 miles with 5,000 mile oil changes. Just for grins, I pulled the cam actuator screens. They looked brand new and weren't even discolored. I have worked on my own cars since 1966 as a teenager. Maintenance is my favorite concern with my cars. I feel so good when I perform these acts of increasing longevity with anything I work on. My wife has a 2005 Golf GL with 187,000 miles. Burns no oil at all, just the typical German engine oil usage. Five thousand miles on an oil change appears to be the correct call. To me, that is money well-spent. At $313 a pop for actuators, I can buy a lot of oil. Thanks for another great video.
Wow, I am astounded at the amount of sludge in that Ford Edge. I'm sitting here looking at pictures I took of my Ford 5.4 after pulling the valve covers off, and everything is spotless... cams, springs, rockers... zero varnish, sludge or discoloration. This is after owning the truck for 40k miles and doing 4 - 4.5k mile oil changes with Pennzoil Platinum.
I would love to know what type of oil they used and the quality of the filter.
The fact is you don't know if the oil was changed at all in the first 43k miles. This is not a very good test case. I can tell you the company I worked for before I retired had a fleet of 50+ vehicles (a mix of pickups and cars) and oil changes were every 10k miles. Most vehicles were sold when they reached 200k miles and in the 12 years I was there not a single engine died or had to be replaced. I change my personal vehicle's oil every 5k like clockwork, so I'm with you on the 5k intervals, but it would take more than this truck to convince me that 10k intervals spell certain doom. Enjoyed the video!
It depends on the engine and oil type and winter/viscosity used. Always has.
These Ford 2.0L engines are garbage, they literally need oil changes every 5000k or this will happen.
Depends on the engine, cylinder ring design, cams, etc. Toyota recommended a 5,000 mile oil change for cars with their 1MZ-FE engine, but this led to sludging issues on the valves. Ford's well known 5.4l 3v Triton engine is also less likely to have cam problems with 3,000 mile oil changes. These are naturally aspirated engines.
Ford's Turbo-Charged engines annihilate oil to the point that I'd be nervous about a 5,000 mile oil change interval on any modern Ford with a Turbo.
I’ve been in this business for 30 years. We didn’t start seeing engine sludge issues until the manufacturers changed the interval from 3k to 5k. Then when they went to 7500k to 10k the problem really compounded. The customers I have changing their oil at 3k do not have ANY issues while the other ones do. If you’re going to keep a car for an extended period of time, I recommend every 3k. Remember these manufacturers are not in the business to keep your car that you bought 5 years ago on the road, they’re in the business of selling cars. The reason they changed maintenance intervals from 3k to 5k is to keep cost of maintenance down. There’s always a motive to what they do.
Oil tech has gotten much better. 5k with full synthetic is perfectly safe. 3k is flushing $$ down the drain, especially if you do majority highway driving. But, 5k should be max.
@@paulsteele8079 forced induction engines, aka turbo charged engines, should be 3k mile oil changes no matter the kind of oil used.
My 23 Tacoma TRD Off Road has a Toyota recommended oil and filter change every 10K miles with Full Synthetic.
Screw that, I have it changed every 5K miles.
My dealership gave me free oil and filter changes every 10K miles, so I still pay for every other oil / filter change.
In fairness, idiots couldnt afford cars back in 1970 when the guidance was 3k
For does with the blended oil but full synthetic 5k is good my bmw and Tacoma after removing valve cover looks like the head was just cleaned in a machine shop
I personally drove a 1992 Dodge van and knew the mechanic who changed the oil every 10,000 using Amzoil synthetic. There were no engine problems at all past 220,000 miles. Since that time, I always change oil at 10,000 miles using synthetic oil and have had no engine oil problems over the last 30 years. Usually, I am the only one who touches my car because I have known others who had problems with some dealerships and mechanics. In my opinion, the engine we're looking at was not being serviced with synthetic oil or, perhaps, the oil was not changed at all by whoever said they were doing the service. This is more likely a mechanic trust issue than an oil change interval problem.
I change my oil around every 4500 miles, and I always use full synthetic oil. I stopped using Mobil One after many, many years of use because it tends to cause varnishing.
I swapped from it to Pennzoil Ultra Platinum for a while, and it was very good. Now, I am using Valvoline Restore and Protect, and I have been very happy with it so far.
I think the most important thing besides changing the oil regularly is to buy a high-quality oil filter. I swear by Purolator Boss oil filters. A must-have.
How about amsoil oil ? Are they good ?
@leadstardude ok monster man
Speed Lake, an oil test expert made a video about extended mileage oil changes. OEMs push 10-25k change intervals, then the engine dies outside of the warranty period. It's a good video to watch. His channel is a good one to subscribe too.
Some oils "guarantee" their oil for 25k. But how many actually pull a cover and look?
He also would laugh at everyone here doing 3k changes when the analysis would be identical at double that
@@datsuntoyy What is their guarantee? I've never seen it.
@@hoobeydoobey1267 from Amsoil: "AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Motor Oil is guaranteed for 25,000 miles, 700 hours of operation, or one year, whichever comes first, under normal service conditions. In severe service conditions, such as commercial or fleet vehicles, excessive idling, or frequent towing, hauling, plowing, or driving in dusty conditions, the guarantee is for up to 15,000 miles.
AMSOIL synthetic motor oils are made from synthetic base stocks and additives, and are designed to resist chemical breakdown and extreme heat. They are also compatible with modern seal materials and can be used in any mechanically sound gasoline or diesel-fueled engine.
AMSOIL also offers a limited warranty that covers their products for as long as they are used, and does not restrict coverage based on mileage. AMSOIL products are also Warranty Secure, which means they keep a vehicle's factory warranty intact."
A 25k / 12mo marketed oil is good for 25k / 12mo. Good luck with getting a filter that lasts 25k though.
I'd rather spend an extra $50 doing too many oil changes then $3500 to get the engine repaired because of not enough oil changes.
$3500 for an engine swap? Not lately. Closer to twice that. But I get your point.
@@noconsentgiven There are articles on Bob is the oil guy about the ill effects, believe it or not, of changing oil too often. Something about the additive package not being given enough time to do its job.
I do it every 3k because a guy working for a petrochemical co told me that synthetic oil starts to degrade as soon as 3k miles.
Doing this since 2008 I've had multiple Subaru CVT issues and blown head gasket on my XC70 but no engine issues related to oil...
I change oil every 2 weeks regardless of how many miles and I just dump the oil in the gutter to save time. Save the engines not the earth 🌎
@@spaceflight1019 every 3k-3.5k with the oil the manufacturer put in it fresh out the factory plus lucas. I have 200k engines running like kittens. Might just be my experience though, to each their own.
I have a 2002 6.0 chevy silverado with 189k miles and used synthetic mobile 1 all it's life at 10k change intervals no sludge nowhere to be found when I pulled the valve covers just to see the valve train👍🏿...I think a contributing factor for sludge is short drives and not letting the oil get to operating temperature to burn off any moisture that has accumulated in the oil
Same here ! I use mobil one full synthetic at almost 10k and NEVER had sludge in the engine. People that get their cars serviced at a garage ,don't know if they really use full synthetic oil. I've been in the business and I know of many scam chain stores.
@@outkast40
👍🏿
Using regular or premium gas?
@@jamie0193
87 for 22 years and counting
Also that 6.0 Vortec Engine is not GDI or turbo just solid pushrod V8 American Power it doesn't even have that AFM/DFM crap that made the 5.3 a total clunker later on
As always, excellent presentation with incredibly important information shared. Maybe it's trust issues, OCD, whatever....but I've been changing my own oil and filter for 38 years and am still going strong. I'm currently 56 years old and drive a 2022 VW GLI with the 2.0 liter turbo. I change the oil religiously every 4,500 to 5,000 with Ravenol Fully Synthetic 0w-20 and a can of Liqui Moly Anti-friction treatment. I typically use Hengst oil filters and change them every 2,500 miles. Do the work....there is no substitute.
Great video, also want to mention 5K of highway mile and 5K of city mile is drastically different in wear and tear on the engine. My rule of thumb is 5K or 6 month interval oil changes, whichever comes first.
I’ve been daily driving a 2014 base Chevy Cruze 5 days a week for the last 7 years. I change the oil with full synthetic every 5k since I bought it used 7 years ago. It currently has 167k miles on it and it runs like a top! It doesn’t burn a drop of oil and there is no sludgein my engine. I replaced the valve cover recently and the engine looks clean.
Currently has 175k…. Lol
I'm driving a 20 year-old car Oil changes at 3,000 m intervals With no problem whatsoever oil is cheaper than engine parts! I'm with you on the oil changes It's cheap insurance.
I agree good oil never damage a engine yet
My car turned 20 in April and I do oil changes every 5,000 and I’ve had no issues. I had the valve covers off to replace the gaskets and the top end looked very clean almost looked new.
I do full synthetic every 5K. I have gotten the crazy eye…..however I have never had sludge issues.
Great information. I always enjoy getting tips like this from the mechanics that actually work on the cars. I've been going by the mfr's "% oil" info on the dash, which ends up in the 7500 mile range, but you've convinced me that that's not often enough. Will be going to 5000 mile changes as a result of this video. Thank you.
Sir, I totally get it. I've been putting full synthetic in all my vech's and always change at 5K. Don't care what the free dealer oil changes say.. Bought a new 2024 Toyota Corolla and they told me 10K free oil changes. Nope already did it at 5K. I have never had a vehicle have a internal failure from sludge. Good call every 5K full syn.!! my thoughts exactly. (Btw loved your brake video the other day)..Keep up the good work!! Pat
I learned from my father about the importance of oil change on time. I do my own oil changes at 3k. Some people would say is overkill but after 12 years of ownership my car had never had any issues.
Do mine every 5k I buy the cheapest oil basic 5W-30 and have had no issues.
I do mine every 5000 km. Stock up on good oil and filters when they're on sale.
Congrats on 100k! Love the channel and tik toks
Congratulations on 100k subscribers 🥳🤩
Spot on. I am a tech for 50+ years, (Yes, still learning & working 6 days/week) I recommend to all my customers to get in at 5000 miles oil change and HAVE NOT use regular or synthetic blend oil for over 8+ years. Agree with the $ involved if you don't pay attention.
Because of your videos (and others) I do full Syn in my 2010 Lexus ES350 (175k miles) every 5000 miles. Runs like a top. Our (new to us) 2018 Sienna had 25k when we bought it, I will change the oil every 5k with full syn (got 1 under my belt so far). My 2009 Suburban 2500 has 253k miles, same deal. For about $50 and 30 minutes it's cheap insurance. Keep up the good work, appreciate the transparent videos!
Excellent video! I change my vehicles at 4,000 - 5,000 miles. As you say oil is cheaper then an engine rebuild. One question I had was what sort of conditions has the vehicle been driven. Short trips where the engine never really warms up to regular operating temps could be a sludge builder. Also if the thermostat is stuck open where it doesn't reach normal operating temperature could be a factor. I'm still driving a 1986 Camry and 2006 Camry with no problems. Maintenance is the key.
I remember not long ago watching a TH-cam video of two recently retired Toyota engineers. They said if you want your engine to go 100,000 mi change your oil every 10k..... If you want your engine to go 200k change your oil every 3500 miles.....
I've got a Volvo with 370k miles on it. The key? Oil changes between 4k-5k miles.
I have a POS Ford Fusion V6 with 300,000 miles, oil changed every 5K with basic bulk oil from the shop. How the car engine is used comes into play as well. This was all highway miles.
@@BartSparrow123wow ! My Toyota is at 210k miles . Oil change also done every 5k miles . Highway miles only
@@818guy6 I also have a 2007 Toyota Rav4 V6 with 244,000 miles, that I just got running again after the previous owner sludged the engine and clogged the oil pump pickup screen. No engine damage, amazingly. If you want a car that might run 500,000 miles older Toyota would be a great bet!
That's laughable. You won't find a Toyota with 10k oil change intervals that breaks down before 200k, and it certainly won't have sludge like this after 200k. The 2009-2014 2AZ-FE had a design flaw so it would burn excess oil if you did 10k intervals, but that was a design law. This sludge is guaranteed from no oil change during that lease period.
I've always done 3000-5000 mile oil changes on my cars, since the 1980's. I remember when manufacturers came out with extended oils changes, and I was like no way! I've never had a major engine malfunction on any car of mine. Whenever I sell a car, folks who know enough to remove the oil fill cap and take a peek are blown away how clean it looks inside.
You and I both! 5K is the max I go if anything and I always use full synthetic Mobil oil. I own a 2005 Pilot EXL with 216K Miles and engine is super clean inside. Recently bought a Certified Pre own Grand Cherokee and that car will also go with oil change of intervals 4K to 5K max with Full Synthetic oil.
Like the 100000-mile tune-up!!
Been doing 10k OCIs for 20 years, you could eat your lunch off my engine.
3 to 5 thousand on my vehicles too.
Motocraft oil, 1 qt Lucas synthetic ,works for me, all my vehicles nearly 200000 miles.
Currently a Nissan Service advisor, we do 5k intervals for services, on my personal car (full bolt on and tuned) Focus ST and I stick to 3k for oil changes and 15k for gear box oil change. It pays off to over maintenance on fluids, cause it's still cheaper than an engine or timing job.
I've been running 5k mile intervals on full synthetic on all my vehicles for 10+ years. After a top-end rebuild due to a failed lifter on conventional oil I learned my lesson. The valve covers were also pretty varnished up. Full synthetic also seems to clean up the grime left behind by conventional oil.
I drive an 07 Subaru Legacy with 280,000 miles on it and my wife has a much newer car and I probably drive her crazy about this but I'm like "do you want to spend $80 on an oil change now or spend 3k or who knows how much later out of the kids college fund later. I'm changing the oil". Biggest single thing you can do to prolong the life of your car.
College fund for the kids.. I'd spare them that. Send them to a trade school unless they are going to be a doctor or an engineer.
@@marcodarko6941 set the bar low
I have a 22 Camry that takes 0W-16 oil and is recommended by Toyota to change the oil at 10K which came with 2yr/25k Toyota care with oil changes every 10k. I paid for every other oil change at 5k, I like peace of mind.
Don’t run 0w-16…
@@andreahighsides7756Provide ur research on why I shouldn’t run it.
@@andreahighsides7756what should we run then in place of 0-16?
@@blitz1346 0w-30 or 5w-30
I recommend 6000 miles , great video , congrats on the 100k , good job , thanks , much appreciated
I used costco brand full synthetic in my corolla. Change it every 5K miles and use OEM filters. I'm at over 200 k miles, and costco oil is about 30 bucks for 10 quarts.
My first new car i bought in 1974. Datsun 710 with an L-18 engine. Changed the oil every 4000 ,iles. At 120k when I sold it there was not a bit of sludge. It is puzzling why sludge builds up so quickly today.
BTW when Mobil 1 first came out many touted 15,000 mile oil changes.
Oh, I believe it! I still change the oil every 3,000 miles. It is getting dark by that point, and I am going to get it OUT! The EPA pushed the auto makers to extend those "recommended service intervals". And ANYTHING the government wants is SELDOM good for us. I had to replace a head gasket on my wifes car at around 100,000 miles. and the engine surfaces were clean, with a nice golden color. I won't change anything I am doing.
COULD WE SEE YOUR D-SLUDGE PROCESS ,,,,,,,,?????????? THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND EFFORT !!!!!!!!!!!
NO YOU CAN'T LOL 😅🎉
Sorry, its proprietary
My father is a retired mechanic for the NYPD. Their entire fleet is almost Ford and 7.5-8k they would change oil. The amount to engines my father installed because of prolonged oil changes back then was ridiculous imagine now!
I currently have 3 newer Jaguars F-TypeR,XF and F-PaceS. I Always use full synthetic premium oil and change it @5k or before. Jaguar dealership recommends to do an oil change 7.5k-10k or 1year. And to top it off they say the transmission fluid is a sealed unit and should never be changed. But ZF who engineered and manufactured the transmission recommends to change the transmission fluid and filter @50k miles. @5k the oil is already used up and dirty I strongly believe the supercharger adds wear on the oil and changing your oil more with more then 5k miles is gambling with your engine!
Police vehicles are the last vehicles that should be using extended oil changes...... Even 3,000 miles is pushing it for police vehicles.......
I get your point but I think it highly depends on the type of oil and driving. I change oil every 9-10k miles using mobile one. Mostly highway miles. 460k on my car and never had a mechanical issue.
I bought a 1993 Ford Escort GT with the Mazda BP5 engine brand new. Take the valve cover off and you saw an engine with absolutely no sludge. It was a 30 year old car. I would get compliments on how nice the engine compartment looks. Some Ahole ran a red light and totaled it.
I use a 💯 % full synthetic "Amsoil"for the engine transmission rear axel and transfer case. Excellent video!!! I've always said leased vehicles there's no incentive for the leasee to look after it.
As dad used to say "Oil is cheaper than bearings" !!
Arnie used to say Pennzoil is like liquid ball bearings.
Dad is a wise man!😊
The rings get coked and stick in the piston land. The rings should be free to move. In some cases, a top cylinder soak will free up the rings, but there may be too much damage. In an inline motor you can get away with removing the head and pistons and running a dingle ball hone, install new rings, refresh the head and be pretty good again.
I’m not an automotive technician or a shop owner just a DIYer and I learned from my late Dad about the importance of changing the engine oil. I’m retired and my car is a ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. My vehicle has the early version of the Pentastar V6 with four overhead cams and Camshaft Phasers and it is important to use a good oil with good detergent capabilities. I’ve been using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum
5W-30 since I bought it used in early 2017. I change the oil about every 3,000 miles and my car currently has 76,000 miles.
I also do full synthetic at 3.5k miles just because of all the new solenoids dependent on oil pressure and clean oil. It is an inexpensive way to keep your car running for 10 years. I do the changes myself with the OE filter. (Honda). I saw under the valve cover of a 200k mile ISF that had the 3.5k mile oil changes and that thing looked brand new. Ever since that, I am a believer.
I'm a low mileage driver since retirement. I'm averaging 5K miles per year on my purchased new 2019 VW Arteon SEL Premium R-Line. I was doing oil changes every 5K miles or one year (whichever came first) but over the past few years I'm doing a change every 6 months. I use full synthetic Motul 5w/40.
I’m a firm believer in the 5k oil change. Full synthetic or semi. Doesn’t matter oil brake down. Idc amsoil or Wally World special.
I'm a firm believer in a 3,000 Mile oil and filter change!
@@Ascotman Unless you track your vehicle every month and tow in a dusty environment and short trips in cold weather, changing your oil every 3k miles is a waste of money and natural recourses.
@@genderlessyoutubefanperson agree with one addition to the list: turbo-charged engines.
I'm a firm believer in 1k oil and filter change intervals
@@shizz7le489 🤣
I can't understand why people think lease returns are real good deals and good cars. I hear this from dealers all the time. Lease cars usually have the minimal maintenance done b/c the owner usually knows they're not keeping it so it becomes like a rental to them and they don't care.
Also depends how a vehicle is driven. does it have an auto start, does it sit idling alot, short runs, long runs, etc.
It really depends on your driving habits, lots of short trips lots of stop and go, shorter oil change intervals. Longer 100 mile trips on the highway, you can stick with manufacturer intervals. I like to split the difference at 7500 miles; my last car was a 2016 VW GTI, for 84k miles, still ran great when it got sold.
I use Synthetic oil change every 5k miles with the filter. Zero sludge, No engine problems! 3rd generation mechanic over 40 years and engine builder.
You should try doing a few oil changes using Valvoline Restore and Protect oil on this. I would love to see what it does on such an excellent specimen.
Me two. I am trying it in a 195000 mile RX 350 we just bought. The oil did turn darker in the first few hundred miles, so I think it is cleaning.
Issue with restore oils or Engine cleaner oils is if any debris gets stuck to oil pressure sump filter, it can total the engine.
Correct methodology will be to change OIL every 2000 km for 10,000 km and thus engines can be revived.
I've seen many engines getting destroyed by these Engine cleaner oils. 😊
@@garyganser2451 I just did an oil change with Valvoline Restore and protect at 2,800 mile on a 1998 toyota sienna. it was definitley darker than normal. I will continue to use this oil .
@@learndesignwithdev I believe restore and protect works by dissolving and eroding deposits so it won't let big chunks fall into suspension.
@@moshet842 No you don't need chunks, just a fine layer will obstruct the filter.
Oil should be changed at 5000 miles max ! These manufacturers are nuts !
My wife struggles to understand why I insist on changing her vehicles oil before the computer tells her it's time. 5k miles, man. That's what we do in my home shop. Tires get rotated at that time, as well.
And congrats on 100k subs, guys!
thatrealba,
I wouldn't say she struggles to understand, as much as you haven't conveyed Why it's a good idea. You understand, she doesn't . . .yet.
Take your time, slowly explain and she'll be with you. ☆
Computer algorithm is based on millions of miles along with oil analysis. Real science, not guessing. Never heard of a Honda engine going out at any point when using the maintenance minder. Had a '90 Accord (no maint minder) that went almost 400k with 5k Dino oil change intervals. Car rusted and hard to get any parts so did not junk due to any engine issues. 300k on a '96 1MZFE with 5k Dino intervals. Full syn goes longer.
YES
Oil changes at 5k mile intervals is where I am at now. (or less)!!
Especially now that several of my vehicles are Turbos...👍
I've long been suspicious about the newer cars I've been buying telling me they only needed an oil change every 10k miles and this just confirms it for me.
I'm a retired chemist, I've been doing 10k mile oil changes (myself because I and many others don't trust the industry) ever since synthetics were invented. I have retired all my past vehicles at 300k miles with engines still running GOOD.
That vehicle probably went 44,935 miles before it saw the first oil change. It looks like it didn't start getting regular oil changes until the second owner bought it.
It’s far more likely they were being done at a place that doesn’t report or part of the lease services than not being serviced one time in 45,000 miles.
I thought in my head it probably was a lease, sure enought the carfax confirmed it No, way that car got regular oil changes the first 50k.
Exactly. Very few people who lease cars take care of them as well as they would if they owned it. Also, very few people who lease cars do their own oil changes. It's likely they drove it for the duration of the lease and never did any maintenance on it.
@@jayp1013 I thought the same thing. Leased cars typically get little or no maintenance.
@@theroyaltyautoservice Plenty of people don't do routine maintenace on leased cars. How do I know this? - I'm one of them.
Big CONGRATS on achieving 100k Subscribers!!
I got a Trax 2024 last month. Turbo 1.2L Aluminum engine. Internal wet rubber timing belt. I'll be changing the oil every 4000 miles (I just got it changed at 850 and will again between 2500-3000, then I'll move to the 4000 schedule)
When I got my new 2005 VW Jetta GLI my mechanic told me the trade magazines were saying the 1.8 turbo engine needed full synthetic rather than conventional. (Believe manusl said conventional) I took his word and only used that oil even when other places tried to say conventional. Drove for 13 years with 180k miles and traded up for an Audi. Car still drove like a dream. I also do break in period and do first oil change after that 1000 miles just in case anything from manufacturing came loose. Love your car by maintaining it.
I change my oil every 3 k miles great video
I still change my oil at old school recomendations. Every 3000 miles.
It should be taken back to the Ford Delarship and confront the shop manager for an explanation.
This video should also be sent to all the oil/filter companies claiming their product will last 10,000 - 20,000mil. It´s nothing more than FALSE ADDVERTIZING!
100%.
Agree 100% that preventive maintenance is not only cost effective in the long run, the additional peace of mind has value as well.
With a 2021 Audi A4, I change every 3000 miles using Mobil 1 ESP X2 with an OE Audi filter. Zero issues. If it wasn't turbocharged, maybe I'd push it to 5,000, but turbochargers can really break down oil much quicker than normal.
As well, air filter is always checked at each oil change and replaced if necessary with an OE filter.
This is so much cleaner than the other video you were referring to at the beginning
Just remember the manufacturers don't want your car to last a long time. They want you to come back and buy a new car sooner than later so their recommendations are not in the owners best interest. I don't care what oil is used, 5000 miles is the absolute longest I would go before changing it.
Little known fact: due to EPA waste penalties, all automakers extended the oil change and other fluid change intervals far past what they should be. This is to reduce the pollution penalties on each car and truck. However, it penalizes the trusting vehicle owner who won't service his or her car when it should be done.
50 years ago, the oil and fluid changes were correct i.e. 3000 miles on the oil, 25,000 on the ATF, and the coolant gets changed every other year. All that got changed solely for red tape reasons in 1980 IIRC when Ford was the first to claim 10,000 mile oil changes. I do remember the advertisements on their new Granada for 1981 featuring extended service intervals on all fluids. I was young but, even I knew that was BS.
And yet the average non-hyundai engine lasts longer than they ever have
I'm just a random 30 year old guy who was raised holding a flashlight for my old man as a kid I'm not a master mechanic. I can do a bit of work on vehicles but I'm not fully rebuilding a motor. I change the oil in all of me and my wife's vehicles every 3-3500 miles with full synthetic and a 10k mile rated filter. Every time no matter what and I do it myself so I can physically look at the oil to see if there is any change in how it's looking. A set of ramps is literally 60 bucks there is no reason not to
I'll take your used oil, so as to put about another 6,000 miles on it😆👍🏽
@@willg.5168 always did with normal non synthetic. It's not expensive less than 120 dollars for the oil and filter for both vehicles for synthetic so no reason not to I figure. I'm doing it myself so the risk of cross threading the oil filter or drain plug let alone wrong oil or filter is zero. it's 5-20 if you live in Nebraska seriously come get it lol
@@WhyFacetattoos it's not your method I was referring to my friend, but the frequency with the sources that you can clearly go a bit longer between changes. I'm the same with my vehicles regarding doing the labor myself; it just gives me peace when I know what's in my motor 🙂👍🏽
@@willg.5168 oh I know what you mean. And I know personally it's definitely overkill but if the only downside is spending the say 50 dollars per vehicle on oil and filter a month early when I have time so that I don't HAVE TO At 5k miles or 6k whenever it's rated for. I can deal with non engine and transmission problems. Minor engine work is fine and fuel system cooling system etc I work to God damn hard to be spending 10k or whatever it would be getting a new motor put in
Pour some fuel into it, button it up, drive it for a few days, then drain it, fill it with oil and put a new filter. I change my oil every six months, in March and September. Still clean inside the engine, 267,000 miles. No ticking, oil burning or leaks. I just drove it from Florida to Canada and back this summer. It is an E39 528i M54 that I have been driving it for twenty years. I bought it when it was four years old. It gets 25 mpg.
Never put fuel in your oil.
These videos are so informative.
We just bought a new Rogue. Never owned a Nissan, a turbo or a 3 cylinder. My oil changes will be no more than 5000 and closer to 4000.
I’ve learned that these turbos use that oil as well.
I’m hopeful for years of service, and as such, we strive to drive our cars easily
Everything i’ve read says to Change the CVT fluid every 30k miles also. That is something else I don’t think the dealer (owners manual) will tell you. The rogue should have both a screen and a filter for the transmission fluid - I don’t think those need to be changed every 30k. Maybe 60k to 90k for those.
I enjoy your informative videos. One thought to add: sludge can build up if the combustion gases that blow past the pistons accumulate in the oil because of inadequate ventilation, e.g. clogged PCV or design flaw. Toyota had that issue a few decades ago.