1st oil change vs Current mileage

[Unbridled5.0]

I somehow got caught in the oil algorithm on yt yesterday and am now curious as to when you guys did your 1st oil changes, and how many miles you are at today? Did you do your's right away (like 500mi), when the oil life monitor told you to, or 5k miles etc?

If you'd like to add your oil and filter choices and change intervals, how the car is used (daily, track toy etc), boosted or not , or anything relating to the health of the engine so far, please feel free. Just trying to roughly gauge where we are at now with the durability of these engines vs when the 1st oil change was done. A quick search didn't turn up anything this specific or recent. Thank you to anyone who shares some data!

I wish I would have done one sooner, but I think like a lot of people who aren't super privy on oil analysis and micro particles, I just went to 5k to keep it simple and, I thought, keep it conservative. I'm at 19k and everything seems great so far, it doesn't use oil, and using just half a bottle of ceratec eliminated the tick. It's silky smooth and quiet now and I'm 110% satisfied with it today, but can I count on that way down the line? Has the yt made me paranoid?

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[RowdyRam]

You're going to get some interesting answers on this topic, and possibly some heated debates.

I definitely erred on the side of caution and changed mine at 1K, then again at 5K. Every 5K after that, or every year, depending on which comes first. I do it with every new vehicle I've purchased.

On edit:
2022 Mustang GT - bought new, currently has 5500 miles, oil change at 1K, 5K.
2020 Toyota Highlander 6cyl - bought new, currently has 80K miles, oil change at 1K and every 5K after that.
2025 GMC 2500 Duramax - bought new, currently has 12K miles, oil change at 1K, 5K, 10K.
1972 Cutlass - inherited, close to 10K on engine rebuild, oil change at 500 miles (per the engine builder), then once a year. Prior to rebuild due to low compression on 1 cylinder, engine had ~265K miles and was maintained with yearly or 5K mile oil changes, whichever came first.

I've used various brands of oil, always the correct weight, same intervals, never had an oil-related issue with any of them or any previous vehicle.

 

[2020 MagneticPP1]

Brand new vehicle -after 1000 miles.

Used vehicle - right away, I don't trust ANY dealer, on whether they actually did it or what crap oil they may have used.

During ownership, I do mine every 5k miles or 5 months, whichever comes first.

Daily, and spirited driving lol. I only use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30, with Motorcraft filter.

 

[robvas]

Oil isn't going to magically go bad in a year or even two, it's mileage/use. If only drive 2-3k a year you shouldn't have to change it just because it's been a year, or 6 months, or whatever. You can send it out to prove that it hasn't 'gone acidic' if you want. 5-6k is a good interval for how a lot of people drive. If you really beat the hell out of it, you might do 3k.

But, depending on your driving, engine condition, you might have different intervals. If for some reason you have lots of fuel/water in your oil, you will want to change it. I'm amazed at how long mine stays clean/almost clear even boosted (and I'm aware you can't judge you oil just by how it looks)

 

[Unbridled5.0]

*Please include your current mileage, guys.

This thread isn't meant to be about oil preference/changes. This is strictly meant to be about durability over the long haul vs. when your first oil change was done.

In other words, please only add data to this thread if you are the original owner and/or know without question it's full service history. Thanks.

 

[T Fades]

'23 Base GT here, owned since new. Car currently only has 3k miles.

Did my first oil change at 500m. I have been changing it since about every 7-8 months, which turned out to only be about every 800 miles each interval.

Oil changes are NOT just about use, but also with time. The car's oil usage % drops with use AND time. I have never gotten close to 3k between oil changes, and the usage % will be 15-20% life left after 8 months (for my car). I'm pretty sure the engineers at Ford know what they are doing.

 

[robvas]

Oil changes are NOT just about use, but also with time. The car's oil usage % drops with use AND time. I have never gotten close to 3k between oil changes, and the usage % will be 15-20% life left after 8 months (for my car).

The oil life meter runs on time but the oil itself isn't going bad in 6 months or even a year with only 3k miles on it.

I always wonder what people thing magically happens after 1 year to their oil that they have to change it even though they only have a couple thousand miles on it.

I'm pretty sure the engineers at Ford know what they are doing.

Some of them do...but the engineers don't run the show. Bean counters, marketing, dealerships, everyone has a hand in it.

Those same engineers walked back their 5W20 oil recommendations. They also say your 10R80 never needs the fluid changed. So on and so forth.

 

[T Fades]

mt82 here fwiw

Every fluid needs to be changed. When they say some fluids are lifetime, they mean life of the warranty. All fluids will break down from their intended formula.

Oil is not only for lubrication, but also for cleaning. There are additives that degrade over time. A car like mine that doesn't get driven often can collect moisture. A good OCI can and will keep the properties of the oil strong.

 

[LCK22GT]

I haven’t bought a brand new car in over twenty years. Back when I did, I’d do the first oil change between 500 and 1000.

All I buy now are low mileage late models. I do an oil change within a week or two just for peace of mind and establishing my own start point.

On this car I change it roughly at 3,000 miles, which makes it about twice per driving season. I think 6,000 would be pushing it because I like to run it hard frequently.

 

[Justpassingas]

21GT that I took delivery late March 2021 Mileage is currently at 81,536.

All oil changes are done by dealer using Motorcraft 5w30 synthetic blend.

Upon delivery I took several road trips and had over 40k after 2 years.

First oil change was at 6300 and most oil changes now are at 5k although one change was over 8k due to an extended road trip

Engine is using a 1/2 - 1 quart between changes.

Only issue I’m dealing with is CEL
Code P420. My mechanic said something about the catalytic converter so I’m trying a couple tanks of Cataclean and see what happens. Other then that it runs as expected.

 

[Zrussian13]

Yes it made you paranoid lol. I did my first around 5k and everyone after that around 5k until I boosted it around 48k miles. Swapped to 4k intervals. Engine ran strong up to 96k miles when I botched a spark plug change and trashed cylinder 3. Went 4k on the new engine in between changes again and up'd the boost. 126k on the car now still going strong. On the first Engine I heard the BBQ tick about 5 times ever. Only in echoy parking garages but it almost never happened and was very quiet when it did. New motor hasn't ticked yet. No oil consumption on either engine.

 

[MAGS1]

Took delivery of mine with 5 factory miles in September 2022. I did the first oil change around 1,500 miles, which was about 4 months after I took delivery. My car came low on trans fluid from factory (not uncommon), so I had the dealer do an oil change as long as they were filling the trans fluid. Otherwise, I probably would’ve waited until around 3k miles for the first change. Every 3-5k miles after that, which usually ends up being twice a year for me. Mileage is currently a little over 25k.

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