[Fr_Chuck]

I have been trained over the years to change the oil in my vechiles from between 3000 to 5000 miles. I average about 3000 miles a month on my vechile. It is split between city and highway driving.

So my new van ( 2009) Chev, has a oil computer, that tells you when the oil needs to be changed by watching how you drive and engine usage. So I am at 4000 miles on the new van, ( so I am ready to change the oil) but the truck says it is only 55 percent used which means I would be going to about 7000 miles before I changed oil.

Are the rules on oil changes differnet now ? Or was I a victim of oil change store advertising before

[parttime]

In my opinion, if you changed oil at 3000, you were a victim, I've always went with 5000 and never had an oil related failure. I still change at 5000 and just reset the oil monitor, I've seen as high as 7000 plus before the oil monitor calls for a change.

[Fr_Chuck]

My thought, of course I drive all of my cars to about 300,000. My other two vechiles are over 20 years old, and run and start like new. Think I will stick with the 5000 and see how that works

[parttime]

I'm like you, I just recently let go a 94 lumina (let sons girlfriend have) now we have my truck(97) and wife's 08 grand prix. I'll keep the 97 another few years.

[parttime]

We do all our own maintenance and repairs, I'm curious, do you?

[Fr_Chuck]

Not any more, when my 4 older sons where at home ( they are in their 30's now) we even had a lift in the yard to pull engines of all their friends cars, and a few rear ends over the years.

I have a 89 chev truck that is getting close to 300,000, it will start first time you turn it over, I seldom drive it, and keep a solar charger on it to keep battery up. Now it is a well used body, a work truck with a lift gate, not a part of it, not dented

Now my pride and joy is my Mercury Grad Marquis, it is a 91 and looks like it did when it drove off the show room, ( just had a new leather top put on) When I drive it into the dealership, all the salesmen want to drive it around the lot, ( I laugh, it is a longer vechile than my large van I just got)

[KISS]

Short trips where the car doesn't have a chance to warm up is the most detrimental to an engine.

In 82, my Toyota had a 10K recommended interval. I did it 2x/year and put on about 12K/yr. 235K and 17 yrs later it as still ticking.