Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
State one thing that will go wrong with his engine if he changes the oil at 5k, as opposed to 10k.
Not a thing. In fact if he keeps service records the car will be easier to sell to most people who check those things, myself included with oil change intervals of 5K vs. 10K. Now if selling the vehicle is something that won't ever happen, then no worries.
Not necessarily. Most people don't know anything about oil, even if they know enough to ask for receipts/records. Showing a potential buyer something as anal-seeming as a UOA report would probably blow them away! "Many, this guy sends his oil out for analysis - his maintenance must be super legit!"
The only time it would matter, is if the vehicle is still within warranty. Even I wouldn't choose a car with super high intervals while it was still in warranty, even it the results showed nicely. Well, maybe if the price was right, like below fair trade-in value with some extras.
I beg to differ. I'd be willing to bet if you could get an honest answer from members here given a choice of two identical cars in every regard, the only difference being the OCI, the majority would take the car with the 5K OCI over the 10K, yourself included.
If a Bitoger said otherwise I'd say bull. OTOH if you can find a buyer that doesn't check, know or care you might have a deal. I sold a lot of cars privately, and was asked many times for maint records, and the people actually took the time to check, and ask intelligent questions. I was also selling those cars for top dollar, maybe that made the difference in the potential buyers.
No need to beg - differ all you want, brother!
To answer your question: nope, not even close!
If the two cars were identical, then they would have passed all other checks, which would include a review of receipts, a check of fluids and other conditions around the car, as well as a test drive. Selling for top dollar does make a difference, because people will expect more (at a certain price point it also keeps at bay the tire kickers and some low-ballers...or maybe not - some people have no shame!)
Case in point: I found a good price on a '13 Forester before I purchased my '15 Legacy. The price was average, but the guy said his wife drove it like a gramma, mostly high, yada yada yada. The maintenance records were fine, but the car was kind of beat, such as badly swirled paint, minor dog damage inside, etc. The thing that turned me off, was that when I checked the dipstick it was below the add mark halfway through the OCI. The tires were also @ 20# each. So, even though this guy's wife may have had the vehicle serviced every 5-6k miles, they did nothing in-between. That engine might have seen multiple thousands of miles with a sump 2+ quarts low.
Conversely, I ended up trading my STI (due to accident damage, which I disclosed) instead of selling it, but had I sold it privately I would have had UOA to show that intervals longer than most are comfortable with were perfectly fine. I was also tuned Cobb Stage 1 and data-logged religiously, so I could have shown data logs from 3rd-gear pulls and long high trips - every so often, I would setup my laptop to data-log over a couple of hrs during long drives, then condense, set rules and color-code the data for review. With STI's being owned by some who are numbnuts, I would personally have been very pleased to buy one from myself, with UOA and data logs to show things are good (barring the accident).
