[Weege]

Sorry if this topic has been discussed before but I'm wondering why oil service indication is apparently very different in Gen6 compared to Gen5. I've been lucky to have had a '13 very and now a '17, both with M6 trans. I only drive convertibles in the summer and don't get many miles racked up. My '13 was counting down to 10K miles before asking for an oil change when I sold it to a buddy with 9K on it, after 4 years. I've been driving my '17 very gently and it looked like the service indicator was gonna ask for an oil change at around 3K. All of a sudden my 37% oil life left has gone to zero and that's only with mileage at 1,664. My only guess is that I just passed the 1 year old mark and that triggered the sudden call for an oil change. I realize the LT1 is a somewhat different animal, but the drastically more aggressive need for a first oil change is hard to understand - at least for me. I will it as soon as I have time, but am wondering if it's really necessary.

[danhr]

More than likely. The oil life is not based on time or mileage. It's an algorithm that takes in consideration time, mileage, run time, idle time, rpm, throttle, load, etc. Its a pretty complex system actually, and I would trust it over the old fashioned ways of milage/time

[MaxxRPM]

I'm almost 100% positive it is nothing more than a mileage counter. Chevrolet recommends 7500 mile intervals (the counter is set for 7500 miles). I always change my oil in this car at 6000 miles. 6000 is 80% of 7500 in which my counter is always at 20% when I change it. Summer, winter, it doesn't matter, it's always the same..........All 4 oil changes.

[Glen e]

It is more than a mileage counter, it takes an account how you drive, drive hard on short hops and you'll be changing the oil quicker and then if you use it on long-distance interstate drives exclusively. Also it is based on time. One year. If Your car sits in storage with the battery hooked up for six months and it was at 100%, it'll now be at 50%.

[MaxxRPM]

Right, and you're not the only one that says this but what I want to know is how/why do you think this? I haven't seen anything in the owners manual about it. I gave you proof its a mileage counter and you say its so much more than that without any proof or examples............Has your car sat long enough for the percentage to drop? Help me out here.

[Glen e]

My car was in storage for three months last summer, it went down about 30%. The reason for the year, is oil can gather condensation and particulates even when it's sitting. So therefore they want it changed after a year, No matter if you drive it or not.

[MaxxRPM]

So there is a time counter as well.
I guess what I would like to know is if anyone else changes their oil at the exact intervals each time has the exact oil life percentage every time like I do.

[Wierd Harold]

Got her out of storage last Saturday,83%.Drive for 50miles went to 10%.

[Wierd Harold]

Forgot to mention that oil was changed in September and battery disconnected .

[CruzySS]

Car was stored 5 months with roughly 400 miles and read 21% when I changed the oil. So time is a big factor.

[Weege]

I am reviving this thread to see who feels it's really necessary to change oil after 1,600 miles because a year has passed since the last oil change. Living in snowy and salted New England, I only drive my convertible from April to October. The rest of the time it sits in the garage on a battery tender. Is it really harmful to drive with oil that has sat in the engine over the winter? I realize the concern is condensation but wouldn't a first drive for 45 minutes at burn that off and leave behind good oil? It seems like a waste to replace 10 qts of high quality synthetic unless of course it shortens the life of the V8 I hope to keep around for a long time.

[Mark114]

Your Camaro comes with a 5yr/60,000 mile powertrain warranty. If you don’t maintain the fluid schedule in the owner’s manual then you risk the warranty. Keep your receipts and documentation as proof in case you need to file a warranty claim in the future. Years ago a friend of mine had the differential go out on his 5th Gen ZL1. It was a known problem with a TSB and GM would have denied the warranty claim if he didn’t have his receipts to verify the maintenance with an approved fluid.

[Weege]

My 5 year warranty will be up by the time I get on the road in Spring. So I'm looking for a mechanical/engineering reason for low mileage oil changing. The legal incentive is about to expire.

[Alpha1BC]

All oil breaks down over time. Pretty much all big-name oil manufactures have an unopened shelf life of 5 years or less, even for fully synthetic oils. That number goes down once it's opened and exposed to the atmosphere and contaminants inside the engine. That's not to say that it's a guarantee that it'll grenade your engine by not changing it per the recommended schedule of the monitor. It's entirely possible it'll be OK to run for a bit after that and not cause any damage, but the chances of that happening are still going to be higher by ignoring the notification to change.

IMO I'm not willing to risk a few thousand in engine repairs vs. saving <$100 once a year. Seems silly to buy a $50k+ sports car then cheap out on regular maintenance against the recommendation of GM's engineers that put effort into the oil life monitor to better increase engine longevity.