Hi, I am new here just have a small question, I just changed oil for my 2007 rav4 v6, I used full synthetic, (don't know what type of oil was used in last oil change) and it says good for 6 month on the manual, so now with full synthetic, can I just change oil every year instead of half, if not, how long should my oil change intervals be? Thankyou.

 

No, proper oil changes be it with synthetic or conventional oil should be done at the absolute most every 4-5k miles.

A friend is a master honda tech, honda went with 7500 miles every change due to switching to synthetics. Well people forget and also the motors dont like that interval-he is changing out motors left and right that blew.

Be smart, change it every 3-5k miles and that way your engine lasts. I have 255k on my truck and I change the oil very 3-5k myself.

 

Oh ok, but what would be the advantage of synthetics?

 

Plenty of synthetics can run up to 7500-10k.
After 3500-5000 you'll want to at least change the filter and then top up the oil to the proper level.

Synthetics don't suffer from heat break down (which causes sludge) like conventional oils.
That's where they get the higher intervals.

Check out bobtheoilguy.com.

 

Id have to disagree Scuba. Just because the oil is supposedly supposed to last longer doesnt mean it actually does. Whats smarter-spending a few more dollars on oil or buying a new motor cause yours blew? Where I work we put alot of very hard miles on our work trucks, all of them have 200k or better. Boss bought them all around 50-100k and changes oil every 5k with synthetic. We do feel it lubricates and lasts longer, but the more often you change it-the less chance something happens if it does break down.

 

I look at every vehicle to figure out the time between oil changes.

If any thing I lean toward to soon rather then to long

It all comes down to how the vehicle is driven.

When I drove 8 hours on the Interstate for 3 weeks I pushed the oil change over my normal mileage.

 

I change my oil in my Taco once a year. I don't drive the truck that much so it's usually around 5 to 6000 miles. I use synthetic. I have no issues with 120k. Your driving style will dictate this. Lots of short trips equals more heat cycles, more contaminants in oil, faster oil breakdown. You can tell by inspecting the oil on the dipstick. If it's black and smells burnt it's time to change. I would not waste the $ dumping synthetic every three months or 3k. You are not hurting anything by changing it more frequently...just wasting money but if that gives you peace of mind go for it. The only thing I would strongly recommend is using an OEM filter.

 

We go 15,000 per change on both BMWs, for hundreds of thousands of miles, including some really aggressive track time.




I've seen a test (from MIT maybe) that showed synthetic oil didn't even start performing optimally until after 3,000 miles.


http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop...-your-oil.html

 

If the motors in good shape it's possible.

 

dealer will recomend 5k for intervals on the rav4. I run 5k on synthetic on my truck. My 2010 tsx however has a meter that judges oil life based on hours run, rpm, load, etc. Last oil change went 7k

 

TX7 , just curious , what does owner's manual or maitanence schedule say about how often to change oil on those BMW's ?

 

Nothing. There is an indicator, which comes on based on "sensors and algorithms." It generally comes on around 15,000 miles.


They do want you to change it every 2 years, if the mileage is too low to trip the indicator.


They do want you to use their oil, but that is the subject of much debate on the BMW forums. Castrol seems to be an accepted substitute, and it is referenced in the manual and IIRC, it is embossed on the filler cap.

 

I have a bunch of prepaid test kits from Blackstone. If I get bored, maybe I'll rack up some miles and see what the oil looks like.

 

My Princes's Mercedes ML500 goes 14,000 miles between changes. This is on Mobil 1 0W-40. Same fill as from factory.

This engine has a 12 quart capacity and a filter that looks like a hot tub filter.

Not worried one bit on 14,000 mile changes...

 

I found a couple of people who did Blackstone tests on 15,000 mile oil. One posted the report. One only posted the comments.


Others had posted them, but for engines that were new and breaking in. Some metal turned up that Blackstone said was "probably" the result of normal break-in, but I figured that was not a 100% endorsement.

The full report was from a Mopar site. I did not look to see what kind of vehicle.

 

I work at Toyota.

The newer Toyotas use 0w20, and their oil change intervals are 5 months and/or 10,000 miles.

The difference is, these newer motors were built to use 0w20 and last 10,000 miles; whereas, our older trucks were made to last 3,000 miles on an oil change.

Personally, I use Mobil 1 fully synthetic 10w30, and my oil changes are usually at 6 months (sometimes more). I don't have a problem with that.

1989 Toyota 4Runner 3.0 v6 w/228,000 miles on the odometer.

 

I agree with Scuba. Synthetic oil does resist thermal breakdown compared to conventional oils, it has been proven many times. It is smarter to spend a few more dollars on oil, synthetic oil that is, but synthetic oil changes at 5k is throwing money away. Really though when is the last time you personally had a engine breakdown caused by the oil?

 

How many miles is that?

 

You know, I don't keep an eye on the mileage.

I just change it when 6 months comes around. That's good enough for me.

 

so when I do my next oil change and I go synthetic, I won't have to change it for at least 7k miles? Nice.