Should you change your oil at 7,500 miles? How about at 5,000 or 3,000 miles? Depending on who you talk to, and depending on what you drive, those are the accepted oil change intervals that most folks go by.
Now there are research going on by Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), in which the car while in operation, car actually check the condition of the oil, and then let the driver know when the oil is ready to be replaced...
So, maybe those above mentioned mile points will no longer be valid in the future, as a lot of this depends on the conditions the vehicle has been subjected to. If you have a lead foot, or drive in dusty conditions, those accepted change points may have to be move up. Or, if you're easy on the car, have them moved back.
Full story here.
Full story here.
jerrywimer says:
04:12 AM, 03/17/08
From everything I've read, GM's Oil Life System already takes factors such as those you mentioned into account, increasing or decreasing the length of time between changes based on operating conditions. And it's also pretty accurate.
However, this sounds even more cool- assuming it really does mean the car will actually test the *oil*, rather than just factoring in the driving conditions (which is all GM does).
hondacura4 says:
07:16 AM, 03/17/08
This is very interesting and should have been executed years ago. With this kind of technology along with the better oils that are available currently, intervals should be longer than the typical 3000 miles, conditions permitting.
flicmod says:
07:33 AM, 03/17/08
Boy, this would save me from having to buy an oil analysis kit to send my Amsoil to the lab. And it sure beats the idea of a tire pressure monitoring system! I'm all about this!
ateixeira says:
08:00 AM, 03/17/08
I like this idea, too. Basically add this data to the existing Trip Computers that are capable of forecasting oil life, only now it would be even more accurate.
hondacura4 says:
02:01 PM, 03/17/08
I still want a dipstick....BMW!