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Car & Driver Long Term Shelby GT350

wltrmtty

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I have 20,000+ on mine and rarely add oil between changes. I took my first road trip when it had about 5,000 miles and it used about a quart every 800 miles and kind of scared me. It has leveled out, now, and doing well.
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Hack

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They identify the source of the premature wear, and hopefully replace the faulty or worn parts instead of having the engine grenade on them-that's what they do. I'd rather have some advanced warning from an oil analysis instead of at 150 mph down the front straight of my local race track.
Do you think Ford would be willing to do that under warranty?

One of the bigger reason for a lab report from BS is how far you can go on oil change interval. Blanket 3 or 5,000 mike oil changes are just dumb and wasteful. And no, it is not cheap insurance. These guys will tell you exactly how much life is left in your oil and make change interval recommendations. I didn’t send the factory fill in, but I’ll probably do another oil change at 4,000 on the oil to establish a baseline and see what they say. People say they’ll never go 5, 10, or XX Mike’s on an oil change. But unless you’re getting the supporting facts from these guys, it’s all just banter. Heck, my last report from BS on my ‘02 F150 showed safely going 15,000 on the oil with cSt, TBN, and TAN well within limits.
This is one reason why I wouldn't do an oil report. I would rather change the oil more frequently. I don't like the idea of extending the intervals. Not at all. Edit: maybe on an '02 F150 I would extend oil change intervals slightly. But even on an older "beater" vehicle I wouldn't extend them to 15,000 miles. And no, I'm not going to extend oil change intervals on anything that's in warranty and risk jeopardizing whether the manufacturer would still do the warranty work in the event of a failure. Even once the Voodoo is out of warranty I probably wouldn't extend oil change intervals. I change the air filter more frequently than the manufacturer recommends as well.
 

Ericc B

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Last time I had that kind of oil consumption I drove an Audi.
 

fpa1974

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I'm not sure how it relates to caring.

I thought "peace of mind" was a good explanation.

I still wonder what the people who get these analyses do if they don't like the results, though. Do you keep the car and feel annoyed? Do you change your driving habits? Sell the car? Do you tell the buyer?
Well, I will try to answer this.

I also have been owning a 02 M coupe for 16 years or so. It has the infamous S54 engine (one of the best 6 cylinder engines that BMW ever made IMO). The problem as you might know BMW had issues with these throwing rods through the block. They figured out the problem as connecting rod bearings and insufficiently spec-ed oil pumps. They had a recall out for E46 M3s (which share this engine). They never thought of us M coupe owners and gave us the runaround with a bunch of corporate BS explanations (just about 600 cars why would they care, right).
In any case I knew I would have the car for a long time. I was able to document 4 engine failures of M coupes within the 10 car range of my VIN. Basically my engine was produced right in the thick of the times when they had issues. I tried to talk BMW into doing it this way - they would not budge. I started doing oil analysis - they showed increased lead which shows that bearings were wearing more than normal - but BMW would not budge. I did this thing (oil analysis) every 1000 miles and after a few my copper started to go up as well (bearings had copper in them below the lead layer). That was the deciding factor for BMW to do a good will bearings and oil pump replacement on my car. So my persistence backed up with data payed off. I managed to avoid irreversible engine damage and keep the original engine in a car with high collectability potential.
 

Hack

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Well, I will try to answer this.

I also have been owning a 02 M coupe for 16 years or so. It has the infamous S54 engine (one of the best 6 cylinder engines that BMW ever made IMO). The problem as you might know BMW had issues with these throwing rods through the block. They figured out the problem as connecting rod bearings and insufficiently spec-ed oil pumps. They had a recall out for E46 M3s (which share this engine). They never thought of us M coupe owners and gave us the runaround with a bunch of corporate BS explanations (just about 600 cars why would they care, right).
In any case I knew I would have the car for a long time. I was able to document 4 engine failures of M coupes within the 10 car range of my VIN. Basically my engine was produced right in the thick of the times when they had issues. I tried to talk BMW into doing it this way - they would not budge. I started doing oil analysis - they showed increased lead which shows that bearings were wearing more than normal - but BMW would not budge. I did this thing (oil analysis) every 1000 miles and after a few my copper started to go up as well (bearings had copper in them below the lead layer). That was the deciding factor for BMW to do a good will bearings and oil pump replacement on my car. So my persistence backed up with data payed off. I managed to avoid irreversible engine damage and keep the original engine in a car with high collectability potential.
I can see where it paid off for you in that case. Impressive work. I don't think most people would have been able to accomplish what you did.
 

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Hack

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I'm really not understanding why it needs to turn into an argument.

oil analysis is nothing new. :shrug:
I thought it was a discussion. :cheers: I try not to completely close my mind and when other people think differently than I do I like to give them a chance to convince me I'm wrong. I hope you aren't offended by the fact that I have a different opinion than some others on the forum.

I see some good reasons for doing an oil analysis. I have to admit to curiosity about it. So far I'm not curious enough to purchase one, though.

Maybe when my car gets near the end of the warranty period I will send a sample in before I decide whether to sell/trade or not.
 

oldbmwfan

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I have done an oil analysis on the R at every change (2 so far). Mostly out of curiosity, and to have the data to prove that the expensive and high-strung engine is in good shape if/when I go to sell. And as noted above, to have early warning signs of issues that can be fixed (e.g., worn bottom end bearings) before they become really bad (spun bearing).

I change the oil by time on the R because it gets driven only a couple thousand miles/ year. On a DD, the value of extending oil changes is much higher and frankly as oil has improved, we waste a ton of it by changing prematurely. I don't bother with the analysis on my DDs, though. But none of them are very collectible or super high resale value or "nice." To each his own.
 

btown93

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I thought it was a discussion. :cheers: I try not to completely close my mind and when other people think differently than I do I like to give them a chance to convince me I'm wrong. I hope you aren't offended by the fact that I have a different opinion than some others on the forum.

I see some good reasons for doing an oil analysis. I have to admit to curiosity about it. So far I'm not curious enough to purchase one, though.

Maybe when my car gets near the end of the warranty period I will send a sample in before I decide whether to sell/trade or not.
You don't have to single me out as far as being offended. I do what I do, and nobody has to do it the same as someone else. I understand one school of thought is "why bother?" Since really, I mean there isn't much that can be done if there is an issue. I just know in my experience, that they have provided me with information (such as the coolant leak) that I wouldn't otherwise have. Also, Its nice to see the quantity of wear metals go down with each oil change. It's pretty much the only way to gauge the internal wear of the engine without dissassembly. To most, that's complete overkill, and I get it. Not to derail the topic, but Motorcraft 5W50 has been known to get thinner as time goes on. One example I will use is 2013 Mustang GT. Non-Track Pack 2013 mustang GT spec is 5W20 synthetic blend. Track Pack with the same engine spec is 5W50 synthetic, why? Its the same internal clearances! Any research on oil can lead down the rabbit hole. Ford Performacne Racing School is sponsored by Lucas. Do they use Lucas or Motorcraft? ;) I like having the results that backup what I believe in for my particular usage. Your view is that it is a complete waste and "BS"...there's nothing wrong with that at all. Oil discussions are just below politics and religion when it comes to controversial topics of discussion! :cheers:

EDIT: To [MENTION=26959]oldbmwfan[/MENTION] 's point, I usually also only change my oil once a year. If I'm not mistaken, most OEM's reccomend 6months. I've had results back with the lab telling me to wait a longer for the next change, even after a few thousands of miles and a couple track days.
 

Hack

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You don't have to single me out as far as being offended.
Here I thought I was replying to your comment asking why I'm turning it into an argument. Did I misunderstand your comment?

Your view is that it is a complete waste and "BS"...there's nothing wrong with that at all. Oil discussions are just below politics and religion when it comes to controversial topics of discussion! :cheers:
BS stands for BlackStone, but I admit it was a little tongue in cheek. Not sure I characterized it as a complete waste. Actually I'm fairly certain I didn't.

I agree oil can be controversial. I think your post is a good one, I'm just picking a few thoughts out that I have issues with.

EDIT: To [MENTION=26959]oldbmwfan[/MENTION] 's point, I usually also only change my oil once a year. If I'm not mistaken, most OEM's reccomend 6months. I've had results back with the lab telling me to wait a longer for the next change, even after a few thousands of miles and a couple track days.
I get it. My philosophy is to change oil more frequently on cars like the GT350, I think oil is fairly inexpensive and I'm not trying to get away with the dirtiest, most worn out oil that somebody with no liability tells me the engine can stand. I'm also definitely not going to ignore the manufacturer's service recommendations during the warranty period. And if you are tempted to ignore those recommendations I would encourage you NOT to post that info on the internet.

2 cents.
 

Zitrosounds

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I change once a year and after track sessions. All our other vehicles get service at their maintenance intervals. Both Audi's have oil life sensors and tell you when to service. The minivan, Toyota, has a mileage based notification. The 350 also has an IOLS, intelligent oil life sensor.
 

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btown93

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Here I thought I was replying to your comment asking why I'm turning it into an argument. Did I misunderstand your comment?

BS stands for BlackStone, but I admit it was a little tongue in cheek. Not sure I characterized it as a complete waste. Actually I'm fairly certain I didn't.

I agree oil can be controversial. I think your post is a good one, I'm just picking a few thoughts out that I have issues with.


I get it. My philosophy is to change oil more frequently on cars like the GT350, I think oil is fairly inexpensive and I'm not trying to get away with the dirtiest, most worn out oil that somebody with no liability tells me the engine can stand. I'm also definitely not going to ignore the manufacturer's service recommendations during the warranty period. And if you are tempted to ignore those recommendations I would encourage you NOT to post that info on the internet.

2 cents.
Understood on all points. I felt like you were taking a hard line on it and you had an answer for all reasons given by others as to why they do it. Another member likening it to bloodwork, and you shot it down like it was a bad comparison. I think it was a pretty good comparison. I would never advise going against mfg recomendations, but I will say that sometimes what is in the best interest of the OEM from a warranty standpoint might be diffrent than what we expect as the actual owner of the vehicle. For example, standard powertrain is 5yr/60k. Emissions, however can be 8yr/80k. :ford:
 

Bladex10

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This oil consumption thing is the thing that has completely made me do a 180 on buying a GT350. Last thing i want to do after dropping $45k-$50k(used) on a GT350 is having to check the oil every other drive like i had to do with my $700 1998 Corolla when i was 18. Its just something i'm having the most difficult time accepting.
 

Shift

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This oil consumption thing is the thing that has completely made me do a 180 on buying a GT350. Last thing i want to do after dropping $45k-$50k(used) on a GT350 is having to check the oil every other drive like i had to do with my $700 1998 Corolla when i was 18. Its just something i'm having the most difficult time accepting.
Honestly, it's just a routine now. I check it every couple weeks and keep it topped up. Any frustrations or worries go away when you press that red button and the engine roars to life. Small price to pay for such a fantastic car.
 

SVTinAR

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Damn Car & Driver - spreading fake news to sow dissention in current and future GT350 owners. Or maybe it was the Russians.
 

galaxy

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This oil consumption thing is the thing that has completely made me do a 180 on buying a GT350. Last thing i want to do after dropping $45k-$50k(used) on a GT350 is having to check the oil every other drive like i had to do with my $700 1998 Corolla when i was 18. Its just something i'm having the most difficult time accepting.
I figure your decision is false informed and you’ve let “forum syndrome” rule your decision. First off, if buying used (depending on mileage obviously), you should be able to get an idea if it’s using oil or not. Otherwise, how many documented (or even just forum complainers) cases are there of cars burning oil past your comfort level?? I probably know of ~20 dudes on the forums complaining about this. How many 350’s on the road? If there was only 2,000 350’s on the road, that’s 1% of the population with an oil problem. You’re going to let a 1% odd influence your decision on such an amazing piece of kit?? Really? Not me.
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