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There’s a lot of buzz these days about longer oil change intervals, especially for vehicles that come off the factory line with synthetic oil. In fact, some new vehicle manufacturers are recommending much higher oil change intervals than ever before—as much as 5,000 to 8,000 miles or more.
However, this practice came under scrutiny when four of the largest new car manufacturers announced that owners were experiencing engine damage as a result of these higher oil change intervals. The manufacturers’ standard oil drain service for particular vehicles was scheduled at around 7,500 miles. Motorists following these recommendations had problems with oil sludge building in their engines, which clogged small oil passages and caused engine parts to fail.
What causes oil sludge? It’s a factor of time and mileage. There are hot spots in every engine that cause oil burn off that leads to sludge. Also, water from normal condensation can build up in the oil. This water also creates sludge. Severe driving conditions lead to more rapid sludge formation. Severe driving includes short trips under 4 miles or trips under 10 miles in freezing conditions. The engine just doesn’t get warm enough for the water in the oil to evaporate.
Stop-and-go driving, towing, dusty conditions, heavy loads, very hot or very cold temperatures, a car top carrier are all considered severe driving conditions, which means you should follow the severe maintenance schedule for your vehicle. This severe service schedule has much shorter oil change intervals. You need to honestly evaluate how you drive to determine if you should change your oil closer to the severe service schedule or to the standard schedule.
Some vehicles have built-in oil change reminders, but it’s important to know how that reminder is determined. For some, the reminder simply comes when the standard mileage interval has rolled around. Others use a computer algorithm that takes into consideration the number of cold starts, trip length, engine temperature and so on. It’s programmed to approximate where on the standard/severe service spectrum you fall. Some more expensive vehicles actually have sensors that test the cleanliness and effectiveness of the oil.
For the rest of us, better safe than sorry should be the guiding principle. Talk with your Star service advisor about the pros and cons of a shorter vs. longer oil change interval. Find out what kind of oil your vehicle is equipped with from the factory. Sometimes it’s synthetic oil, which costs more than standard oil, but it may be necessary to meet a longer factory-recommended interval.
If you’re realistically conservative, standard grades of oil will take care of you year after year. If you want to push the limits, ask for synthetic oil to give you extra protection. Synthetic is also recommended if you tow heavy loads, plow snow, idle excessively (i.e. a taxi or delivery vehicle), or subject your vehicle to other severe driving conditions.
So what happened with those manufacturers who had problems from higher oil change intervals? They ended up extending the engine warranty for parts that were affected by oil sludge. But they had a stipulation: They lowered the oil change interval, and the vehicle owner had to provide proof of oil changes at the new lower interval to keep the extended warranty.
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