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I change my oil when the OLM tells me to, basically once a year but with only a few thousand miles on it. But I wouldn't have a concern going to 7500 miles.
Agreed my trusted certified Vette mechanic told me trust the OLM. The GM engineers know best and the OLM accounts for many factors...no need to change earlier. GM would not tell you something that could cause warranty claims and cost them $$$. 3k mi was always too often, 5k about normal in past, but with better metals and better technologies 7.5k should be more than adequate.
Y'all don't forget, that the OLM is calibrated to make the engine last for 3 years, or 60,000 miles. Which. ever comes first.
After that...well.....
As is most car manufacturers if you follow that logic. Toyota has a similar warranty and engine oil change intervals. Their engines generally last hundreds of thousands of miles miles just following the maintenance intervals in the owner's manual (which are as long or longer than the C8's). So the duration of a powertrain warranty doesn't mean that you can't expect the engine to last the life of the car if you follow the recommended change intervals.
Got to love those little reminder stickers the dealer puts on your upper left windshield regarding next change suggestion. I had my car's oil/filter changed just yesterday and they suggested a mileage that was 5,000 more than current or three months. So much for the factory system.
Everyone has a "belief" system by which they operate. Some follow more modern recommendations, others more legacy (like what they did in 1955). Hopefully, We all "justify" why we're doing what we're doing and not just operating on some aged rote training we received as a child. Assuming those who want to change engine oil in a 2020s MY car at twice or more the rate engineering recommends, the question to you is: What is your expectation through the life of your ownership experience? Is it your plan to own the car measured in years or decades?
I ask, because, for me, I haven't owned a car longer than 3 to 4 years, max, but average 2 years, since 1990 so I cannot justify some imaginary engine extended life scenario that is measured in decades (maybe some do). I follow the factory/engineering recommendations for the cars I own. The "cheap insurance" argument never worked for me and no one ever discusses or shows any evidence of how many more miles a factory stock engine has lasted past any reasonable ownership interest. And that is a factory engine that hasn't been modified or rebuilt or major oil related repairs.
This will be anecdotal and I know YMMV:
In the 1970s, I bought a brand new Datsun B210 for my wife to drive as a DD. This was BEFORE all the modern technologies in engine materials and petroleum products. From day one I absolutely hated the car and regretted ever buying it. I decided not to do anything to it except drive it; not spend a nickel on it unless it was a safety issue or it failed mechanically. We put 80,000 miles on it without EVER changing the oil. It still had the factory fill and factory oil filter. I only topped it off if/when it dropped to a quart low which was pretty normal, not excessive. I changed tires and brakes once on the car, that's all. Frankly, nothing went wrong with it the entire time we owned it, and as far as I can imagine, it might still be running.
My dealer, who stripped my aero shield bolts, didn't top off my DCT when he changed the filter and probably didn't do the required flush... Put one of those on my windshield and DID NOT reset the oil life monitor. Not going back there...
Originally Posted by Joe C5 C2
Got to love those little reminder stickers the dealer puts on your upper left windshield regarding next change suggestion. I had my car's oil/filter changed just yesterday and they suggested a mileage that was 5,000 more than current or three months. So much for the factory system.
Y'all don't forget, that the OLM is calibrated to make the engine last for 3 years, or 60,000 miles. Which. ever comes first.
After that...well.....
And little green men from Mars will eat your brain if you don't wear a tinfoil hat. Even if what you wrote WAS true, I suspect few Corvette owners get anywhere near 60Kk on their engines before trading the car for a new one.
Got to love those little reminder stickers the dealer puts on your upper left windshield regarding next change suggestion. I had my car's oil/filter changed just yesterday and they suggested a mileage that was 5,000 more than current or three months. So much for the factory system.
Those stickers are designed to drive service department revenue, nothing else. 3 month oil changes haven't been relevant for 40 or 50 years.
Today's oils AND metallurgy are orders of magnitude better than when 3 month / 3,000 mile oil changes were needed.
At 2% remaining in Oil Life Monitor, to satisfy the warranty monitors.
Out of Warranty:
It will likely be long long gone, but if not, every 10,000 miles with full synthetic like any other engine. It was good enough for my 5.4L supercharged highly modified Ford Lightning that I drove 110,000 miles and abused like a fool, it will be good enough for an over-built naturally aspirated V8 that I drive like a granny.
The engineers have conflicting goals such as service price per mile, preserving dealer service revenue dollars, and longevity. I only care about longevity. They are definitely smarter than me, but I have the goal clarity corporate denies to them.
This will be anecdotal and I know YMMV:
In the 1970s, I bought a brand new Datsun B210 for my wife to drive as a DD. This was BEFORE all the modern technologies in engine materials and petroleum products. From day one I absolutely hated the car and regretted ever buying it. I decided not to do anything to it except drive it; not spend a nickel on it unless it was a safety issue or it failed mechanically. We put 80,000 miles on it without EVER changing the oil. It still had the factory fill and factory oil filter. I only topped it off if/when it dropped to a quart low which was pretty normal, not excessive. I changed tires and brakes once on the car, that's all. Frankly, nothing went wrong with it the entire time we owned it, and as far as I can imagine, it might still be running.
I worked a decade of my career for a company that provided us with cars to drive that they leased. We were able to purchase the cars at the end of the lease which was 2 years or 75,000 miles whichever came first at a huge discount. Most of us that bought the cars they drove did so because they were so cheap and so we did all of the required maintenance on them which the company also paid for. What was crazy was how many employees with free cars would also never do any maintenance on them at all. Not a single oil change from new until 75,000 miles. My point is none of those vehicles were ever burning oil excessively or having any issues at all. Would those engines have lasted another 100K miles? I would bet money on it that they would have if just continued to be driven. Did they have excessive wear and tear from lack of maintenance? Of course they did but those were extreme examples compared to the average car on the road. I Always wondered who ended up buying those that were completely unmaintained and returned to the leasing company for resale.
We are in 2024, so I'm not sure what relevance google results for 2010's have? My 2011 Z06 manual just says when the OLM tell you to change it or 1 year (no mileage requirement). The 2023 Corvette manual says to check the oil at 7,500 mi and change if necessary or at 1 year.
My owner's manuals for my '22 & '23 M vehicles both say 10k or 12 months. The service indicator may recommend changing it earlier depending on driving conditions. Obviously manufacturers' recommendations change over the years. Doubt it anything to do with BMW covering the regularly scheduled maintenance or Chevy not covering it.
Sigh….
the post I was replying too said their BMW oil change intervals were 7.5-10k miles not 12k or 15k but it only took 30 seconds for me find BMW oil change intervals of 12k - 15k miles.
I used 2010 because I had a 2010 M3 and it was the first car that popped into my head.
If you were driving BMWs when they first came out with full maintenance for 4 years or 50k miles every owner noticed how the recommend oil change intervals changed drastically from 3k - 5k miles to 12k - 15k miles. It was obvious BMW suddenly decided oil changes could be extended when they were paying for it. Of course some owners, many owners, said the 12k interval was to make the engine last as long as the warranty and kept to the old 3k - 5k miles….
There is a local BMW independent shop that does a great business replacing bearings in BMWs….
This was discussed at length on forums and in car magazines of the day…
The OLM indicated "Change Oil Soon" at 2,500 miles and about nine months on the clock. I found out that the OLM is based on time and not miles, so the 2,500-mile message seems unrealistic. Since this is the original oil, I'm going to change the oil and filter anyway. When changed I don't expect to change the oil again until the transmission service is due at two years or 7,500 miles whichever comes first. can the OLM be manually set to correspond with the mileage or every two years?
First my 1988, 1993 Vettes, stated in the owner's manual change oil at xxxx miles or 12 months whichever occurs 1st. For those with Garage Queens who think that is silly, the 1993 Owner's Manual before the OLM was in the corvettes added:
If most drivers are less than 4 miles change oil every 3000 miles or 3 months whichever occurs first! See below
You're changing every 12 months (or 3 months) NOT because the oil is worn out-it's contamination. The worst thing for oil and engine is cold starts where the pistons have not expanded form the 2500 combustion temps and big gap from piston to cylinder wall. Combustion blowby and some raw gas go into the oil. If that oil does not get hot enough long enough to evaporate most of the water of combustion it forms things like sulfuric acid that eats metal when parked! In fact, miles and time were poor indicators BUT all we had. The OLM considers many variables NOT just time and miles. For example, it monitors oil temp after cold starts and IF IT DOES NOT GET HOT ENOUGH LONG ENOUGH to evaporate most of the water of combustion it will shorten the 12 months to a lower time!
Yep use the very sophisticated OLM and forget I need to change at 2500 or 5000 miles because oil is cheap! Not so cheap anymore! 
the post I was replying too said their BMW oil change intervals were 7.5-10k miles not 12k or 15k but it only took 30 seconds for me find BMW oil change intervals of 12k - 15k miles.
I used 2010 because I had a 2010 M3 and it was the first car that popped into my head.
If you were driving BMWs when they first came out with full maintenance for 4 years or 50k miles every owner noticed how the recommend oil change intervals changed drastically from 3k - 5k miles to 12k - 15k miles. It was obvious BMW suddenly decided oil changes could be extended when they were paying for it. Of course some owners, many owners, said the 12k interval was to make the engine last as long as the warranty and kept to the old 3k - 5k miles….
There is a local BMW independent shop that does a great business replacing bearings in BMWs….
This was discussed at length on forums and in car magazines of the day…
As I indicated my BMW oil change intervals are 10k or annually, unless the vehicle indicates it's needed sooner. All required maintenance is still included & they go by when the vehicle indicates service is needed. They also change the oil at the 1,200 mi break-in service, so you're getting at least 4-5 free oil changes out of them going by the standard schedule.
After that I'll do my own service like I do on all my vehicles. Tbh, I read about as many repairs on Corvettes as I do BMWs, just like I do with Jeeps. Vehicles that have a very mod-heavy ownership are going to experience more mechanical issues.
GM only pays for 1 oil change so why their recommendation of 7,500 mi when it used to be simply when the OLM indicated it needed to be changed?
There is no stated requirement to change the oil at 7,500 miles in the manual
None of the Owner's Manuals ever say "change the oil at 7500 miles". The manual says every 7,500 miles to check the oil life and change the oil if needed. In later manuals, wording was added that strongly suggest that the max is 7,500 miles - but it just not explicit. The fact is, the manual say to go by the OLM. They do also say at least once a year, but as we know, time is included in the OLM - so it all boils down to the OLM.
04-20-2024, 11:43 AM
