Curious about oil life

[Vlad Soare]

Fresh oil has a pretty good shelf life, but used oil doesn't. Once you've started using it, from that point on it will slowly break down whether you drive the car or not. Hence the one year limit.

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[WildHorse]

Break in factory oil the computer switches after X miles break in, also delivering the full power spec.

LOL. You have all power even with 2 miles on the clock.

 

[Postal Bob]

Here’s how the oil life monitor works, per the shop manual:

The timer also counts down as the car sits. So for those wondering why their Oil Life Monitor is saying you need an oil change when you have only driven 500 miles since last oil change BUT the car has been in the garage for 6 months consecutively... The above is your answer.

Correct. The oil life monitor considers time, mileage, and how the car is driven. When I'm driving my car in the high(7K-8K) rpm range, I've noticed the oil life depreciates much faster. Along with it slowly decreasing during it's winter storage.

 

[JK XLR8]

Oh no.....so the first 1000 miles I shouldn't have beaten on the car?

 

[masterblaster]

It's well documented that vehicles make more power and become faster after break-in. This is due to clearances in engine and drivetrain opening up in bearings, gears and piston rings wearing in making a better seal. The computer doesn't limit anything at least in Ford cars. Factory boosted is another story as they can and will limit power/boost during first 1000 miles or so(think GT500).

 

[Ninpop9]

Not properly braking in any vehicle can cause problems like the coyote tick (I'm a strong believer this is due to bad break in procedure combined with bad oil) and the burning of oil over time.

As for oil change intervals I don't follow the maintenance lights I'm a controversial believer in the 3k or 3 months interval especially if you don't drive a lot of miles.

 

[Balatgek1]

I was told it takes off like 2% of oil life per week even if you haven't drove the car at all.

Mine took off 33% @ 1.65% a week while garaged for a 20-week hibernation.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Mine took off 33% @ 1.65% a week while garaged for a 20-week hibernation.

That makes 85% a year if you were not to drive the car at all. Sounds about right and confirms the basic rule that the oil should be changed yearly regardless of the number of miles driven.

 

[glockholiday]

I change the oil every 5000 miles. From 25K to 30K miles the oil life monitor went from 100% to 39% with average driving. However when I first bought the car at 21K with a fresh oil change and 100% on the monitor I drove the shit out of it and at 25K only 4K miles on the oil it was at 25%. So yes it takes into consideration how hard you drive it.

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