My thoughts on OCI for my Lucerne

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I purchase this car at the end of March and have only put a little over 700 miles on it, OLM was at 82%. I changed the oil last weekend because the dealer said they serviced it but I had my doubts because the oil always looked dark. I don't remember for sure but no matter what oil I used in the past it was always somewhat hard to see on the dip stick. I've been here long enough to know you can't judge an oil by it's color but it was bugging me not knowing for sure.

According to the manual this puts me in the Maintenance II schedule since the OLM won't go off before 10 months meaning annual changes. This is going to be hard for me to do since I've always treated my vehicles as severe service and changed oil twice a year, spring and fall no matter how many miles driven.

My plan it to run this OC until next spring. The mileage should be around 2500 or less since I will be driving my truck more this winter. I'm going to try and not drive the car when ever there is salt on the roads.

I used Valvoline Daily Protection 5w30 and a Napa gold 1040.
 
When I bought my Tacoma (used), I also changed the oil early even though the selling dealership said they did a full service (early, meaning I changed it at 3,000 miles).

About the OCI for your Lucerne, you don't say how you drive it. This matters a lot. Short trips, long highway runs, easy throttle or foot-to-the-floor, etc. Ambient temps matter also... cold winters in NB (salt comment). Generally it's best to follow the owner's manual especially during the warranty period. Manufacturers put some effort into developing the OLM function, but if the service light comes on before the interval in the manual, do the service. (I.e. whichever comes first.) The Valvoline conventional you're using is good oil and the Napa Gold filters are excellent. You should be able to go till spring, just be sure to run it up to full temp and keep it there for a while, at least once per month.

This may seem like very simple and basic feedback (for a BITOG post) but I prefer to keep things simple wherever possible. Enjoy your new ride.
 
oil changes are cheap insurance + 6 mo changes can prolly use conventional oils, but with fake synthetics costing only a little more its surely a good idea IMO!!
 
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