Found this article on a local car dealerships website:
"Toilet paper filters to a Big Oil conspiracy. There are some bizarre myths that have been perpetuated about the simple act of changing your oil.
Engine oil is described by the automotive industry as the “lifeblood of the engine”, and for good reason. This oil lubricates, cleans, and cools the
critical components of your engine. Additives in the oil also help to suspend dirt but after time the additives can break down and become contaminants. Other oil contaminants include dust, dirt, metallic shavings from normal wear, condensation and even antifreeze.
We’ve all heard the mantra: change your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first. Despite the fact that most people know this rule, a whopping 22% of Americans fail to change or even check their oil before reaching dirty and low levels that damage the engine.
There has been conflicting and confusing information on when exactly to change your oil. Many people think the oil industry is trying to get into their pockets by suggesting an oil change every 3,000 miles. Some people claim that 10,000 or 7,500 miles is the optimal time, while still others argue that 5,000 miles is the correct interval. The bottom line? There is no absolute exact recommendation that applies to every single car owner. The best advice is to follow the guidelines in your owner’s manual, check your oil every other time you fillup and tailor your maintenance schedule to reflect your situation.
Each car on the road is subjected to different driving conditions. For most of us, we operate our vehicles under what is often called “severe driving conditions” according to most owner’s manuals and warranties.
These conditions are:
• Multiple short trips
• Stop and go driving
• Extended idling
• Cold weather
• Hot, dusty conditions
• Towing trailers
• Heavy loads
If you meet any of the criteria above, then it is recommended that you change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles to ensure a long engine life.
What happens when you don’t change your oil that often? To put it simply, you run the risk of damaging your engine. You also run the risk of voiding your warranty because you have not performed the recommended maintenance. The average cost of rebuilding an engine in the US is $5,000. The average cost for an oil change is $25. It’s not hard to understand why changing your oil is the cheapest and easiest form of preventative maintenance for your car.
Another engine oil myth that persists is that once you start with an oil brand, you should never change brands because of the different additives.
Despite heavy marketing efforts, most brands of oil perform equally. Oil brands can be mixed and matched as long as they have the American Petroleum Institute seal on the bottle and are the correct viscosity for your car.
Toilet paper is the focus of our last engine oil myth. There are claims by people who use a Frantz oil filter that they have driven over 100,000 miles without changing their oil. The Frantz filter uses a roll of standard-issue toilet paper as either a primary or extra oil filter. The oil gets filtered through this roll, which Frantz claims filters out dirt and small particles better than traditional oil filters.
Whether this is true or not, it definitely makes for interesting conversation and gives new meaning to “don’t squeeze the Charmin”.
Today’s cars are engineered to be virtually maintenance free for several thousand miles. However, you still need to change your oil on a routine basis. Don’t let your engine eat dirt and die, when it is so easy to keep it running smooth and clean."
"Toilet paper filters to a Big Oil conspiracy. There are some bizarre myths that have been perpetuated about the simple act of changing your oil.
Engine oil is described by the automotive industry as the “lifeblood of the engine”, and for good reason. This oil lubricates, cleans, and cools the
critical components of your engine. Additives in the oil also help to suspend dirt but after time the additives can break down and become contaminants. Other oil contaminants include dust, dirt, metallic shavings from normal wear, condensation and even antifreeze.
We’ve all heard the mantra: change your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first. Despite the fact that most people know this rule, a whopping 22% of Americans fail to change or even check their oil before reaching dirty and low levels that damage the engine.
There has been conflicting and confusing information on when exactly to change your oil. Many people think the oil industry is trying to get into their pockets by suggesting an oil change every 3,000 miles. Some people claim that 10,000 or 7,500 miles is the optimal time, while still others argue that 5,000 miles is the correct interval. The bottom line? There is no absolute exact recommendation that applies to every single car owner. The best advice is to follow the guidelines in your owner’s manual, check your oil every other time you fillup and tailor your maintenance schedule to reflect your situation.
Each car on the road is subjected to different driving conditions. For most of us, we operate our vehicles under what is often called “severe driving conditions” according to most owner’s manuals and warranties.
These conditions are:
• Multiple short trips
• Stop and go driving
• Extended idling
• Cold weather
• Hot, dusty conditions
• Towing trailers
• Heavy loads
If you meet any of the criteria above, then it is recommended that you change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles to ensure a long engine life.
What happens when you don’t change your oil that often? To put it simply, you run the risk of damaging your engine. You also run the risk of voiding your warranty because you have not performed the recommended maintenance. The average cost of rebuilding an engine in the US is $5,000. The average cost for an oil change is $25. It’s not hard to understand why changing your oil is the cheapest and easiest form of preventative maintenance for your car.
Another engine oil myth that persists is that once you start with an oil brand, you should never change brands because of the different additives.
Despite heavy marketing efforts, most brands of oil perform equally. Oil brands can be mixed and matched as long as they have the American Petroleum Institute seal on the bottle and are the correct viscosity for your car.
Toilet paper is the focus of our last engine oil myth. There are claims by people who use a Frantz oil filter that they have driven over 100,000 miles without changing their oil. The Frantz filter uses a roll of standard-issue toilet paper as either a primary or extra oil filter. The oil gets filtered through this roll, which Frantz claims filters out dirt and small particles better than traditional oil filters.
Whether this is true or not, it definitely makes for interesting conversation and gives new meaning to “don’t squeeze the Charmin”.
Today’s cars are engineered to be virtually maintenance free for several thousand miles. However, you still need to change your oil on a routine basis. Don’t let your engine eat dirt and die, when it is so easy to keep it running smooth and clean."