Extending oil change intervals - a recipe for disaster?
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The major car manufacturers all agree that changing your oil every 3000 miles(5000 km) is a thing of the past and state that even every 5000 miles(8000 km)may be too often. Ford Motor Co recently announced it’s intention to increase the recommended oil change interval from 5000 to 7500 miles(12,000 km) on it’s 2007 and future models. Citing higher quality oil standards and new engine designs for the change.
Some manufacturers have stopped making recomendations for oil change intervals, instead they are relying on sensors that measure oil temperature extremes and engine revolutions over time to calculate oil life and tell the drivers when an oil change is required.
Peter Lord, executive director of General Motors service operations says “We are absolutely confident of the technology. We back it with a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty now, so there is no doubt in our mind that this technology works.”
After the very public and far reaching issues that Toyota had with certain engines having a oil sludge problem, in 2004 they cut the recommended oil change intervals back from 7,500 miles to 5000 miles. Company spokesman Bill Kwong stated the change was made in part because the vehicles were being driven under severe stop-start and short trip conditions causing the oil to deteriorate faster.
Kwong also said that Toyota had an oil sludge problem on less than 1 percent of it’s 1997-2002 models, which he said was caused by owners driving more than 7,500 miles between oil changes.
I must have bought one of the one percent of vehicles affected, a 1997 2.2 litre Camry. The car had a full Toyota service history and had travelled 113,000 km when I bought it. I had reason to remove the rocker cover to replace the gasket not long ago and what a shock I got. The camshafts where bearly visible in all the sludge! Since finding this the car gets an oil and filter change every 5000 km with an engine flush added a day or so beforehand. Makes you wonder whether the oil that Toyota was using was compatible with the engine? Just a thought.
For the full story on these changes click here.
