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Oil Change calculation?

17K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  jljbtm 
#1 ·
So how does the car calculate when it needs an oil change? I looked in the manual and it says 8,000 mi. But I turned my car on today, just hit 3,502 mi yesterday and its telling me that it needs an oil change? Great thing is that my dealer has lifetime oil changes for free, but 4,500 mi early??
 
#2 · (Edited)
From what I understand, it will calculate the oil change based on a number of factors. City Driving; Highway Driving; Idling times; Number of times the "Remote Start" has been used; How "you" drive the vehicle (fast acceleration each time? slower starts from a stop?); Number of "cold" stars vs. number of "hot" starts .................. so, as you can see, under optimal conditions you'll get the 8,000 miles (I belive mine, here in Canada, says 13,000 kms.!!!!) however, in the real world, it will adjust for all of these factors and advise you when a change is due.

I recently spoke with the Service Manager where I purchased my "200", and questioned this as well. I've always changed my oil every 5-6,000 kms, and I was told just to change it when the "Indicator" light told me to.

Therefore, 3,500 miles (or 5,000+ kms.) to me does not seem that unusual.
 
#3 ·
From what I understand, it will calculate the oil change based on a number of factors. City Driving; Highway Driving; Idling times; Number of times the "Remote Start" has been used; How "you" drive the vehicle (fast acceleration each time? slower starts from a stop?); Number of "cold" stars vs. number of "hot" starts .................. so, as you can see, under optimal conditions you'll get the 8,000 miles (I belive mine, here in Canada, says 13,000 kms.!!!!) however, in the real world, it will adjust for all of these factors and advise you when a change is due.
Good explanation. But I believe it is too complex to be true.

I had the same issue with some interesting details. I HAVE changed oil at 2500 miles and at the SAME 3500 it advised me to change oil again. Come to dealership and asked what the matter? They told me that ALL Chrysler cars have 3500 miles oil change preset. And they just forgot to reprogram it during my oil change. I asked what about 8000? Oh, probably Chrysler will change its presets later, but they have no instructions yet. That's it.

From other side, I believe that 3500 miles is actually long overdue. May be Chrysler has made some mystery with 8000 miles oil change interval. May be not. But I would advise to make the first oil change at the end of break-in period of 2500 miles. Then to change at least in 4000 miles or 6 months interval. If you drive in harsh conditions, change oil every 2000. It costs you little money, but saves much on engine repair and/or legal expenses on claims to Chrysler.
 
#5 ·
Mine came on around 6.800 miles, after I had it changed at 5400. Dealer didn't reset it. I did. 80%of my driving is highway. Just completed a 4000 mile trip to Ohio, Wisconsin and back home. Oil change warning has not come on yet.
 
#6 ·
I think Dadillac is right. My Corvette is the same way. It does give you a percentage of oil life left. I once changed the oil and drove it over 7,000 miles before it told me I had 50% life left. I have also changed it and took it to the track and used 50% of the oil life in a few hours.
 
#7 ·
I've read before that it's based on "engine revolutions". So, if you spend a lot of time idling or driving at city speeds, the indicator will come on sooner. The lower transmission gear that the car runs in when driving under 45MPH makes the engine run at about the same RPM at city speeds as it does on the highway, so engine revolutions makes some sense.

However, I have to note that I would never recommend going 8000 miles before an oil change... even if you drive it 100% highway. Manufacturers recommend longer oil change intervals to make the total cost of ownership look lower on their vehicles. Oil companies and oil change places tell you to change it at 3000 miles so they can sell more oil and make more money on oil changes. The truth is somewhere in the middle, and depends on what kind of driving you do... and the environment in which you drive. Dusty roads and city driving at high ambient temps mean that you should change your oil sooner.

I drive about 80% at highway speeds. I faithfully change my oil at 5,000 miles (without regard for the idiot light), and have put 200K+ miles on every vehicle I've ever owned without a single engine failure.
 
#8 ·
I just took my car to the dealer for the first oil change at 7000 miles (still no "change oil" message though). The dealer recommended me to come again at around 14000 miles for the next change. I don't know if they reset oil lifetime counter; if not, I will reset it myself.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I think the type and quality oil has something to do with it too. The standard oils of years ago lasted 3000 miles and that's what we were taught. Now synthetics last much longer. VW's oil change interval is 10,000 miles and they use full synthetic oil. I have even tested my drain oil from my 5.7 Hemi in another car (several times) and the lab suggested pushing the intervals because the oil was still good so I kept extending it from 5500 to 7500 and beyond and it is still good.
Now I don't know what the 200 uses to determine the interval as the first oil change was done at 5500 and no light came on our dashboard, now It's 2271 miles later and the light is on saying time for a oil change. This makes me question the quality of the oil. Was the factory oil a quality synthetic and the Dealers oil some kind of crap? I'll do the next one myself using quality oil and see for myself.
 
#10 · (Edited)
If your light didn't come on when you had it changed at 5500, and then it came on 2271 miles later... that tells me that the person who changed the oil didn't reset it.

Synthetic oils can definitely go longer than regular oil. However, to do it right, you also need a special filter with synthetic oil.

Regular oil has not changed in my lifetime. Oil change places and oil companies have always recommended 3000 as long as I can remember.

The people who stand to benefit from selling you more oil and labor always recommend more frequent oil changes. The people who want to make the cost of ownership look lower will tell you that you can go longer between changes.

My recommendation is this... if you plan to keep the car longer than 3 years, ignore the oil change light and change it at the following frequencies:

If you do lots of city driving, driving on dusty roads, and/or you only drive 12,000 miles/year, change it at 3,000 miles. If you do lots of highway driving, change it every 5,000.

If you're leasing the car or usually trade in a car after 2-3 years, go ahead and wait until the idiot light comes on. In this short of a period of ownership, it's unlikely that you'll kill the engine if you change it when the light comes on. What do you care how long the car lasts if you only keep it for 2-3 years?
 
#11 ·
My service guy said the same thing "it probably was not reset" so he told me how to reset it.
1) get in the car and close the door 2) Turn the key "on" then step on the gas pedal 3 times within 5 seconds 4) Key off 5) Key on and start.
 
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