First oil change on a new car

[jamesemery728]

I am one of the old fashioned every 3000 mile oil change guys and have always been on all my cars. But what mileage do you guys recommend for that first oil change on a new car. I have always done the first one at 1000 miles. What does everyone think about the first one?

 

[Rossco]

Well if its a Brand new vehicle then the dealer should only touch it and they should have recomended the first change out .

Every new Big diesel I commision always has the oil & filters changed around 50hrs.

 

[A1an]

Stick with the manufacturer's service schedule in the manual. From a warranty standpoint you really cannot go wrong if you stick to that schedule and have the reciepts to back it up should something go wrong.

But going along with what Rossco said, the dealer should have scheduled a 1000-1500 mile new vehicle checkup where they go through the car to make sure everything still looks good. In the past this has always been free for the vehicles I have purchased.

 

[Rossco]

Stick with the manufacturer's service schedule in the manual. From a warranty standpoint you really cannot go wrong if you stick to that schedule and have the reciepts to back it up should something go wrong.

But going along with what Rossco said, the dealer should have scheduled a 1000-1500 mile new vehicle checkup where they go through the car to make sure everything still looks good. In the past this has always been free for the vehicles I have purchased.

Dam right ... its a really good idea to have dealer stamp's in the service book for warranty ..

In the UK a full dealer Service History will add greater Value in the second hand market ..

 

[Carl B]

Manufacturers Recommendation on our M/B E-350 is 12,000 miles or 12 months {Mobile 1}. On my Daughters Kia Soul it is 6,000 miles or 6 months. Do it any more frequently and you are simply wasting oil and money.

FWIW,
Carl B.

 

[Bojans]

We just bought a new Toyota Sienna. Manufacturer rec is change the oil every 10,000 miles or 12 months with 0w20 synthetic. I changed the oil at 1,000 miles based on several mechanic friends recommendations, from here on out I will change the oil every 6,000 miles.

I know the oil life indicator on Toyota and Honda are simply mileage counters with pre programmed service intervals, others, like GM, have an algorithm to calculate oil life based on the conditions the vehicle has operated in but some other manufacturers, MB included, actually have a sensor that measures something in the oil to give the oil condition. I would only stretch my oil change intervals to the max recommended by a manufacturer if I had an oil condition monitor like MB offers on the new vehicles. Oil changes are cheap insurance and a good excuse to frequently look over the condition of your vehicle.

 

[Spencyg]

Hondas at least come with special break-in oil which shouldn't be changed until the oil life indicator reads 10%. I believe the only thing "special" about the Honda oil is that it is just regular engine oil and not synthetic. Changing to synthetic too soon in a new cars' life is really not good since synthetic oil is so slippery and won't allow the rings to seat correctly. My wife has a '11 Honda Fit and of course the first thing I did was go out and buy a new filter and synthetic 0W-20 oil. Luckily I did some reading first and learned what I've posted above. The car now has around 3800 miles on it and I don't suspect I'll be changing that first round of oil for another 2500 miles or so. The first oil change will be synthetic and then I probably will go 8k miles or so between changes.

Again, changing to synthetic too early would be highly detrimental to your rings and the long term compression and oil consumption of your new car. Don't do it too soon.

Oh, and the oil indicator light on my wife's fit isn't just a pre-programmed mileage indicator. It actually takes into account what kind of driving is occurring over the service life of the oil and adjusts the forecasted oil life accordingly. When my wife does primarily in-town driving the oil life goes down far quicker than if we go on a trip which requires mostly highway driving. Also, I've read that it also takes into account how hard your typically accelerate and on a 5 speed car like my wifes, whether you use engine braking or not. It is a very smart system from the sounds of it...I suspect the Toyota system is similar in complexity.

 

[z28snksknr]

GM has started using oil monitors vs. algorithims. It measures the buffering capacity of the oil (ability to maintain the pH). When the oil can no longer maintain the pH, acids can form and that's a prime component of engine wear.

My owner's manual of my new Silverado suggests that I STRICLTY follow the oil life monitor only and not rely on any pre-set interval for oil changes.

 

[Joe B.]

Dam right ... its a really good idea to have dealer stamp's in the service book for warranty ..

In the UK a full dealer Service History will add greater Value in the second hand market ..

I wonder if future buyers will accept the smiley face I have drawn in my wife's Acura's service book?

I can't speak for how things work UK but if a dealer in the US tried to deny my warranty claim because I did my own service, they would lose and be sorry they messed with me.

 

[Bojans]

Guess my info on the oil monitors is a bit outdated, sorry.

 

[slickgt1]

My old X5 was 15k for fist change. I use Amsoil in my other cars and since I drive less than 15k a year, I just change it once a year. I don't like wasting money, time, and oil. All good under the hood in all the cars.

 

[slowthump]

I had this same dilema when I purchased my 07 honda accord 4 cylinder. The manual very specifically stated to not change the oil until the maintenance minder said so. When I got to 5,000 miles the maint minder said I was at 30% oil life. I changed the oil anyway and have changed it ever since at 3,500 miles with conventional 5w-20. While the manufacturers recommendations most likely will keep the engine running past the warranty period, I feel to get 250 - 350,000 miles, you need to change oil more frequently. I change my own oil and I can get the job done in a half hour and the cost of more frequent oil and filter changes is relatively small. My accord now has 112,000 miles and has never once needed any repair. My 96 s-10 pickup has 251,000 miles on the original engine with 3,000 mile oil changes.

 

[slickgt1]

I had this same dilema when I purchased my 07 honda accord 4 cylinder. The manual very specifically stated to not change the oil until the maintenance minder said so. When I got to 5,000 miles the maint minder said I was at 30% oil life. I changed the oil anyway and have changed it ever since at 3,500 miles with conventional 5w-20. While the manufacturers recommendations most likely will keep the engine running past the warranty period, I feel to get 250 - 350,000 miles, you need to change oil more frequently. I change my own oil and I can get the job done in a half hour and the cost of more frequent oil and filter changes is relatively small. My accord now has 112,000 miles and has never once needed any repair. My 96 s-10 pickup has 251,000 miles on the original engine with 3,000 mile oil changes.

See I am convinced that is purely old school logic. This might have applied back in the day with old oil technology, old seal tech, and engine tolerances. Everything has changed, I don't think you need to change oil as often as one used to.

 

[Cobra_Bob]

Modern car off the assembly line? Varies by manufactures. Do what your owner’s manual says.

Hand built motors? Do what the builder says. I changed the oil in my crate motor at 1000 miles.

If curiosity is killing you, send the oil sample in for analysis.

 

[99LeCouch]

I changed the oil on our then-new 2009 Honda at 1000 miles, and again when the OLM read 15% at 11k miles. Ever since then we've changed the oil when the OLM has gotten down to 20-30%. The engine is running like a top.

Change the ATF first, then change the oil. Contamination of the AT from components wearing in happens within 1000 miles.

 

[rwhite692]

I did the first change at 3,500 on my 2008 Civic when new, and from then on, 10K on each oil and filter change. I run mobil 1 synthetic.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I am one of the old fashioned every 3000 mile oil change guys and have always been on all my cars.

Thank you for throwing your money away.

I own stock in oil companies !

 

[lonestarky]

FWIW, Oil life monitors and manufacturers recommendations are excellent. Contrary to popular belief, there's no fat cat sitting in an office somewhere scraping his oil change profit into a briefcase telling the engineer who designed the engine and the PCM software to increase the oil change interval.

The manufacturers have just as much reason to want to build a quality vehicle with service recommendations that will keep the vehicle running 500K miles as you do. Happy customers are repeat customers. Sure you may drive your car for half a million miles, but the likelihood that you WONT buy another car before you reach that mark is fairly low. Most people have a high mileage 'commuter vehicle' and a weekend vehicle now anyway. If I thought my dodge car was a great car, cost effective to own and maintain, why wouldn't I buy a dodge truck for weekend hauling?

Manufacturers recommendations come from years of research, study, warranty data and repair data. Jiffy lube and dealerships sell oil changes. Remember to consider the source!

As an engineer, an employee of an automotive corporation and manufacturer, and a car guy, I'll say that if you leave your vehicles un-modified, recommendations from the manufacturer will allow your vehicle to last a long time, and not be overly expensive. Most people are unrealistic about the type of driving they do, and the number of short trips they take. You'd be surprised how many people fall under the 'severe duty' schedule of a modern car.

 

[steel 35]

I grew up with a master mechanic beating my ***, and my last truck I drained the oil out to see the metal at 750 and I did! Manufacture said 5000 they changed it two more times before that. Run that **** if you want.......

 

[chrommagman]

my cars I change the oil every 3 months. regardless of the mileage. with new car I would change it after 3500. don't put synthetic in the first oil change put it in around the 4th. conventional will help the rings break in. I use Valvoline in my cars. 5w20 in the summer (I live in Arizona) and 10w30 in the winter

 

[4BT]

I'd follow the owner's manual until the warranty expires, unfortunately the manual to my new VW CC states the first oil change will occur @ 10k miles. Don't know if im gonna wait that long even if the service is free. My other VW is a 2006 Jetta 2.5 and the dealer only uses Castrol Synthetic .......couldn't wait to get rid of that stuff for Mobil1 after the warranty expired. I was tired of shopping based on the strict/hard to find "VW approved oils list". The manual clearly states that 5w30 is acceptable if 5w40 is unavailable, checked some of the forums and then I discovered the vw approval list which isn't mentioned in the manual

 

[banzaitoyota]

I wish the dealers/manufacturers would stock parts long enough for me to get 500K on my vehicles

 

[Corins]

My car has 2700 miles on it and has had 3 oil changes, I don't have a dealer for that manufacturer around here so I did the first one myself at 500 miles, dealer did 2nd one while I was on vacation at around 1500 and I did the 3rd one myself around 2500.

I'm not really going by mileage for mine, I'm going by time more so than anything. I did the first one so early because I have always done my first one between 500 and 1000 miles. The 2nd one was done so shortly after because I was in the area of the dealer I purchased the car from so I had them give it a once over before coming heading home from vacation. And the 3rd one was done because the car had sat in storage for the winter, so I changed it once I took it out. However this is a special case seems the car isn't driven year round. On my truck I normally change the oil and filter every 4-6 months, I don't do much driving anyway so I figure time frame for me is better then mileage. If I went by owners manual the first oil change I would have done would have been over a year.

 

[malibu101]

GM has started using oil monitors vs. algorithims. It measures the buffering capacity of the oil (ability to maintain the pH). When the oil can no longer maintain the pH, acids can form and that's a prime component of engine wear.

My owner's manual of my new Silverado suggests that I STRICLTY follow the oil life monitor only and not rely on any pre-set interval for oil changes.

Are you saying there is a sensor that measures the oil PH? I never heard of that.

 

[jamesemery728]

Thank you for throwing your money away.

I own stock in oil companies !

I am also old enough to still say "Your Welcome" and not say "No Problem", which seems to be the new norm. I am sure the oil companies are not getting rich off people like me. Old habits are hard to break.

 

[tonydanzah]

i remember reading an article in a auto magazine(can't rremember which one) but they changed the oil at 3k and have an oil analysis done. Turned out the oil have about 5k worth of wear on it. As the factory breaks the engine in before putting them in the car.

 

[T56 Impala]

I agree with the manuals recommendations. Can't go wrong following it. Make sure the service department signs the book! Most say they don't do that any more, but insist on it.

My new QX is set up at 3750 for it's first change, then every 3750 after that. I will stick to that as long as it is in warranty. I will insist that they use full synthetic if they aren't already.

The Audi states it should be changed every 10'000 miles and I have stuck to that. The first was done at 3000 per the service section of the manual. My previous 7 series BMWs were once a year or every 15000 miles. I ended up doing the once a year thing since I never put close to 15000 miles on them a year. More like 5000 to 8000.

The old Durango got the oil changed once a year, full synthetic, no matter the mileage. Not the right way to treat a car, but with only 6000 miles a year on it, the oil looked new when I changed it. I did the ole 1 qt of transmission fluid in the engine just prior to the oil change too. Before someone chimes in about messing up the seals and such, it never once leaked, burned or otherwise lost a drop of oil. It had 81,*** on it and we bought it new in October of 2001. The only issue we ever had with it were the brakes and those were a design issue, not a maintenance issue. Well, I also HATED THAT THING.

Everyone has an opinion on oils and when they should be changed. Best bet it to follow the manual.

Good luck.

 

[Rossco]

I wonder if future buyers will accept the smiley face I have drawn in my wife's Acura's service book?

I can't speak for how things work UK but if a dealer in the US tried to deny my warranty claim because I did my own service, they would lose and be sorry they messed with me.

Really? So if you ran say, 18k on the clock without ever taking it to a dealer then theres a problem with the motor, Would they repair it?

For instance, a Spark plug blew out of a 5.4 Triton (Happens) .. Would they just bow down and give full warranty? (Parts & labour)

I imagine they might give 70% policy ..

Edit: Smiley face instead of a Deler stamp .. MMM Would that be an Acid house smiley ..

In the UK its a fact that a Full dealer history (FSH) will add value in the second hand market .. Defo add Value on expensive vehicles that are expensive to repair.

 

[Britwrench]

I wonder if future buyers will accept the smiley face I have drawn in my wife's Acura's service book?

I can't speak for how things work UK but if a dealer in the US tried to deny my warranty claim because I did my own service, they would lose and be sorry they messed with me.

If you have receipts for the Honda approved oil and Honda brand oil filter, there should not be a problem.

I know that at least one European car manufacturer will do oil analysis in the event of engine failure: non-approved oil or incorrect oil filter = no warranty.

The other issue of not taking new (under three years old or so) cars to the official dealer is that any "service actions" (updates which are not classified as a recall) cannot be carried out.
The service actions usually have an end-date, so if any are required when the car actually goes to the dealer, the vehicle owner will be paying for the work.

 

[ZRX61]

Last new vehicle I bought was my bike, did oil changes at 500, 1000 & 3000 miles & every 3000 (give or take) since then. Went to synthetic at about 9000 miles.

 

[NUTTSGT]

When the Explorer and F150 had 4k miles on the odometer, they got their first oil change and every 4 thousand after that.

 

[mjn]

Im old school/new lol. Just bought a new truck last year and like always for me after about 800 miles i change and always go to full syn. So many new cars come filled now with syn or a semi syn that I have no worries about it. My 06 150 always ran Mobil 1 and changed every year or 3000 miles. Was I wasting my money never know but it had a supercharger on it also so was cheep ins for me and when I sold never had a problem with it or anything on it. My new one I do the same but run Amsoil and either one I always do oil samples. My daily driver car I take to the dealer to get changed every 4000 miles which for me is 70% highway miles and I beleive its a semi syn they use.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

... My owner's manual of my new Silverado suggests that I STRICLTY follow the oil life monitor only and not rely on any pre-set interval for oil changes.

What model year? Which engine? Which transmission?

 

[ajchien]

"From what I've read", re: honda, their "break in oil" has a high content of moly, compared to most. Some feel that is left over assembly lube.

My opinion, and that's all it s, is that I'm following my cars manufacturer recommended change intervals. I really don't think that my car is going to end it's service because of an oil lubrcation related issue.

 

[Matt M PA]

Perhaps off topic but a response to Rossco.

If a spark plug blew out of the Triton engine while under warranty...the dealer would have to repair the vehicle under warranty unless they can prove that a non-factory part or service caused the problem.

Dealers here in the states play that game all the time. "If you install your own alarm, it will void your warranty". Total BS.

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty act of 1975 says that unless a given aftermarket part is shown to have caused the damage...your warranty remains intact.

An example. You install a stereo in your car. The wiring shorts and fries the engine computer. The computer is not covered by your warranty. The rest of the vehicle remains under warranty.

 

[apexit1]

Question is are you willing to take a manufacturer to court for a drawn out battle. Yes they have to prove the modification caused the damage but they have the money for the lawyers to prove their point. There will always be a trade off. If its something like an axle or something it wouldnt be worth it versus say a blown engine.

 

[BillK]

James,

I did not read all of the replies but would just like to add three things.

1. Modern fuel injected engines really do not need oil changes as often as old cars with carburetors. The main reason for this is the fact that very little extra fuel is used, even when cold. Carburetors run very rich when cold, dumping a lot of extra fuel which ends up in the oil, diluting it and making more frequent oil changes needed. I am absolutely not a die hard "tree hugger" but really do not see the need to change oil any more frequently than recommended by the manufacturer. Make sure to look at thier definition of "severe" driving conditions which require more frequent oil changes. A lot of vehicles meet those requirements even thought they are just daily drivers.

2. This is the most important thing I can say . . . . vehicle manufacturers have introduced some very specific engine oil specifications and those specs are NOT met by all of the engine oils available, even some of the better known synthetics. GM's Dexos is a perfect example of one of the new specifications. Make sure you know what the oil specification is for your engine and make absolutely certain that whichever oil you use meets those standards and is approved for use in your engine.

3. I would personally never use anything bu an OEM oil filter on any vehicle. This means AC Delco for GM, Toyota for Toyota etc etc.

As far as taking the car to the dealer for the first oil change goes, that is not neccessary and as long as you use the correct oil and the oem filter and keep your receipts, there will not be an issue.

Just my opinion,