$1? the walmart here sells them @27 for the extended life and 21 for the regular mobil 1

 

what!? oil goes through thermal and chemical breakdown. Synthetics resist this much better than conventional, but they still break down over time. Oil filters don't go bad. They plug. First, the oil breaks down and creates sludge, then your filter plugs. The filter will plug with sludge or engine debris due to sludge or a combination of both. But it's the oil going bad that preceeds a filter plugging.

 

Agreed. I dont care what they say.....oil breakdown is also accelerated by blowby fuel vapors into the oil. Every car, especially turbocharged cars have blowby. If I am getting fuel in the oil and thats part of the idea behind changing oil (cause fuel doesnt lubricate), then I am changing mine every 2-3K!

 

I think we all know this. The question is, just how much longer do synthetics resist break down? Or in this case, how much longer can M1 last over conventional oils?

FWIW, I go 4000k before change. My previous E46 M3 only had the change done when the computer called for it. Ends up being around 15k miles. Seems to be a typical BMW thing.

Regardless, until someone throws up some real empirical evidence we are all speculating and regurgitating what we read on the interweb.

The fuel blowby is something I've never considered before. Does the fuel not vaporize from the oil once it's up to running temps? Water does.

 

I agree it is an overkill, but I floss my teeth twice a day too - is that also an overkill?

As far as the Moble 1 syn vs Mobile 1 supersyn, if the only difference is the duration of performance and not the quality, then it is a waste of money if you change oil often

 

I’ll stick with the regular Mobil synthetic

 

FWIW I got the oil from my third oil change analyzed by Blackstone Labs. The car modifications consisted only of an Xede, the oil was used for 5.5-6k, and the car was probably "flogged" hard during those miles. The oil was fine* and they said to continue to use the same oil change interval.

*Viscosity was tested at 56.5 but should have been 59.

 

Sweet!

Glad to hear someone respond back with some hard data!

It's a shame to hear some peeps spewing off info on message boards regarding oil change intervals when they have no basis to back up their theories...at least here, numbers don't lie

What did the rest of your UOA look like, if you don't mind me asking?

 

We have all speculated about the longevity of the oil, but if the hard data shows a 5K interval is acceptable, that's what I'd go with. Unless you are racing and really pushing the car all the time, why waste the money? I think the marketing at Jiffylube really works, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

Doesn't anyone really "check" their oil anymore? You can tell when your oil needs a change by looking at it, rubbing it between your fingers, and smelling it. Don't be scared

 

Test - Should Be - Were
SUS Viscosity 59-68 56.6
Flash Point >365 370
Fuel <2.0 <.5
Antifreeze 0 0
Water <.1 0
Insolubles <.6 .3

Comments: We are still seeing signs of wear-in from your engine at 13,500 miles, so we wouldn't suggest too many oil use miles until all signs of wear-in are past. Universal averages show typical wear metals for an oil from this type of engine after about 2,875 miles run on the oil. Your oil was in use nearly twice those miles, and we found all wear generally above average, as expected. Air and oil filtration appear normal. This oil was low in viscosity for a 10W/30. There was no gas or anti-freeze in the oil. The TBN was 4.8, so active additive still remains. Stay @ 5,000 next oil.


I still find it odd the engine had signs of wear-in at 13,500 miles. I had hoped to do another analysis around 25,000 miles but did not get a chance. The car has >35,000 miles now, sporting cams + exhaust the last 15,000-20,000 miles. Next time I change the oil I will send another sample for analysis, I am quite curious.

 

Yeah take a sniff of your oil after ~4K-5K..smells like gas...

 

I hope you are joking -- testing oil by rubbing it between your fingers ...Old school . As a habit, we should check oil (level) every gas fill-up.

Just change the oil every 3.5K - 5K and run synthetic oil. There have been many studies done that indicate it can last longer and be fine, but frequent changes are a form of cheap insurance...

PS -- love all your posts about our Civil Servants

 

If they had something to do besides pull U-turns in the middle of the road or jump out of driveways to follow me, or do things like turn off their headlights, tail me, and then shine their search light in my rearview in an attempt to scare the crap out of me and make me do something wrong so they could pull me over...I might change my sig. Everyone is always like "most cops are cool" and maybe they are, but not to me or my car...

Cops love to follow me and try to get me to do things wrong. One time a cop follwed me, saw I was doing nothing wrong, pulled in front of me, slammed on his brakes, switched lanes, slowed down, got behind me again and turned on his lights. I asked him why he pulled me over, and he said because I was tailgating him...he "let me off" with just a warning but next time I shouldn't tailgate police cars...yeah thanks for the abuse. I hope they know that people can only take so much and molotov cocktails aren't difficult to make...