Just wondering if ya'll use the oil life monitor on your vehicles when it comes to oil change timing?

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Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Just wondering if ya'll use the oil life monitor on your vehicles when it comes to oil change timing?

My wife’s Honda van has it and I crunched the numbers and did the math on it manually and if anything, it’s a little on the conservative side.

We go by it but don’t lose sleep if it’s at 0% and we have a couple days or a week until the oil change.

It’s tied to the odometer on each of my 10ish year old rigs. A Toyota 4Runner factory spec is 10k mile intervals and Tacoma with 5k mile intervals with synthetic for each. I’d peobly be ok doing 5k on the 4runner but I don’t.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ElToro,

In my 4Runner, I do reset it each time I change the oil but all it really does is keep track of the mileage and serve as a reminder that it’s time to change the oil again. It goes on and flashes a few times and then goes off for awhile and then when you are REALLY due it stays on solid.

My own car is strictly tied to the odometer, at 5000-mile intervals. These days I'm more likely to reach time before miles.

Totally ignore it. Its mostly an annoyance when it alerts me to something not related to my schedule and have to reset. I only have one vehicle that gets changed due to miles, the others get changed due to time. I go several years on these vehicles.

I plan on keeping both my 4Runners until they die so I change the oil every 3000 miles. It’s cheap insurance to me so I igniter the oil change monitor.

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Originally posted by pbslinger:
Totally ignore it. It's mostly an annoyance when it alerts me to something not related to my schedule and have to reset.....

Same here. Many of those minders won't trigger until 10,000 miles or 1 year which is far too long IMO (if you plan to keep the vehicle). My schedule is 5K or 6 months.

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Originally posted by mrvmax:
I plan on keeping both my 4Runners until they die so I change the oil every 3000 miles. It’s cheap insurance to me so I igniter the oil change monitor.

Slight thread drift, but what about transmission fluid? "Lifetime" fluid? No such thing. It's a PITA on the 4Runners because it's a "sealed system" and gravity is not your friend.

There's a thread on here about that somewhere...

I ignore it and change oil every 7500 miles with synthetic. I have seen photos of BMW valve trains in engines that were maintained according to the monitor and it was not pretty. Some of the newer monitors are service based. I think they go off of how many gallons of gas have gone through the engine since the last oil change.

My Nissan Titan uses a mileage interval for maintenance reminders . Factory default is 5k but I think it's adjustable . I've been going with the 5k number since it was new .

It is my sincere belief that the oil life monitors are geared to minimize maintenance costs for the owner as pushed by the EPA, not to maximize the life of the motor.

We use 5000 OCI in our gas vehicles.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
I plan on keeping both my 4Runners until they die so I change the oil every 3000 miles. It’s cheap insurance to me so I igniter the oil change monitor.

Slight thread drift, but what about transmission fluid? "Lifetime" fluid? No such thing. It's a PITA on the 4Runners because it's a "sealed system" and gravity is not your friend.

There's a thread on here about that somewhere...

With only 20k miles or so on each one, I have not gotten to the point where I need to do that. Will most likely take them to a trusted transmission shop and have it done. I do not believe in any “lifetime” fluid. I had a Lexus and did not trust their lifetime transmission fluid so have it serviced at my transmission place.

I do not have an 'Oil Life Monitor' (mileage counter?) in any of my vehicles, but I DEFINITELY wouldn't schedule my oil changes around it if I did...I don't even follow the factory recommended Oil Change Interval, and any 'calculation' by the ECU re: oil life would no doubt extend that interval anyway.

My Volvo's ('09 S60 & '13 XC70, both Turbocharged) recommended oil change interval is 7500 miles, and for my Audi ('10 S5 w/ 4.2l V8) it's 10K miles! Modern engines/engine bays are typically running at elevated temps compared to older vehicles, and in many cases, higher performance engines also use the oil for cooling, by spraying the oil on the underside of pistons to help dissipate heat. I change my oil at 5K miles, and the difference in how smooth the engine runs at the end of that interval vs. the factory recommended interval is noticeable. Further, many modern engine consume some oil (definitely more than in the past!) due to low tension oil control rings that help/are intended to minimize friction in order to help meet EPA dictated mileage standards, so the longer the oil change interval, the more oil consumed and therefore, less of to do the work of lubrication and dissipating heat. It's obvious to me prior the oil change, and afterwards the engine definitely runs noticeably smoother!

Anyone else notice that the changes by auto manufacturers to extend factory recommended Oil Change Intervals, doubling in many cases (tripling?), seemed to coincide with the introduction of included maintenance service plans with the purchase of a new vehicle? Hmmm...

I use it, but try to change the oil at 25% remaining oil life, which generally is at 6000 miles. 2018 Chevy Silverado 5.3L.

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Anyone else notice that the changes by auto manufacturers to extend factory recommended Oil Change Intervals, doubling in many cases (tripling?), seemed to coincide with the introduction of included maintenance service plans with the purchase of a new vehicle? Hmmm...

That could be... but I do think synthetic oil and better filters does legitimately extend it from the old 3000 mile days.
My own preferred interval is 5-6K and I've been using the LiquiMoly from FCP Euro which Black92LX turned me onto here on Sigforum.

I asked the advisor at the shop about it. He said it's based on elapsed time. Whether that means engine time or calendar time, I didn't think to ask. Regardless, I tend to ignore it and just go with the manufacturer's mileage recommendations, or a little under that.

My oil monitor said I was due in late November on the truck I bought in February. As of today I have less then 2k miles on it.
I guess mine doesn't just run off the odometer.

Some models, particularly GM, actually use a whole host of different information to calculate the life of the oil, not just miles driven or time. Some like my Jeep will actually take into count driving styles, where one drives, the use of the car, etc. They monitor stuff like how often the car is driven short distances where the engine rarely comes up to full temperature. So in those models, the oil life monitor is actually very effective. In others, not so much.