^ For real? That's how?

 

Yes, lol... It's the "secret" way; there is a way to do it with the button which is described in your manual

 

the button way is push both the info and reset button at the same time...let of....go to the oil life reset and hold the reset button till it shows 100%

 

Everyone give this a read! There's some good info here...

Here is the original GM post about the Oil Life System:

http://fyi.gmblogs.com/2008/11/goodw...crap_heap.html

And the link quoted above, which is answers to questions GM received.

http://fyi.gmblogs.com/2009/01/qa_wi...fe_system.html

I've changed my oil twice. Once at 10% life remaining (at about 6600 miles), and the other time at 5% remaining (at around 14000 total miles, so I got a little over 7000 miles out of that oil).

I spoke with an employee at GM Research and Development who helped develop the algorithm and did a lot of oil analysis and testing (he's a chemist there). He said the algorithm is very robust, and most of the oil life is zapped by not allowing your oil to warm up and circulate a lot. If you make a lot of short trips, your oil will have to be changed more frequently than if you drive longer trips.

When you start a car up that's at ambient temperature, you get a relatively large amount of exhaust blow-by leaking past the piston rings and down into the crank case and oil pan. This exhaust is somewhat 'cold' and 'wet' in terms of exhaust...and this wet exhaust mixes and churns up in the oil.

If you drive a longer way and the oil is able to heat up, the moisture will evaporate out, and things will be pretty fine and dandy. However, if you drive shorter trips and your oil doesn't warm up as much, the moisture doesn't leave the oil as easily, and this added moisture tends to react with the oil unfavorably, making it less effective at lubricating. As a result, the oil life diminishes more quickly.

I thought it was pretty interesting!

 

Everyone here is in the right when it comes to the oil changes. It's kind of up to you unless you don't do it at all.

I take my car to get the oil changed at the dealer every 3,000 miles which is usually 60-70%+ (09' SS/TC)

Every time they slap a sticker on the top of my window which shows my next oil change isn't for another 12k miles.

GM states it depends on how you drive the vehicle and what kind of oil you use. I use Mobile 1 Syn and still do it every 3k highway miles.

 

5,977 miles.....going in tomorrow morning for the first service and tire rotate!

 

I've had my oil in for over 6000 miles now, and the engine is starting to feel a little rough. There's slight vibrations at idle and high revs, which I also noticed the last time I let my oil run to less than 10% life (over 7000 miles). The synthetic change is expensive, but I think I'll start doing it more often. Especially now that I'm pushing it harder with a Superchips tune

 

I changed mine after 1st 1000mi break in, and now every 3k

 

Why did you admit to stupidity? Your cobalt not only tuned, but you aren't even wanting to change your oil or use synthethic. When your engine blows up don't think GM is going to want to warranty you a block.

Your oil life guage is really pointless if you drive your card. If your pushing it harder with a Superchips tune like you say don't you think you should change your oil with synthetic at least every 3000 - 4000 miles?

Lol......

I know you drive a Chevy, but don't buy a BMW if you can't afford the maintenance. Thinka bout that.

 

Last I checked my oil indicator was at like 53% and im at 3200 miles. Im probly changing it at 4k miles reguardless of what it says. At the rate its going it probly wont hit 0% till like 7k miles. Thats just feels so so wrong to me. Im used to changing my oil at 3k

 

The gauge will take into account a variable such as a tune. The algorithm is based off of driving style, length of trips, area your driving, etc.

For instance, I drive mostly highway, and I let my car warm up everywhere, and cool down, and I rarely "get on" it. So right now, I'm at 6500 miles(on this oil change), and my oil life is reading 41%. Technically under great circumstances you can go 10000 miles without an oil change. 1% should equal 100 miles under great circumstances.

 

Thanks!

Thank you too bro. I can't find my manual Thanks to you guys I don't need it

 

My other post stated pretty much all this information. I also said from a dealership they schedule my oil changes every 12k miles when I take it in, but I do it ever 3k instead. He's stating his car is tuned and he drives it hard and it's starting to vibrate yet he doesn't even want to go with a synthetic blend or change it regularly...

 

Granted...but I was only clarifying that his oil gauge is not pointless to use. Even if he drives hard, on a tune, with non-syn, the gauge should in theory still read accurate. He shouldnt have to change it every 3000 miles if the gauge still has life on it.

 

3k miles

 

i dont care about the percentage. i change it at 3000 miles or 6 months what ever comes sooner

 

i just put royal purple in my bish for the 1st time... omg i feel like a **** star

 

I don't go by percentage, I go by miles. I change my oil every 5000km's or less. I do the oil changes myself, so I do it at certain mileage rather than what the oil life indicator says because then if they try to pull any "didn't do proper oil change" BS at the dealership when it comes to warranty, they can not complain. I also write my oil life percentage on my receipts that I keep for records. First oil change was at 4921km's with oil life at 27%, and second one was somewhere around 9700km's and the oil life was at 55% (lots of highway miles on that change).

 

The argument is because his engine is feeling vibrations. Therefore letting it run down and not changing it isn't proper.

 

0-10%. Just changed it today at 9%. It sure was black but that only means the oil was doing it's job by suspending the dirt, etc.

The previous owner of the RSX-S I owned before my SS/TC would change it like every 1K miles. That's just money down the toilet if you ask me.

 

...yeah, I get that. I was only commenting on the fact that you said he should change it every 3000 miles, when he said that his gauge reads under 10% at 7000 miles. You stated the gauge is pointless, since he is tuned and drives his car hard, and I was just validating that the gauge is not pointless, no matter how how hard he drives his car, or if hes tuned. The gauge will take all this into consideration. Regardless, no sense in continuing this back and forth correction, and re-correction. Just face the facts, I'm right and you're wrong. LOL, just kidding man. I'm pretty sure we are saying the exact same, just differently, I think.

Either way, I agree, if you cant afford the 25 bucks for synthetic oil, every 5-6K miles, then you shouldnt really be driving a performance oriented car. Take care of your car, and your car will take care of you.

 

Everything is the same except I wasn't saying he has to change his oil every 3k miles. When I take mine to the dealer the sticker they write up states my next oil change is in 12k miles. Personally for a turbocharged car that I get on sometimes I would rather not, so I change it every 3-4k miles.

GM also states depending on how you drive your vehicle the guage may not work for you. If your car is tuned the oil life guage is not going to read accurately. In fact it will be off. The only thing it will do is read that the car is being driven harder and go down just a little bit faster. It doesn't really matter if your car is tuned or not.