GM Oil life system

[mikerc1]

Hey, have any of you guys seen this article? Give a bit more info on the GM Oil Life System including a blurb about how it does take into account the "type" of driving you do.

Excerpt from the article:
"...Briefly, the Oil Life System is programmed with a certain number of engine revolutions. As the engine runs, this number is reduced until it reaches zero, and the Oil Life light or message comes on. But there’s more. Operating the engine under low or high temperatures, and under high load conditions subtracts (penalizes) extra revolutions, so the light comes on sooner."

Full article available here:
http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/images/issues/may03/TLMay03e.html#story1

Opinions on whether or not this is a good thing? How many of you still subscribe to a time/mileage based change? Just curious.

 

[sub_zero]

I actually use this sytsem on my 2000 GMC and it have had no problems with it. I usually track my milage anyway and this thing does change based on usage. The light has almost never come on below 5000km.

 

[MNgopher]

Interesting idea, but I'm still not a fan of not directly measuring the oils performance somehow. For instance, the system has no idea if you are driving in dusty conditions. It also has no idea if you used a quality lubricant.

I have a family member who does his own oil changes on a Trailblazer. He is a religious 3000 mile changer. He had no idea the system was even on his trailblazer.

From the factory, the light came on at 13,500 miles for the first time. A little long for a first fill (and on a conventional oil) don't ya think? Since then, the light has turned on two more times - at 23,000 miles, and again at 35,000 miles. I don't think many of us are that brave to take a conventional oil that long!

 

[Rat407]

The lights have come on in both our GM vehicles at or around 5K each. It is interesting to see that there isn't much difference and yet my wife drives back country roads with a lot of stops and my driving is highway straight to work with no stops.

As for the trailblazer. I remember seeing it talked about on Car and Driver the TV show when it first came out and that the engineers stating that the new 6 cylinder ran a lot cooler and that it was able to go 12k on an oil change. I thought that was different, just by making the thing run cooler extends the oil life?????

I also wonder it you went by that light and then had an oil related problem would your warranty be voided? The manual states to use it. It would be interesting to see.

 

[VaderSS]

Well, the system works for my Impala. I used conventional oil and ran it until the light came on. The oil was pretty well used up, but was not going south yet.

Running the oil cooler helps, but I think there is more going on with the Vortec I6 than just that. You have to remember, it's a completely new design.

 

[Bluestream]

I have this feature on our 2001 Grand am, and in over a year and half the light has come on somewhere between 5000 and 6000KM. This was arounf three months of driving for us. Highyway driving during the summer would cause a 6000KM interval. I would say this system works very well.

 

[Gary]

Heh, GM's introducing something BMW has had since the 80's. (rpm, mileage, temp, etc)

 

[k1xv]

I have the system in a 2003 Duramax diesel GMC pickup truck. I changed the oil at 2000 miles, 5000 miles, then went to Rotella T synthetic, and went 5500 miles before the next Rotella T synthetic change.

I then got into a period when I had to do a lot of interstate driving in a short period of time, and went around 7700 miles before the next opportunity for an oil change. The system showed that 18% of my oil life was still remaining, and when I changed the oil at that point, it still looked pretty good.

I think the effect of having this system on me is that I am no longer a 3000 mile oil changer, at least not on this vehicle, but have pushed it up to 6000 miles. However, if I start to go farther than that and do not have an opportunity to change the oil immediately, I stare at my DIC (Driver Information Center, that is) and get a degree of comfort that I am not abusing the engine.

 

[3 Mad Ponchos]

...and a Grand Am costs how much less than a 330i?

Cheers, 3MP

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rat407:
I also wonder it you went by that light and then had an oil related problem would your warranty be voided? The manual states to use it. It would be interesting to see.

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GM probably doesn't care, likley by the time you have a problem it will be off warranty. I let it ride once in my wife's Grand Am after I changed it, the light came on around 6000 miles. She always used synthetic and changed every 5000 even before I met her. Not your typical woman. Been married 9 weeks now.

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by JohnnyO:

quote:

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Originally posted by Rat407:
I also wonder it you went by that light and then had an oil related problem would your warranty be voided? The manual states to use it. It would be interesting to see.

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GM probably doesn't care, likley by the time you have a problem it will be off warranty. I let it ride once in my wife's Grand Am after I changed it, the light came on around 6000 miles. She always used synthetic and changed every 5000 even before I met her. Not your typical woman. Been married 9 weeks now.

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quote:

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Originally posted by 3 Mad Ponchos:
...and a Grand Am costs how much less than a 330i?

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My dad has a 740iL, the book calls for only Mobil 1 or BMW's own synthetic, it holds about 10 quarts I think, and the light comes on every 15k or so. The dealer told him that no, you really don't have to worry about it until the light comes on. Car is going on 4 years old, 85k miles on it, and has yet to burn or lose a single drop of oil. Now everything ELSE breaks and costs a bundle to fix...

 

[Spector]

I have it on a 2000 Buick Regal GSE SC. Manual says to go by indicator but never beyond 7500 miles. I have never had it come on. Why, well, I run 12,000 mile OCIs and around the 6000 mile mark I reset it by meself. I used to change the filter at 6000 miles but currently approaching 11,000 same oil and filter. I actually think this UOA will be better then the previous 3 using the same filter.

I guess I should let it go and see if it does come on around 7500 miles.

 

[White Fang]

I have a Cadillac CTS. The dealer changed oil and reset the oil timer then on 1.31.2003, about 5,000mi ago. Now, about 9 months and 5,000 mi later the oil change indicator says, "47% oil life left." In the meantime I have changed oil and filter twice just to make sure, but I just wanted to see how the oil life system worked. I think I will make it to the 1 year mark with no oil change indicated. I did an oil analysis, but the PO threw away my sample. Nevertheless, it appears we can go a lot further than the 3mo/3000mi dealer recommended changes.

 

[pgtr]

quote:

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...and a Grand Am costs how much less than a 330i?

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...and what is the RESALE value of a Grand Am compared to a 325i or 330i?

 

[GT Mike]

I managed to get the oil life on my '97 Grand Prix to 0% this summer. It took about 7300 miles. Since then, I haven't been runing it that long, as it's been getting cold here, and I have been doing more idling and short trip driving.