Engine oil change intervals Editorial hit a nerve with ASP readers In a recent editorial, I commented about the validity of extended oil change intervals that are commonly promoted today by auto makers (ASP September/October 2014 issue). My intent was to provide my own opinion, and not to promote the increased sale of oil (read the editorial in our digital edition on www.autoserviceprofessional.com). This topic has obviously hit a nerve among our readers. Following are just a few of the letters we’ve received regarding this subject.- Ed.
CHEAP INSURANCE Oil changes are cheap insurance, in my opinion. I have always changed the oil on all my vehicles around the 3,000 mile mark using a good quality oil and a new flter. I have never had a serious engine problem thanks to this regular engine maintenance. Any valve cover I may have pulled to reseal, or intake manifold, always showed a very clean engine inside. “Pay a little now, or a lot later,” I have found has held true through the years. One of the worst engines I have ever seen due to the lack of oil changes was a customer’s vehicle I worked on in a Chevrolet garage in the early 1990s. A customer’s vehicle with 23,000 miles on it came in with an engine knock. It was an Astro van that had been purchased new from our dealership. Records showed the only oil change was at 12,500 miles. The customer said they thought all they had to do was keep adding oil to keep the level up. Needless to say, pulling a valve cover in the vehicle to check the engine valve train showed the buildup of a black sludge throughout. The motor was toast, a prime example of what can happen when not changing your oil on a regular basis. Kurt Schleicher, Customer Service Rep U.S. AutoForce
FRESH IS GOOD Regarding Auto Service Professional’s recent editorial by editor Mike Mavrigian, I could not agree more. I took a variable valve timing (VVT) course a short time ago, and the #1 problem with all the VVT vehicles by all manufactures was sludge and dirty oil. And what do the manufactures do? They EXTEND the oil change intervals! Is this part of a hidden agenda? P.S.: When my customers ask me what oil to use, I tell them FRESH. Joel Sylvia S&S Auto Repair
CHANGE IT AND USE THE CORRECT OIL Mike, you are so on target with your comments. I have been in automotive service all my life — 35-plus years. Fluids have always been one of the most important things that will protect your investment, especially in today’s high technology vehicles. My company services over 5 million vehicles a year. I also maintain a technical service hot line. The reason I bring that up is because we feld a large number of oilrelated problem calls, more than we have, say, 10 years ago. One of the popular oil-related calls we get today concerns variable valve timing DTCs with the engine light on. Many of the newer models utilize these systems. We are fnding that customers don’t check their oil or anything under the hood like they used to. These VVT DTCs many times are caused by low oil levels or neglected oil systems. Because of this, if we fnd low or dirty oil we start the diagnostic by performing a good oil change with the proper oil, and clear the DTC and send the driver on their way. That
13 | November/December 2014
