The answer I like to give people is...
- early is better than late
- First oil changes should be done EXTREMELY early; break-in oil and all the material that sheds early on will be in it, contaminating the oil.
- Second and third changes should be short as well, but getting longer (possibly to manufacturer recommendations)
- always change the filter as well.
- get your oil analysed. Blackstone Labs is cheap ($35 for a gas engine). Learn what your engine is actually doing.
I know I can safely run all my vehicles to at least 6k miles from testing, and they're claiming 7.5k. I'm not pushing it that far. 6k gives me a margin of detergents and additives.
Plus if I'm "severe" with a vehicle, i'm not above doing an out of sequence oil change, just to be safe.- check your oil level regularly. look around and under your vehicle regularly. check your tire pressures, your washer fluid, your wipers.
even if you don't fix things yourself, at least you get more familiar with the overall condition of your vehicle and you can tell your mechanic to look more closely at something, or have a better idea if you're getting scammed.- replace stuff when it breaks. don't wait.
there's more, but that gets most people started.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master"
Last edited by RoyGBiv; 04-14-2024 at 05:20 PM.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
..but lots of info on the dark side of the hoax.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/ev...y-expert-warns