First oil change

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I know the recommended oil change is per the Owners Manual. Should I do a change before the recommended due to engine break in. When should that first oil change be? (Half the recommended oil change period?)Also would like to do an analysis on that oil too for a baseline. Is this overkill?
 
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Yes its overkill for the cost of a UOA you almost get another free oil change. Hold off on the UOA until you run your next OCI at the new car suggested intervolve. That is what I'd use for my baseline if I was thinking of extending my OIC. If your not thinking about extending it I see little reason to run the UOA other than to make sure you have no antifreeze in the oil.
 
Yes and no.

And a dozen others will come along and give you every reason why or why not.

I like early changes on new stuff. 1000 miles in, then at 3000, then whatever interval the manual, the OLM or experience deems correct.

No sense in a UOA on factory fill, it will be full of things you won't see after break in.
 
Since this is the BITOG forum, yes get that new oil out immediately and also a UOA as soon as possible. In reality, it will make no difference in the longevity of your vehicle. Do want makes you comfortable.
 
On all my new vehicles I have changed out the factory fill around the 1000 mile mark. I like to get all the break in material out of there. Any analysis done early on will have those high numbers because of the break in. I would hold off for a couple of oil changes.

This is just my personal preference. Many here run the factory fill until the scheduled mileage or when the OLM tells them. Choose whatever method you prefer.
 
The manufacturer might have a specified first OCI. For my 2004 WRX it said 3000 miles under all conditions, except that it should be 4 months max. Not sure how that works since most cars are delivered months after assembly. It was also different than the 7500/3750 mile recommended normal/severe OCI. I literally drove around my neighborhood so I could say I did it at exactly 3000 miles. I also remember recommendations to do frequent oil changes when new, so I did about five rapid changes with Mobil Drive Clean 10W-30 before I settled down with Mobil 1 5W-30.

A coworker bought a new Honda, and the salesman told him to only change the oil at 7500 miles no matter what. He lived a few miles from work, his wife's car was used for longer trips, and he took about 18 months to reach 7500 miles. I'm not sure this was manufacturer recommended, but that's what he did. These days I think the OLM would override anything else. It might be possible to program some break in oil period, but I don't know if that's still used today, especially with 0W-20 from the factory.
 
Originally Posted by Bill_W
Should I do a change before the recommended due to engine break in.
Only if it helps you sleep better at night.

Quote
Also would like to do an analysis on that oil too for a baseline. Is this overkill?
You're not going to get a good baseline so soon into the engine's life. Skip the UOA until after the first several oil changes.
 
My Titan manual recommended 5k first oil change . I did exactly that . No adverse effects . Oil filters are there for a reason .
 
Bill, what vehicle & engine are you refering to?
I think that doing a UOA on a first OCI is kinda meaningless(but hmmm, I'm not against it either) as the oil is going to be full of contaminants as it should be.
 
Our 2017 Explorer w/ the 2.3 EB has the initial and ALL oil changes, using the iOLM, at 10,000 miles(confirmed this with subsequent oil changes) or one year. I changed the FF at 2,000 miles at the dealer, free oil change. They used some unknown conventional oil, not Motorcraft synblend. Left that for 3,200 miles than I changed the oil myself using Mobil1 5W-30. After a 7,000 mile OCI with this oil I then did an UOA and it showed no break in material left and the UOA was really good. Different engines may take different time periods to rid themselves of the break in materials, mine seemed to be after the initial change at 2,000 mi and then after the additional 3,200 mile run. Whether right or wrong I feel more comfortable changing the FF sooner than the iOLM's 10,000 mile schedule, especially with a Turbo DI engine

Whimsey
 
Baseline for what[.sarcasm] Uoas in a new engine other than proving the high wear products is a real waste of money, unless you suspect a problem. Early oil changes at worst cost extra money As best gets the metal out of the engine and is a much better value than a uoa for the dollars on a new breaking in engine.
 
The new Mazda Miata I plan to buy has a fixed and a flexible oil schedule. The fixed is 7500 miles and includes the filter change every time, the flexible is a automatic warning light on the dash when to change the oil. That flexible thing needs a reset from me when I change the oil. I like the idea to get those break in issues out and a new filter in, but how long. Agree the analysis is overkill until a couple of oil changes.
 
The purpose of early oil changes is to rid the engine and sump of contaminants possibly left during engine machining and the break in period. IF you choose to do early change(s) and UOA, you are documenting WHEN the engine is broken in and when your contaminants "settle in;" and you're setting precedent of what is normal for YOUR engine driven under YOUR driving conditions. There is NO sense doing UOA during a break in period unless you intend to keep doing UOA long enough to set trends. I've gone 40K on oil with UOA and bypass filtration, but there is no financial advantage here; in fact, I'm CERTAIN I've spent far more money than someone who does 5K synthetic oil changes because that's what lets them sleep at night. I KNOW the internal condition of my engine. I can tell you that Horizon (Amsoil) isn't interested in doing UOA until 7500 miles, but this is SS synthetic. Live and let live, and opinions on BITOG vary. I'm in the early changeout crowd; but it's your car. Do whatever lets you sleep at night.
 
Originally Posted by Bill_W
I like the idea to get those break in issues out and a new filter in, but how long.

I was in a similar situation. It came down to checking the oil one day and I knew it was time. First oil change at 2,241. Second on at 3,757. Since then followed the 3,750 interval which is severe service for my car. Slept good with my decision.
 
I'm a fan of an early first oil change, even though it'll probably make no difference in the lifespan of the engine either way. As far as doing a UOA, I'm a big fan of doing one on the factory fill, just to see what it looks like. For instance I was interested in seeing that the factory fill on my Corvette didn't have the exact same additive makeup as Mobil 1 5w30 typically has, even though that is supposed to be the factory fill. Some might say it's a waste of money doing a UOA on the first oil change but I'm of the belief that there is no such thing as too much data, it's nice to have UOAs right from the very beginning so you can track the downward trend of the wear metals as the engine breaks in.
 
Originally Posted by beanoil
Yes and no.

And a dozen others will come along and give you every reason why or why not.

I like early changes on new stuff. 1000 miles in, then at 3000, then whatever interval the manual, the OLM or experience deems correct.

No sense in a UOA on factory fill, it will be full of things you won't see after break in.


I might go for this. I bought 12 quarts of TGSO and that will ween off the factory oil.
 
Originally Posted by Patman
I'm a fan of an early first oil change, even though it'll probably make no difference in the lifespan of the engine either way. ...

I agree. The few times I bought new, I changed between 600-1000 miles, then ~3000 miles then factory recommended interval.
I only kept one of those vehicles past 100,000 miles and had no issues with it, and would not have if I had left the factory fill in for 7500 miles.
My Scion I changed at 1000 miles, again at 2500, and then 5000, and has been on ~ 5000 miles interval since. Almost 50,000 miles on it, and expect another 100,000.

As for the early UOA, it will give a skewed baseline IMO. I would wait till the 2nd or 3rd change to get a starting baseline.
I personally have no reason to do a UOA. I don't extend my intervals, I don't have any problems (that I know of) and I don't use the same oil so no need for that aspect.
I have done a few in the past, but just no longer feel the need.
 
My version of the story: I got my 2018 Prius last month, while there were virtually no 2019 cars yet available. That was fine with me since I have reasons for preferring the 18 car anyway, not relevant here. That said, I noticed right away that my car (per its labeling) was built in January 2018, so it was already a year old, and yet had only 100 miles on the odo. Obviously, it probably sat for long periods of time, punctuated by an unknown number of short trips. I'm confident that the factory fill was fine oil (I'd bet Idemitsu 0w-20, but that's unknowable now...), but this pattern was a classic "if there's doubt, there's no doubt..." situation. I dumped the FF and replaced with a fresh fill of M1 AFE 0w-20. Probably not needed, but I saw no need to push the matter. Of course, the car probably wouldn't have spontaneously exploded had I left the FF in either, but I feel better about this choice.
 
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