soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

I change out the oil & filter normally around the 50% mark or 5k miles;
IMHO, I wouldn't wait till 40% or less - sure it should be fine, but taking better care will result in longer engine life... and I plan on keeping my car for the long haul.

I'm @13k;
iirc, I did my first change @ about 1k, then the second one at about 5k.
I have checked my brakes early on, lubed the rear sliders (they were bone dry btw), and have not had a single problem with the mechanical's of my car.

fakameanrepresent

iTrader: (4)

its been 1 year and 5 months, i only put 5500 miles on my car. and i just change it every 5-6 months.

soundjunky

iTrader: (4)

so what you're saying is;

you haven't been able to enjoy your car!?

SXD45

Here is a good read for anyone who doesn't understand how the oil life monitors work Howstuffworks "What is an oil life indicator?" btw don't ever base your oil life purely on how the oil looks because if it is turning darker that means it's doing it's job, granted if it starts looking like pudding(seen this before) it's probably too late and you shouldn't own a car lol

ronn

iTrader: (3)

Agree. BTW...on the rear brakes. I have no problems. I knew of the problem when I got the car (used 8600 mi) and the rears looked grooved at that time. I then decided to really *GET ON THE BRAKES HARD* at least every day or two. They have really cleaned up nicely! Grooves are barely perceptable now. Nice and shiny with no noise after 5K miles.

Iam Broke

iTrader: (10)

Got my UOA back today.... 45k miles on the engine, 5k on the oil, I think I had 57% life left by the OLM.

Summary for the Castrol Edge 5w30 drained... (K&N cone air filter, Fram oil filter)

TOM: The 2.0L in your Cobalt SS is wearing quite well at 45,000 miles. Universal averages for wear metals
in the oil from this type of engine are based on a 4,800-mile oil change interval. You ran your oil 5,000 miles
and wear metals were well below averages. The oil's viscosity was just a bit low for a 5W/30 but this didn't
harm anything. Low insolubles and silicon show good oil and air filtration and no fuel or coolant was found.
The TBN was 4.0, showing plenty of active additive left in the oil; less than 1.0 is too low for extended use.
Try 7,000 miles for your next oil change.

emiller

2 times.
1 to adjust the sunroof maybe 3 months after I bought the car. Been fine since.
1 for the rear brakes at 22k miles. Warranty took care of new pads and rotors. Got the slides lubed. Been fine since.

I've got almost 38k miles.

tmharsh

Mine generally goes off around 8000 miles, which is completely reasonable. Following something that has been calibrated and is backed by research and testing by skilled engineers is far from blindly following. Do you think GM would slap a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on cars without throughly testing things like oil change intervals?

emiller

There are people who don't trust this in a Chevy no matter how much information there is on how it works but would follow a similar system in a Honda that gives similar mileage intervals without a 2nd thought. The same supplier probably made both systems.

tmharsh

Explain to me why my car will break down by following the oil change interval recommended by GM.

ronn

iTrader: (3)

I guess it all boils down to time and money. Are you're willing to spend an extra
HALF HR and $40 PER YEAR for that extra oil change, or do you want to embrace the OLM technology and skip the extra oil change? It's basically 5k mi vs 8-10K mi intervals. Most *car* people would opt for the added peace of mind and change the oil well before the OLM reaches *0*.

army_greywolf

iTrader: (2)

The OLM system in GM products is calibrated for a particular brand and standard of oil, which meets the GM4718 (I think thats right) standard and is of the correct grade. If you change that, then the OLI will be off, there is NO reason to change from Mobil 1 since it offers the same or better properties than any other brand available to date, this includes RP and amsoil. Hell even nascar runs M1. I track my car and appropriately, only get 4-5K between changes. There was a story a while back a guy drove his corvette all highway 22K miles before the indicator told him to change the oil. He then had it tested and found the oil to be in better condition than NEW non-synthetic oil. This isn't 1970, petro product standards are WAY up and they last a very long time.

SSlobalt

Good thing, too, or you'd be in The 'Nam.

LethalSS

Link?

tmharsh

And that's fine, it's a personal decision. I've spent hours reading up on this stuff and frequenting BITOG. After doing research and looking through used oil analysis reports, I'm completely confident in a modern synthetic being able to handle oil change intervals that follow the OLM. I'm also confident that the people who designed and built the engine know what's best for it. Saying my car is going to break down for doing so is just plain silly.