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oil life display (how true is it?)

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Old 03-10-2012, 04:38 PM
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oil life display (how true is it?)

Just wondering how much I should worry about my oil life running "low"?
Old 03-10-2012, 04:41 PM
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I always change it when it gets to 40%. usually is pretty black by then
Old 03-10-2012, 04:41 PM
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i change it between 40 to 50...or 5k mi peace of mind lol
Old 03-10-2012, 04:43 PM
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100% true. You shouldn't change the oil until the display tells you to do so. Of course changing it early won't hurt anything, except maybe your wallet.
Old 03-10-2012, 04:50 PM
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ya im pretty sure its accurate. it think it actually varies based on how u drive. it could be shorter than 5000 miles or it could be longer than 5000 miles. im pretty sure. not positive tho. usually just change at 5000
Old 03-10-2012, 04:57 PM
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You should change the oil either when the meter tells you to, or after one year; whichever comes first.
Old 03-10-2012, 05:07 PM
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i change it every 5k, right now im at 72k so im not changing it till 75k
Old 03-10-2012, 05:29 PM
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if you have a ss turbo don't leave it too long because the motors get very hot and eats at the oil very quickly. I use Pennzoil and just did my first oil change since i got it from the dealership at 3k miles. they used mobil 1 and it was pretty black so i changed it. oil is a vital component to longevity and is cheap so why not do it early for peace of mind.
Old 03-10-2012, 05:58 PM
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It's accurate. Someone spent millions and probably years developing it. It's not even new or exclusive technology. 1 company probably supplied all those companies.

If you don't trust it then get your oil analyzed and see what that says.
Old 03-10-2012, 06:36 PM
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Manual says to change it at 21% I usually do at 40%
Old 03-10-2012, 06:41 PM
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I change up between 50-60%
Old 03-11-2012, 09:22 PM
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well i just bought the mobil 1 extended life. i think the bottle says 15,00 miles. think it will be safe to wait 10,000 mile???
Old 03-11-2012, 09:27 PM
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Ive gone to 10,000 miles once. Im at 8500 now, I need to do it soon. I shoot for every 7500 but it doesnt hurt to go later. The synthetics can last considerably longer.
Old 03-11-2012, 09:33 PM
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I do my changes every 5k but I let it go 7.5k once and the oil came out pretty clean still. I used to run royal purple back then.
Old 03-11-2012, 09:50 PM
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Kinda your choice, as long as you change when it say's to GM will not void your warrenty.
Old 03-11-2012, 09:53 PM
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ok so the oil life meter actually uses sensors/ cuz i know on my old car it was just set for a set period of time no matter wut kind of oil. i even switched from reg to fully synthetic
Old 03-11-2012, 10:26 PM
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Originally Posted by nonee26
ok so the oil life meter actually uses sensors/ cuz i know on my old car it was just set for a set period of time no matter wut kind of oil. i even switched from reg to fully synthetic
No its not just a mileage counter. It really does calculate the intervals based on your driving conditions.
Old 03-11-2012, 11:00 PM
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I have it on my car and went 10,360 kilometers before it showed to change it.
Old 03-11-2012, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by nonee26
well i just bought the mobil 1 extended life. i think the bottle says 15,00 miles. think it will be safe to wait 10,000 mile???
i used that in my SS/Sc. i would only have to change my oil once a year. never had problem with engine or anything and i had my car for 6 years til i sold it.
Old 03-11-2012, 11:13 PM
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it doesnt sense the oil directly it considers warm up cycles driving style, and other stuff related to the engine but it doesnt analyze the oil
i couldnt imagine the manual would say change at 21% as they would just scale it for it to be at 0 when its time to change
every time i have read of an analysis of oil after getting down to 0% the oil had a tiny bit of life left
the LNF doesnt run hot at all, mine doesnt anyways my oil is usually around 180 and i cant recall seeing it go much higher than 200 my truck a 2010 6.2 silverado will see up to 240 oil temps
Old 03-11-2012, 11:17 PM
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i normally change mine at 50%. I think i only change the oil in the G5 one or twice a year.
Old 03-12-2012, 09:38 AM
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The manual actually says to schedule your oil change service at 21%. Therefore, you should change your oil before it reaches 0%
Old 03-12-2012, 09:47 AM
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Originally Posted by DavidW
it doesnt sense the oil directly it considers warm up cycles driving style, and other stuff related to the engine but it doesnt analyze the oil
i couldnt imagine the manual would say change at 21% as they would just scale it for it to be at 0 when its time to change
every time i have read of an analysis of oil after getting down to 0% the oil had a tiny bit of life left
the LNF doesnt run hot at all, mine doesnt anyways my oil is usually around 180 and i cant recall seeing it go much higher than 200 my truck a 2010 6.2 silverado will see up to 240 oil temps
I thought it was 10% but reason is so that it gives you some time to take it in or go get oil to do it yourself instead of being like oh crap I've gotta do it tonight but I'm busy or traveling.
Old 03-12-2012, 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by emiller
I thought it was 10% but reason is so that it gives you some time to take it in or go get oil to do it yourself instead of being like oh crap I've gotta do it tonight but I'm busy or traveling.
^^This. I know where I live it takes at LEAST a week to get an appointment at the dealer... I don't go to the dealer for oil changes, I do it myself, but that's definitely why it mentions a percentage in the manual
Old 03-12-2012, 09:59 AM
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Originally Posted by chris88z24
You should change the oil either when the meter tells you to, or after one year; whichever comes first.
^ This.


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