How often to change oil? 10,000 miles or 5,000 miles?

[musgh]

Ok, so I thought I had posted this earlier but I don't see it. I hope this isn't a repeat

Anyhow, my 2014 Ford Fiesta manual says for a car that sees normal driving, oil change schedule is every 10,000 miles or 1 year, which ever comes first. I drive probably around 8,000 miles a year and mostly city driving and I'm not aggressive. Sometimes may drive even just 7,000 miles a year. For the past many years, I have only been changing the oil every 10k or 1 year, which ever is sooner. I've used the same Ford dealer for all maintenance except some tyre changes since I've had this car.

Recently had a new engine put in (for different reason than oil). As we were leaving the dealership, I casually joked with the service advisor that I hope I won't be seeing them for another year when I get my oil change since I don't drive more than 10k a year. I had been in and out of the dealership while they diagnosed the problem, hence my joking comment. Service advisor said to me that I should be changing the oil at least every 5,000 mile intervals. She even said for her, 5k was not frequent enough.

In the language of CarTalk, am I somebody's boat payment? Am I being taken for a ride?

Manual really does say 10k (for normal driving). I pointed that out to the service advisor and she said, you know car companies are not going to care about your car engine once they sell you the car. Hmm.... Thoughts?

 

[SyntheticAtmosphere]

OK, I love this debate. I am a bit against the grain on this one...here we go.
Oil is very important to the long term heath of your engine. First, oil not only lubricates and cools, but it also cleans and protects. As the oil degrades, it abilities also degrade. These can be mitigated by change frequency and oil quality. But the choice is dependent on the type of car you have and your habits.

For your car, because its turbocharged I would suggest you invest in a full synthetic if it isnt already a requirement. Forced induction and high compression are areas where oil is required to perform to higher standards. Turbocharger lubrication is where the oil gets closest to hot exhaust. On shut down oil will be in the turbocharger when flow and cooling stops. That being said, dont use the full synthetic so you can skimp on change interval. Everyone has their poison, I personally prefer Pennzoil Platinum (not Platinum- Euro) in my turbo direct injection car.

On the flip side, If you had a 2011 1.6L as I do, I buy the basic conventional oil as I dont have forced induction or direct injection (Direct injection cars suffer from fuel dilution of the oil and also "Low speed pre-ignition" which can be a silent killer, free unrelated bonus material). I change the oil every 5oook/3ooomi because its easy to follow (like the metric system ). Anyone who is putting Synthetic into a grocery getter is not going to get their value. The oil is not required for the application (except in OEM required situations such as the DEXOS 1/2 or 0W20 in my wifes Mazda CX-5 etc) and doing it so you can extend the interval is actually counter productive. Fresh oil more often is better, period.

Re: your miles. Its not about the amount of miles per year, I would consider the type of driving. Short runs, coupled with the regular stop and go can add stress to the engine which will require more frequent oil changes. If you were to take the car for a good long drive once a week where it can stretch its legs on the highway, this would do wonders for your oil life. Long runs will boil moisture suspended in the oil from short running and burn out carbon deposits collecting in the engine from high air/fuel ratios from frequent idling and acceleration found in city driving. With city driving I would consider more frequent changes.

Worried about sending someones kid to college? At the end of the day, oil changes are cheaper over the life of the engine than the cost of the engine. You have first hand knowledge on engine cost. A few extra dollars for peace of mind can be priceless. As a gauge, when does the oil start to turn black? As a reference, I had a 99 Mazda Protege I bought new. I religiously changed the oil every 5oook/3ooomi. After 357oook/220ooomi the oil would still look new beyond half the oil change interval. I sold that car and the new owner drove it away. Fresh oil more often.

In conclusion...I would suggest a Full synthetic oil on a change interval of at least the factory 10ooomi provided the car gets a once a week 45min at highway speeds and driven responsibly. If it were my car with your driving requirements, I would change the oil every 5ooomi with Full synthetic.
With your new engine (as I have done with all my new cars and rebuilt engines) I change the oil at a half interval for the first change.

 

[musgh]

Thanks for the thoughts. Interesting perspective.

I take my car to the dealership for all maintenance and they put in half synthetic or whatever it’s called. It’s not full synthetic but not the lowest grade either. I assume they know what they’re doing. I go in and ask for oil change. I don’t specify what oil. Should I be doing that?

 

[Handy Andy]

+1 @SyntheticAtmosphere - many don't realize the blends and Quality of the Fuels you put in your cars tank - can play a direct role in how well or how long you can drive your car, let alone the service intervals.

Most fuels are "single sourced" but if you have been taking notice, you'll also see "top-Tier" and other monikers used to promote their brands of fuels - might want to research that too. Detergents used to keep the soot and grime - oil - sludge formed from the "incomplete" combustion leave residue that can build up and

• - to use the "incomplete" means that many refineries that "crack and reform" the chains to make those grades of fuel - the shorter chains (lower grade Octanes) when broken leave those broken pieces of themselves behind - the longer chains and higher-octanes burn hotter - for longer and less residue left behind - play a big role in this as well.

Why? If you're in a small town - one-stoplight sort of place, the number of stations and the competition is rather moot - you have few choices.

In bigger towns you have many more gas stations and their own importing or supply lines from their own stocks affecting the "Price game" as well as being a competitor for your hard-earned dollar.

So it pays to shop around even though there is a "Base standard", the level or grades of fuel you can burn in your cars engine - will also make or break your budget when it comes to maintenance and life-span of the motor - let alone the shell the vehicle is around it.

To determine that is to change your oil or check it with the dipstick after the change more frequently - like Dad used to. Not many people do this at the stations anymore due to safety concerns - but when you're home you can look and check it in peace and quiet to examine and know how dirty the oil is, tells you how "dirty" the fuel and your driving habits are affecting the motor.

 

[musgh]

HandyAndy, thanks for the reply.

So the oil should be changed once it gets dirty/black looking?

 

[Handy Andy]

Not necessarily, but if you notice by checking the oil it's going rancid by smell and the engine seems to run a little rough or lower idle shake more than you've noticed before - then best to check the oil - fuel and smell the oil - feel it with your fingers. If it feels gritty or not as slick but more like sludgy or thick - then Fuel may have had an additive or more ethanol than normal and it's affected the emissions and the idle mixture.

Plugged ports and filters can make the motor struggle to idle so be alert to changes - especially if this vehicle is your primary and only source to get you to a place to earn an income somewhere.

Check the mileage too - as you review your oil on the dipstick - usually during a fuel stop or arriving home afterwards. IF not too many miles (less than 1,000) and it's dirty - woof check the oil on the dipstick on a strong light to look for shiny flakes metals or carbon granules. Might be a strong indication of mixture issues and or poor fuel diluting your oil. - that and the mileage and the days air temperature - can affect viscosity and even the moisture content (dewpoint) can affect the idle speed and how the car drives.

Condition and how you drive play a role in this.so if you're a leadfoot - Thats one result - but conservative and it's looking dirty sooner than before - might want to investigate.

Lot's can happen between the Fueling truck and that nozzle - including rust and water contamination you don't or can't see until it's in your cars tank and you can't seem to make it go. That affects the oil too - so a double whammy can occur.

 

[musgh]

Yeah, I don't have a lead foot. The whole point of getting the SfE was precisely for the fuel economy, so it's not in my character to lead foot. We live down a steep hill, so actually when I turn into the road that goes down this hill, I'm coasting all the way to my home because it's one of my strategies to save gas. I'm very gas conscious that way.

 

[mountainman182]

Thanks for the thoughts. Interesting perspective.

I take my car to the dealership for all maintenance and they put in half synthetic or whatever it’s called. It’s not full synthetic but not the lowest grade either. I assume they know what they’re doing. I go in and ask for oil change. I don’t specify what oil. Should I be doing that?

My Ford Dealer uses a full synthetic automatically (but it's also designated by the owners manual, so they don't really have a choice by various standards).

 

[musgh]

My Ford Dealer uses a full synthetic automatically (but it's also designated by the owners manual, so they don't really have a choice by various standards).

I need to re-look again at our manual and see what it says; see if it specifies!

 

[musgh]

Update:

It took me a while to locate the specifications because the manual was referencing the wrong pages! Anyhow....

So I don't see what engine oil they used for this last activity they did on the car, which was engine replacement. It does have oil of course; I suppose they just didn't list it on the invoice.

But, I checked the record prior to engine replacement and during routine oil change, they used Motorcraft SAE 5W-20 Premium Synthetic Blend Motor Oil which is appropriate according to my manual. The other recommended oil to use, per my manual, is SAE 5W-20 Full Synthetic. I'm going to assume that the premium synthetic blend is just as good for my Fiesta.

Also, for someone who is not a car enthusiast, I sure am spending a lot of time on a car forum and looking through car manuals! LOL. But that's probably in my nature to be thorough. In spite of not being a car person, I have kept ALL maintenance records in an orderly fashion in my orange folder! If we were ever to sell this car, whomever buys it will be impressed with my thick folder of records that goes all the way back to the day we purchased this baby.

I used to ride a motorcycle but sold it to some guy in Georgia. He was impressed when I produced a folder of neatly organized maintenance records from the day the bike was purchased. Also, I'm not a motorcycle enthusiast! Like this car, all maintenance was done by the dealership. I bought a motorcycle as my sole transportation because that's what I could afford at that time! I'm just tidy and a good record keeper!

 

[musgh]

Further update:

I just read this article about synthetic oil in Consumer Reports: https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ou-use-synthetic-oil-in-your-car-a9220487946/

It had a line that did make me think: "Using synthetic in these situations will prolong your oil life and require fewer changes. That’s also a major benefit to the environment, as used motor oil is a major source of toxic waste in water."

Because I don't drive that much (about 8,000 miles a year) I had only been changing my oil once a year or every 10k miles, whichever is sooner. I know many of you are recommending full synthetic oil. I'm going to explore with my dealership how much a regular oil maintenance would cost when the oil is full synthetic versus premium synthetic blend.

 

[SyntheticAtmosphere]

When I said I was a bit against the grain...here it goes. (I love a good conversation over coffee)
I dont know if people remember the old infomercials by Slick50? They had a good old Ford straight 6 engine (aka indestructible) and they would run the engine with Slick50 added to the oil. *Gasp* they would drain the oil and keep running the engine. Then they would up the game by flooding the engine with water.
Well, at the end of the day they stacked the deck in their favor by running a very reliable engine, then flooding the engine with water, which provided lubrication (yes water can lubricate) and cooling...prolonging the engines ability to keep operating. Therefore I dont drink the koolaid and wouldnt add anything like that to my engine)
My argument that basic engines dont need fancy boutiquey oils I think is proven by the people at Slick50, It dosent take much to keep simple rolling. But as I had eluded to earlier, parameters that push the oil to perform under pressure is where you need to up the oil quality.
I also dont drink the koolaid that you can extend the oil change interval (as per Consumer Reports) because cars that require Synthetics will push the oil to perform under harsher situations than grocery getter engines will. Adding synthetic to your car when it dosent use the full benefit of the oil capabilities is like taking medication for an ailment you dont have. In the end you have spent money and not used the oil to its full potential.
To bring this back to your car specifically (I think I started indoctrinating wider audiences above) because you have a turbocharger, when the oil stops flowing, the oil left in the turbo passages can heat up significantly. When this happens, the oil cooks in the passages. This is where you require an oil that can perform better under these conditions.

 

[gfh77665]

If the OP is driving 7000-8000 miles a year, I think he is the perfect candidate for annual oil changes. If it was mine, I would change just before summer starts.

I believe either 5000 or 10,000 mile intervals can be correct, once all factors are accounted for. Turbo - Non turbo, city vs. highway, climate, etc. I am pretty comfortable with my 7,000 mile changes, since I am 80%+ highway.