Oil life monitor - Page 2

MR2620 · 08-02-2021, 02:18 AM

When I did my last oil change in the spring, I sent a sample out for analysis. It had been just under 1 year (11 months or so) and about 2000 miles since i had changed the oil. The car had about 9,800 miles on it. The report indicated my oil still had a ton of life in it and numbers wise was very close to new. I spoke with one of the analysis techs on the phone and he indicated in my instance 1 year didn't matter and I could have gone much longer. He also said in their experience they don't typically see oil break down from just sitting in the car. I'm going to go a little longer this year and send them another sample to see where things are.

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Spaceme1117 · 08-02-2021, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR2620

When I did my last oil change in the spring, I sent a sample out for analysis. It had been just under 1 year (11 months or so) and about 2000 miles since i had changed the oil. The car had about 9,800 miles on it. The report indicated my oil still had a ton of life in it and numbers wise was very close to new. I spoke with one of the analysis techs on the phone and he indicated in my instance 1 year didn't matter and I could have gone much longer. He also said in their experience they don't typically see oil break down from just sitting in the car. I'm going to go a little longer this year and send them another sample to see where things are.

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Modern oils especially synthetics are so good that you can likely go 10,000 miles or a lot more or 2 or 3 years and the oil would still test as good.

The yearly oil change as someone stated is likely so that GM can use that to deny warranty claims if you don't do it.

And the yearly change, is a way to get people back to the dealership to keep that revenue stream coming back to dealers.

Considering that in my 2017 SS it takes 10 quarts of oil using the newer 0W40 oil at $10 a quart plus a filter, that is starting to get a bit expensive.

I am thinking a good, more appropriate rule of thumb would be 6000 miles or 2 years, which ever comes first (and ignore the oil life monitor).

s346k · 08-02-2021, 06:08 AM

i change mine 3-4k miles no matter what. it is pretty lean on ethanol but the oil will still get to where it smells like a soy bean. haven't sent any in to blackstone yet, i keep forgetting to do that. i use 5w40 rotella diesel oil.

FarmerFran · 08-02-2021, 07:39 AM

Ok, i will spin and win... 40+k car what the hell is ~$100 a year. Why push something like that to the edge?

But i am out, as i will change as needed but mine is a DD

tecboy · 08-02-2021, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerFran

Ok, i will spin and win... 40+k car what the hell is ~$100 a year. Why push something like that to the edge?

But i am out, as i will change as needed but mine is a DD

Plus...possibly voiding your powertrain warranty...

HDRDTD · 08-02-2021, 08:55 AM

You can always take a sample of your oil ands send it to Blackstone for analysis periodically and get a scientific analysis of how your oil is doing if you'd rather not go by the GM OLM.

FarmerFran · 08-02-2021, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDRDTD

You can always take a sample of your oil ands send it to Blackstone for analysis periodically and get a scientific analysis of how your oil is doing if you'd rather not go by the GM OLM.

How much does it cost?

Scottyz · 08-02-2021, 09:05 AM

If I started to notice my oil level rising, I would send off my oil for a sample for sure. At that point I would be suspecting at DI issue.

ctrlz · 08-02-2021, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerFran

what the hell is ~$100 a year.

5 12-packs of IPA.

My personal bias is that it is far riskier to trust someone else to change my oil than it is to trust GM's oil life algorithm. Also, if you check out the many threads (throughout the internet) on this topic you will find that most UOA tests support the validity of the oil life monitors.

396ssrat · 08-02-2021, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR2620

When I did my last oil change in the spring, I sent a sample out for analysis. It had been just under 1 year (11 months or so) and about 2000 miles since i had changed the oil. The car had about 9,800 miles on it. The report indicated my oil still had a ton of life in it and numbers wise was very close to new. I spoke with one of the analysis techs on the phone and he indicated in my instance 1 year didn't matter and I could have gone much longer. He also said in their experience they don't typically see oil break down from just sitting in the car. I'm going to go a little longer this year and send them another sample to see where things are.

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Good information but would it stand up in court over a warranty issue should you have one?

craigss50 · 08-02-2021, 03:02 PM

I seem to remember that the PH of the oil is affected by the metal of the engine and becomes more acidic then causes damage to the head gasket. It is the reason my Harley (air cooled and no head gasket) doesn't require yearly oil changes only mileage.

foshjowler · 08-02-2021, 03:14 PM

IMO the oil life monitor is a good measure for when it's time to change the oil, otherwise, it wouldn't be in there. It takes time, mileage, and type of driving into account. I wouldn't expect short-term issues to arise if you were to go beyond what it and the manual says, but it could cause long-term problems. Generally, these engineers are pretty good at their jobs.

If an annual $100ish expense is an issue, then you shouldn't have bought an extra car you don't drive often.

396ssrat · 08-02-2021, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foshjowler

IMO the oil life monitor is a good measure for when it's time to change the oil, otherwise, it wouldn't be in there. It takes time, mileage, and type of driving into account. I wouldn't expect short-term issues to arise if you were to go beyond what it and the manual says, but it could cause long-term problems. Generally, these engineers are pretty good at their jobs.

If an annual $100ish expense is an issue, then you shouldn't have bought an extra car you don't drive often.

Real "Engineers" drive trains. The other kind of Engineer is like a lawyer, they practice and often fail to do their job.

Scottyz · 08-02-2021, 03:31 PM

Foshjowler makes a good point about the monitor being a good measure. After all there are still lots of owners who just forget, neglect to check the oil level and then all of a sudden they have a seized engine.

08-02-2021, 06:08 AM	#17
s346k Drives: like an old lady Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: indiana Posts: 2,396	i change mine 3-4k miles no matter what. it is pretty lean on ethanol but the oil will still get to where it smells like a soy bean. haven't sent any in to blackstone yet, i keep forgetting to do that. i use 5w40 rotella diesel oil. __________________ 2016+ camaro: everyone’s first car

08-02-2021, 07:39 AM	#18
FarmerFran Drives: 2023 ZL1 Vert M6 "Sharky" Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Earth Posts: 4,032	Ok, i will spin and win... 40+k car what the hell is ~$100 a year. Why push something like that to the edge? But i am out, as i will change as needed but mine is a DD __________________ 2023 Camaro ZL1 Vert TR-6060 Sharkskin "Sharky" Firecracker Red Wrangler Willys, 3.6L eTorque, 850RE 8 speed automatic, 25W Willys package, Technology Group, Convenience Group (aka $600 garage door opener), Cold weather Group, Trailer Tow and HD electric group with AUX switches, 3 piece black freedom top.

08-02-2021, 03:14 PM	#26
foshjowler Drives: 2017 Camaro 2.0T, 91 Miata Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: Raleigh, North Carolina Posts: 505 View My Garage	IMO the oil life monitor is a good measure for when it's time to change the oil, otherwise, it wouldn't be in there. It takes time, mileage, and type of driving into account. I wouldn't expect short-term issues to arise if you were to go beyond what it and the manual says, but it could cause long-term problems. Generally, these engineers are pretty good at their jobs. If an annual $100ish expense is an issue, then you shouldn't have bought an extra car you don't drive often. __________________ 305 BFG Rivals FTW Youtube Channel

08-02-2021, 02:18 AM	#15
MR2620 Drives: 2017 ZL1 - Hyper Blue Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: US Posts: 71	When I did my last oil change in the spring, I sent a sample out for analysis. It had been just under 1 year (11 months or so) and about 2000 miles since i had changed the oil. The car had about 9,800 miles on it. The report indicated my oil still had a ton of life in it and numbers wise was very close to new. I spoke with one of the analysis techs on the phone and he indicated in my instance 1 year didn't matter and I could have gone much longer. He also said in their experience they don't typically see oil break down from just sitting in the car. I'm going to go a little longer this year and send them another sample to see where things are. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

08-02-2021, 08:55 AM	#20
HDRDTD Drives: 2013 Triple Black ZL1 Vert M6 ECF Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Trenton, Michigan Posts: 7,047	You can always take a sample of your oil ands send it to Blackstone for analysis periodically and get a scientific analysis of how your oil is doing if you'd rather not go by the GM OLM.

08-02-2021, 09:05 AM	#22
Scottyz 2019 ZL1 1LE MY GOON Drives: 1980 Z28 Big Red. Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Stoney Creek Posts: 2,061	If I started to notice my oil level rising, I would send off my oil for a sample for sure. At that point I would be suspecting at DI issue.

08-02-2021, 03:02 PM	#25
craigss50 Drives: 2017 Camaro SS Fifty Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Port St Lucie, Florida Posts: 966	I seem to remember that the PH of the oil is affected by the metal of the engine and becomes more acidic then causes damage to the head gasket. It is the reason my Harley (air cooled and no head gasket) doesn't require yearly oil changes only mileage.

08-02-2021, 03:31 PM	#28
Scottyz 2019 ZL1 1LE MY GOON Drives: 1980 Z28 Big Red. Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Stoney Creek Posts: 2,061	Foshjowler makes a good point about the monitor being a good measure. After all there are still lots of owners who just forget, neglect to check the oil level and then all of a sudden they have a seized engine.

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