Getting on an Oil Change Schedule

[Bob5150]

Now that our household is set for vehicles for the foreseeable future, I want to see if this oil change schedule is ok.

The vehicles are a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.6L and a 2010 Chevy Cobalt 2.2L.

We put about 1000 miles a month on each car.

I was thinking of doing the oil changes every 6 months with this oil:

http://www.cam2.com/products/Passenger-C...lend-5W-30.html (5w20 for the van, and 5w30 for the car, as spec'd by the owners manuals.)

I work an an auto body supply warehouse, and that's the oil we most commonly have in stock for the few customers that buy oil from us.

Does a 6 month/ 6000 mile oil change interval seem ok for these vehicles? Driving conditions are mostly "suburban" type driving (from a stop to 40-50 mph, back to a stop, 25 mph through residential areas, stuff like that).

I feel like every 3 months is way overkill, but I get antsy waiting longer than 6 months.

I was thinking every May and every November.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Bob5150
I was thinking every May and every November.


I'm on a similar timeframe for my vehicles. I like to change the oil out right before the snow starts to fall. I'm using Mobil 1 on a 97 Civic and I will use Pennzoil Platinum on the 2015 Caravan.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: Bob5150
.

I feel like every 3 months is way overkill, but I get antsy waiting longer than 6 months.

I was thinking every May and every November.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!


If you're not willing to extend out beyond 6k miles, that'll work fine. Keep in mind that it's still PLENTY conservative.

 

[bigt61]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: Bob5150
.

I feel like every 3 months is way overkill, but I get antsy waiting longer than 6 months.

I was thinking every May and every November.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!


If you're not willing to extend out beyond 6k miles, that'll work fine. Keep in mind that it's still PLENTY conservative.

Agree - just keep them topped off.

 

[CT8]

Before winter and before summer sounds like a good plan. Oil these days work better than the 1970 oils we are hung up on.

 

[barkingspider]

6 months / 6000 miles OCI on your vehicles will be fine.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think it's fine and would encourage you to do what works best for you. I change oil on a schedule and not what an OLM tells me is the percentage. I schedule once every six months or no longer than 7500 miles as that works better for me than second quessing that a 20% OLM reading will get me x more miles and generate a sliding and dependent calendar that doesn't really fit with my schedule.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Before winter and before summer sounds like a good plan. Oil these days work better than the 1970 oils we are hung up on.

If I followed that plan, I'd change on Thanksgiving and then again on St. Patrick's Day!

 

[Bob5150]

I like to do Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekends. Easy to remember, and I can squeeze a day off work for a house/car maintenance day.

 

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: Bob5150
Now that our household is set for vehicles for the foreseeable future, I want to see if this oil change schedule is ok.

The vehicles are a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.6L and a 2010 Chevy Cobalt 2.2L.

We put about 1000 miles a month on each car.

I was thinking of doing the oil changes every 6 months with this oil:

http://www.cam2.com/products/Passenger-C...lend-5W-30.html (5w20 for the van, and 5w30 for the car, as spec'd by the owners manuals.)

I work an an auto body supply warehouse, and that's the oil we most commonly have in stock for the few customers that buy oil from us.

Does a 6 month/ 6000 mile oil change interval seem ok for these vehicles? Driving conditions are mostly "suburban" type driving (from a stop to 40-50 mph, back to a stop, 25 mph through residential areas, stuff like that).

I feel like every 3 months is way overkill, but I get antsy waiting longer than 6 months.

I was thinking every May and every November.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!


I cannot speak of the Caravan, but the Cobalt has an OLM, simply change oil when the OLM tells you to.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
Originally Posted By: CT8
Before winter and before summer sounds like a good plan. Oil these days work better than the 1970 oils we are hung up on.

If I followed that plan, I'd change on Thanksgiving and then again on St. Patrick's Day!
What ever will work for you.

 

[camrydriver111]

Originally Posted By: barkingspider
6 months / 6000 miles OCI on your vehicles will be fine.


That would probably work for any vehicle using modern oil.

 

[hatt]

What's the benefits of having a set schedule to change oil? I'd change it when the OLM, or miles, said to.

 

[mike7139]

Originally Posted By: hatt
What's the benefits of having a set schedule to change oil? I'd change it when the OLM, or miles, said to.


One word "convenience"

 

[stchman]

Originally Posted By: mike7139
Originally Posted By: hatt
What's the benefits of having a set schedule to change oil? I'd change it when the OLM, or miles, said to.


One word "convenience"


His "convenient" schedule has him changing oil more often than it needs to be. So the "convenience" becomes "inconvenient".

 

[hatt]

If you want convenience changes buy premium oil like M1EP and change the oil once a year. At least on the one out of warranty.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: mike7139
Originally Posted By: hatt
What's the benefits of having a set schedule to change oil? I'd change it when the OLM, or miles, said to.


One word "convenience"


His "convenient" schedule has him changing oil more often than it needs to be. So the "convenience" becomes "inconvenient".


Unfortunately, changing the oil more often than it needs to be doesn't equate to inconvenience if your schedule ends up pushing it out on the calendar where it actually does conflict with something else instead of doing it on a structured day / week. People's demands are different and it won't work for everyone, but changing the oil 1500 miles early would be the least of my worries if it fits the time window I have to do it.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: stchman
Originally Posted By: mike7139
Originally Posted By: hatt
What's the benefits of having a set schedule to change oil? I'd change it when the OLM, or miles, said to.


One word "convenience"


His "convenient" schedule has him changing oil more often than it needs to be. So the "convenience" becomes "inconvenient".

Maybe in your "book" but not for most of us(though I change just once yearly, generally in spring)...