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Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil (How many miles do you recommend between changes?)

potter22

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
46
Location
Moorpark, CA
Corvette
1989 Candy Apple Coupe
I just bought an 1989 Corvette last week and asked for recomendations. The consensus was to change all fluids which I am doing today. I wondered what your thoughts were on the amount of miles I can put on the car before I have to change the oil again. The Mobil 1 recomendation seems too long. Thanks :)
 
I change mine every 3000 miles, I know it might be a little 'old school', but it's one more thing that makes me feel that I'm taking the best care of my vehicles I can :)
 
for me, it depends on the type of driving I do. If it is a lot of in town, and it is hot, 3,000 miles.

If it is highway mostly, I have gone as much as 6,000 miles.

Usually it is between 4 and 5k though.


I did this on my '93, and at 80k the inside of the engine looked like brand new!
 
87Callaway said:
I change mine every 3000 miles, I know it might be a little 'old school', but it's one more thing that makes me feel that I'm taking the best care of my vehicles I can :)

Same routine for me. New filter and Mobil 1 every 3000 miles.
 
JRMaroon said:
Same routine for me. New filter and Mobil 1 every 3000 miles.
Yep, same here. I also change the oil after I get the cars out from winter storage regardless of the mileage. May be that is over kill but the price of an oil change is cheap insurance for the engine:w.

H.D.
 
Thanks for all your help. I going to do the same.
 
Mobil 1 and Castrol Synthec are good for 7k miles however, I change mine at 5k max. For some reason the

"OIL CHANGE" light turns on at 7.5K. Before syntec oils existed, crude oil was good for 3K miles used in engines without todays emmisions. :Steer

Use your judgement :blow
 
PLRX787 said:
Mobil 1 and Castrol Synthec are good for 7k miles however, I change mine at 5k max. For some reason the

"OIL CHANGE" light turns on at 7.5K. Before syntec oils existed, crude oil was good for 3K miles used in engines without todays emmisions. :Steer

Use your judgement :blow


They are good for more than that... C5's have a 10,000 mile oil change interval using Mobil 1.
 
potter22 said:
I just bought an 1989 Corvette last week and asked for recomendations. The consensus was to change all fluids which I am doing today. I wondered what your thoughts were on the amount of miles I can put on the car before I have to change the oil again. The Mobil 1 recomendation seems too long. Thanks :)

My wife's Pontiac Sunfire has just under 220,000 miles on it and we've used only Mobil-1 in it (actually all of our vehicles), and we change it every 6,000 miles.

On the other hand, I too just purchased a 1989 Vette back in April of last year and I was told that the owner only used regular oil in it, and he changed it every 3,000 or less. He suggested that I don't switch to Mobil-1 now because it could cause leaks.

He explained that the synthetic oil’s molecules are smaller and will actually clean out the old oil deposits opening up microscopic cracks in the rings and gaskets. Sounds logical to me, so I’ve just been using regular oil my Vette.
 
I'm following a recommendation that I either got from Hib or a post that he chimed in on - I change the oil out between 10 and 12K but I change the filter out every 3-4k. The filters on these cars are pretty small, especially on the C5, so I change the filter twice before I change the oil and filter out.

I have done this for years and years and it works for me. I started doing this on my 92 when it have about 20K on it. Back in 2003 when it had 103K on it, I had the motor upgraded for more power so it was taken apart. The bearing surfaces were perfect and showed no significant wear. The inside of the motor was very clean - like new is what the mechanic said. They put fresh standard sized bearing and rings in it and it's still going strong.

At $4.00+ a quart and with oil disposal issues coming, I'm going to get a good long life out of my oil.
 
I change oil and filter every 5000 miles. Mobil 1 15W50 (it's hot here in Florida!) and a new Mobil 1 filter. Having a shop, I firmly believe in selling what I use, regardless of hype, and building many drag race engines, I have yet to see a mechanical failure due to the oil I use.
 
I have chnged engines with 100k plus over to Mobile 1 with no leak or burning problems. ;shrug I change my oil in my Riv. somewhere between 7 and 8 k
It now has 212k on it .
A little story about the oil change light. My daughter had a 2000 Monte Carlo in which we used Mobil 1.The oil change light would come on at 6k every time.this was 75 % city driving. She took it in shortly after I changed the oil to have tires rotated , they changed the oil without being told :mad and put in Quakerstate. :puke After my daughter jumped them about it they said leave it and we will put Mobile 1 back in . Well at 2500 miles the change oil light came on. They lied... left the quakerstate in it. The oil minder knows the diff. somehow. With Mobile 1 the change oil light never failed to go to 6k .

:w
 
G Winter said:
Well at 2500 miles the change oil light came on.

I wonder if they even re-set the light. I've had the light in my Impala come on shortly after an oil change and I always suspect it was not re-set.

Jeff
 
The filter is more important???????

I heard that the filter is more important then the oil. This l assume is because if strains out all of the shavings when you downshift to 4th at 130mph!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alan
 
JRMaroon said:
I wonder if they even re-set the light. I've had the light in my Impala come on shortly after an oil change and I always suspect it was not re-set.

Jeff

I had reset it when I changed the oil and they changed it with only 250 miles on it. On the Monte it was set in the radio . You may want to make sure you reset it . The person changing the oil may not know about it.

:w
 
Heavy Duty said:
Yep, same here. I also change the oil after I get the cars out from winter storage regardless of the mileage. May be that is over kill but the price of an oil change is cheap insurance for the engine:w.

H.D.

You may want to reconsider and change your engine oil before you store it for the winter. That way you leave your engine parts sitting in clean oil for months on end instead of used oil that contains contaminants...in spring, just drive away!

Safety
 
kingman said:
I heard that the filter is more important then the oil. This l assume is because if strains out all of the shavings when you downshift to 4th at 130mph!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alan


What gears you running that you can go to 4th at 130 ? Mine will hardly get to 100 at 5800 rpm. I would have more then shavings in the oil.:eek

:w
 
All of my vehicles except my 84 truck run Mobil-1. The three remaining all get failry equal driving so whenever one hits 5k, all three get changed at the same time. That usually happens about every 5 or 6 months.

- Eric:w
 

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