Time for some comic relief

[obbop]

AOL news message board. Topic: "Here's how often you should really change your oil"

Oil Change IntervalClick here for the thrills and chills


Comments that grabbed my attention:

"Change the filter only.... every 5k when using full synthetic oil ( it never wears out)"

"If your oil gets dirty you need to change it. If it is not dirty don't change it.
My father taught me (back in the 60s) when oil breaks down from use it works better.
He ran a corporation that use machine to make plastic bottles.
Oil companies will never tell you this. Think of the money they would lose"

"I never changed my oil when the owner guide suggested and I once let it go for 25000 miles between changes. This was a 2000 Ford Explorer, 6 cyl and I ran with no engine problems until I traded it with 150,000 miles. These Companies just want to make more money by telling you to change your oil more often than you need it! It's all about the money!"


And the oddness continues.

 

[WondrousBread]

While those comments are truly bizarre, they are what I'd expect from people who are interested in fast conclusions rather than correct conclusions.

"Synthetic oil never wears out" screams of the sort of thing that they heard years ago from someone who didn't know better, then and took as fact without checking. Then when they have engine troubles, it never enters into their minds that the oil should've been changed, since it "never wears out."

"If your oil gets dirty change it, otherwise don't" means someone decided that because oil has darkened it is unsuitable, whereas in reality oil color doesn't indicate anything about remaining oil life.

"I never changed my oil and let it go 25 000 miles between changes ... and I traded it in at 150 000 miles" means that they never noticed an issue, even if there was one. Then maybe the engine finally let go at 160 000 miles and they never saw it, when that engine actually had a potential lifespan of 300 000 miles if it were maintained.

Obviously this is conjecture on my part since I don't know these people or their vehicles, but in general I think people like finding the "easy" conclusion rather than the "well supported by plenty of reproducible evidence over a wide set of situations" conclusion.

I also bet that these people are the ones who complain about how "unreliable" their vehicles are.

 

[buster]

I've always felt oil is one of the most misunderstood things in the automotive world. What shocks me even more are the people that say these things. Where do they get this information from? People just blatantly lie and spew nonsense they know nothing about.

 

[JLTD]

"...at some point the entire engine will shut down...". Hmm well I wonder what would cause only a part of the engine to shut down?

Whoever wrote that article should be taken out behind the shed......

 

[simple_gifts]

Seems like if 150K is your goal then 25K changes served him well.

What brings thee away from the shanty?

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted by obbop
AOL news message board. Topic: "Here's how often you should really change your oil"

Oil Change IntervalClick here for the thrills and chills


Comments that grabbed my attention:

"Change the filter only.... every 5k when using full synthetic oil ( it never wears out)"

"If your oil gets dirty you need to change it. If it is not dirty don't change it.
My father taught me (back in the 60s) when oil breaks down from use it works better.
He ran a corporation that use machine to make plastic bottles.
Oil companies will never tell you this. Think of the money they would lose"

"I never changed my oil when the owner guide suggested and I once let it go for 25000 miles between changes. This was a 2000 Ford Explorer, 6 cyl and I ran with no engine problems until I traded it with 150,000 miles. These Companies just want to make more money by telling you to change your oil more often than you need it! It's all about the money!"


And the oddness continues.



Obbop: good info and glad you are still here and doing well

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by buster
I've always felt oil is one of the most misunderstood things in the automotive world. What shocks me even more are the people that say these things. Where do they get this information from? People just blatantly lie and spew nonsense they know nothing about.

Somewhere some guy 70yrs ago ran oil for 25k miles in a cast iron engine and the wheels didn't come off...it then becomes the stuff of urban legend and the basis for all kinds of stuff like..."the oil companies just want your money".. like, don't all company's want your money?.. isn't that why they're in business?...‚...‚...‚

 

[jhellwig]

I can't believe AOL still exists.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted by jhellwig
I can't believe AOL still exists.

It is said AOL's existence can be plotted on actuarial tables, when the older generation who think they need to pay for it "for the internet" die off, it's done (even though they're getting their actual service from the cable company).

 

[obbop]

Originally Posted by HangFire

I can't believe AOL still exists.



You still have your AOL CD collection from the days when every post office in the land was aswarm with the things?

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
.."the oil companies just want your money".. like, don't all company's want your money?..



Apologies if this offends, but it jumped off the page at me. Hopefully you used a voice recognition program for this post because that's

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Somewhere some guy 70yrs ago ran oil for 25k miles in a cast iron engine and the wheels didn't come off...it then becomes the stuff of urban legend and the basis for all kinds of stuff like..."the oil companies just want your money".. like, don't all companies want your money?.. isn't that why they're in business?...‚...‚...‚


That's truth though; 25k miles is possible in the right engine (I dunno about 70 years ago, that's 1949, maybe 40 LOL) that's run all or mostly on the highway. It's certainly possible with today's oils used in the same manner, and DNewton3 has gone 15k repeatedly on dino....with UOAs.....

 

[circuitsmith]

Originally Posted by obbop
You still have your AOL CD collection from the days when every post office in the land was aswarm with the things?

My wife used to decorate the rosebush in our front yard with them for Christmas.
Got much attention from passers-by.