CriticalmassGT

I check the oil once a month. Since it's new, I don't want to find the car has been eating oil and I've let it run low.

BackroadGT

I check my oil about every 3 weeks or so, for the same reason. When it reaches about 3k to 4k miles I have to start adding oil. It goes through about a quart by the time I hit 7k miles, and thats when I change it.

SouthernStang79

I know the reply to this next question will be along the lines of "Do you really want to trust a computer?"

but

shouldn't the car tell you if its getting low on oil?

CriticalmassGT

It should, but I've seen cars run almost completely dry without that idiot oil gauge coming on. Admittedly, they were on older cars, but even on the newer mustangs I have heard people say that the oil was barely touching the bottom of the dipstick with no indicator light. Which tells me it still doesn't really work very well, or the dipstick lies. One of the two.

My only real explanation for it is that the idiot gauge is designed to turn on during a catastrophic failure, such as a blown seal or a ruptured pan where all the oil goes at once, but does nothing for cars that eat some oil here and there. Mine hasn't been a problem so far, so hopefully it will stay that way. But i'll keep checking.

JoeMidnight

yeah - my neighbor that I commute together with her 04 Pontiac G5. She only changes the oil when it says 5% life remaining. She knows that the motor eats oil like candy runs really low on oil. but she still follows that oil life monitor gauge. it's actually the reason why I start to monitor mine after 8,000km and I guess I wouldn't care either if my car was a beater with 258,000KM on it.

FromZto5

Yep. I do exactly this. Change it with Amsoil 5W20, Sig Series. Also use Amsoil EA017 filters. Yes, I have all part numbers memorized by heart. LOL. Regardless of miles, 1x a year. Granted, I only put 3k a year.

No sludge, no issues, etc. And I'm on the dark side. Amsoil holds up to everything.

AMSOIL FTW.

JoeMidnight

3k A YEAR?


you spend more time washing it than you do driving it! This June will mark 1 full year for me and I commute with my neighbor and still have 23k already on mine!

CriticalmassGT

I bought mine at the end of June and only have 3500 miles on it. I drive it every day, but my commute is a total of about 7 miles both ways. lol. AND I take lots of trips in it to wind it out on the weekends.

JoeMidnight

can't be that many trips if it still only has 3500 miles on it LOL!!!


nice, you guys will have your ride for many years. I'll likely be on a 3rd car by the time yours has enough mileage on it to say "its time to throw in the towel"

CriticalmassGT

When I traded in my Focus (2009) it had 28k miles on it. So yeah. It gets driven every day though. I like to take it out and get lost on the backroads, turn up the music, and put the hammer down on the weekends.

FromZto5

3k is excessive to me, esp for a toy car. If you think THAT's bad, you should see some of the other guys on here.

Heck, Tony has a 2013 Roush, and he has under 1k miles total on her, I think.

LOL.

I'm bad, but not THAT bad. Few guys on here have farrrrrrrr less miles than me. Marilyn is racking on the miles bad

GrabberBlue5.0

I only put 1500 miles a year on my car. It's a 2011 with 5400 miles on it.

FromZto5

^ I rest my case.

Plim

I have a 2013 GT. It now has 16 K miles on it. I've changed oil twice; every time only when the oil life monitor indicated that the oil had to be changed. The first time it was indicated at 10,000 miles the second time it was indicated at 15,000 miles. The first 10,000 miles were driven within the first year. The next 5000 miles were driven in one year after which the oil life monitor indicated that the oil had to be changed. So I think the oil life monitor looks at two things, mileage or actual oil quality, and the other one is 12 months. The indicator will come on when the first event happens.
I do check the oil levels on the regular basis, because I see that there is quite a lot of oil that is thrown out off the engine through the PCV valve and is caught in my Bob's oil catch can.

When I had the oil changed at 15k mile mark, the oil actually looked still very good (so 5K miles after the first oil change). I felt it was too early to have had it changed. It was clear that the oil life monitor indicator was triggered by the fact that 12 months had passed since the last oil change, and not because of the mileage or oil quality.

The dealership keeps calling me and sending email that oil needs to be changed. I think it is a scam, to get me into the dealership. I'm planning on getting a kwiklift and I'm going to do all the work on my toy car all at home.

JCStang

Getting mine changed right now....about 1750 miles but i have had it since 2/27/14.....just took it out of storage last week but when i started it up today the change oil soon warning popped up. Dreading this due to all the ticking threads.....

2007s197

That is just brutal having to worry about that.

Post up how your oil change went afterward if you get a chance....I am dreading doing my first one as well but it won't be til the end of summer likely.

JCStang

So far 4 starts and no ticking.....keeping my fingers crossed.

dave07

Bottom line the OLM will diminish based on time or use. The OLM will tick down at .274% per day or approximately 1% every 4 days.

I changed my oil at 3500 miles/9 months when the OLM was at 33%. The UOA came back completely normal (excellent actually) on regular Mobil 1.

GrabberBlue5.0

I just started my car yesterday for the first time since October. When I put the car away I changed the oil and set the OLM back to 100%. Yesterday after sitting for 6 months the OLM was at 56%.

Kestral

I think you should just reset it GrabberBlue if your motor is clean there is no way that oil is half used up by just sitting in the oil pan over the winter. Esp if it's a quality oil.