My engine did have a slight tick on start up. But it's gone away after 2k miles or so.

 

That sounds plausible but the Corvette comes with Mobil 1 from the factory. The oil filler cap even has Mobil 1 printed on it.

 

my 911 was the same way. but maybe the factory builds engines to suit the oil that they recommend? or, more likely, the other way around. build engines with tighter tolerances, which require a certain type of oil.

on the M96 engine, from porsche, the group IV oil was a requirement due to the way the valves and lifters were designed, iirc.

 

If am not mistaken, todays engines are built with much tighter tolerances hence the longer oil drain cycle, better fuel economy and engine longivity. Technology is a wonder full thing. Ergo the new cars call syn oils.

 

interesting . . . I wonder if they actually put Mobil 1 in it from the factory, or if the cap is talking about the first oil change and forward?

The thing with synthetic during break-in is that it (supposedly) gives such high lubricity that you don't get the wear that you need for break-in. (Break-in is basically the parts wearing in to each other so they fit perfectly, which is not possible from the factory)

Or maybe on the high end cars like the vette and 911 they pre-break in the engine at the factory?

Super-tight tolerances and latest cylinder honing techniques do reduce the need for break in but I don't think it is completely eliminated.

 

Good question. The owner's manual is very specific about the type of oil that must be used:
I guess that still doesn't mean that it is filled with Mobil 1 from the factory but I don't know of any way to find out for sure.

 

Here is a link to the Mobil 1 site. The link will run through the 40+ cars that come from the factory filled with Mobil 1.


http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...fill_home.aspx

Disclaimer: I am not associated with exxon/Mobil, just a product user.

 

So....based on that list, why are only some of a manufacturers cars running it and not the entire line? Just curious........

 

Because Mobil1 uses it as advertising. Mobil wants to be associated with the "cream of the crop" of those manufacturers. I never put much merit on Mobil's factory fill claims as a means to qualify their oil.

 

That's my thoughts to. Kind of like doctors that hand out certain medication brands. They are provided at a reduced rate....nothing about the doctor liking one better than another.....

Since I follow the factory specs on time/miles, I see no sense in using an oil that is priced and claims to be good for high/longer change intervals.

 

Are you guys relying on the Message Center for oil change intervals or doing it based on a fixed number?

 

When the odometer says I have driven the required miles...it gets changed.....no matter what the message center says.

 

Mobil 1 is good oil. I prefer amsoil

 

But that's just the thing. The "required miles" is what the book says. The book says go by message center, and it can be as much as 10,000 miles, or if message center is disabled or prematurely reset, 5,000 miles from last oil change.

 

I plan on changing the oil early and checking its life through oil analysis and comparing it to what the information center tells me.

 

That is an EXCELLENT idea. No one, to my knowledge, has done a true scientific experiment to determine if the Message Center's oil check percentage and messages are consistent with the quality of the oil. Bravo, man. Please post this in as much detail as possible. This would be landmark and possibly change the basic foundation of how most people change their oil, which is through fixed intervals.

 

I don't know how scientific I'll be able to get, but I'll certainly try to come up with something.

What I want to know is how smart the OLM is. This is the first car I have ever owned with that feature. It would be interesting to see if it calculates oil life based on RPM, vehicle speed, fueling demands, temperature, etc. The only thing I can do for now is to have the oil analyzed and see how far it can go in relation to the OLM.

 

That's exactly what's needed. What criteria will you use for the oil analysis?

 

Good comments by everyone. I will leave the oil in until I have at least 3000 miles then I will change it to something else. The way the wife drives I will probably have at least 4 months to get educated on all the new oils and synthetics on the market.

 

It will be just a standard oil analysis that measures TBN and wear metals. I don't know if you have ever had one done before, but the lab recommends an oil change interval based on how the engine wears, TBN, and a few other measurable parameters such as actual viscosity.