Oil life indicator

I would never run an engine with dino oil more than 5k miles. Depending on driving habits: IMO, change the dino oil every 3k-5k. Change the full syn oil every 10k, with possibly a filter change every 5k.

I wouldnt run ANY oil or engine longer than that without a change. Oil is cheap. Stupidity isnt.

Forget the silly broken gadgets. 3000 miles or 6 months whichever is sooner. GMs are not built well enough for less and the damage it can cause makes oil cheap. And change the filter every time.

GM dealers love it when those things fail.

The biggest rip off of the oil companies and sellers is the 3000 mile oil change. I've never had an engine failure by following the manufacturer's recommendation, usually 7500 miles. In your case, driving mostly highway miles in normal temperatures, the oil life can easily go much more.

The long running of your engine keeps the excessive moisture out, good filtration and moderate speeds makes for long oil and long engine life. GM spent a lot of money to develop the indicator. Use it.

That may have been true in the days of leaded gas, and poor engine temp controls.

I can remember 3000 mile oil changes where the oil came out looking like tar.

My 2002 BUICK had an "oil change" light" Every dipstick check showed the oil as clear and golden as the day it was put in.

The light finally came on at 5K..... and the changed oil still looked like brand new.

My new KIA ( Hyundai 2.0 engine ) has a recommended oil change of 7500 miles.

Automotive stuff is improving ! ( and you don't even have to lube the ball joints any more )

Thanks to all that provided an informative reply!

An oil life monitor is no more a "silly broken gadget" than a Mitutoyo one inch micrometer is.

IIRC, 6 months is exactly what GM recommends if for some reason the oil monitor is inadvertently not reset correctly.

Thing is; most of what GM is known for doing badly has nothing to do with internally lubricated parts.

The "dealer" has nothing to do with the implementation of oil life monitors on the current GM offerings.

I'm driving a 2007 Cobalt with the four cylinder engine, auto. Its never had anything but synthetic Mobil 1 High Endurance oil in it, and I drive 82 highway miles everyday, 5 days a week. I put about 24,000 miles a year on a car. The only time during those trips that my speed is below 60 mph is the last mile between the four lane and work. City driving is rare, and its a 10 mile hiway drive to my local tiny town anyway. This oil change has 11,000 miles on it, and the oil life indicator says I have 10% left. The oil is good for 15,000 miles, according to Mobil. If I remember correctly, my owners manual says to use a synthetic oil, 5w30. Bottom line, IMHO, switch to a better grade of oil, if you're going to go by the indicator. If you stay with dino oil, ignore the indicator and change it every 5000 miles. And remember, the oil change people make their money off your regular oil changes, so their advice may be suspect. PS..I love my 34 mpg Cobalt! Wish it came in a Maxx version. YMMV

Klaatu

How often does GM say you should change your oil? They warranty your car.

It is when they go off late or early. Had one go off once in just 100 miles after the change. The droid forget to reset it and the last change.

I always just follow a fixed rule, change it before the manufacture says so by the sooner of time or distance.

If it gives the engine 30,000 miles extra by the time it is dead or burning oil the few extra changes it gets will be a trivial cost.

Not directly, but I am sure they have profited from engine repairs when the owners are not paying attention and they fail.

So it was the "gadget" operator that was broken, not the gadget itself.

Which according to your above account happens to be within 100 miles of what the "gadget" alerted to. Doesn't sound broken to me.

Wow, imagine that... someone opens a business and charges for a product AND makes a profit. A bit at odds with your objections to GM receiving bail-out money isn't it?

Could be both.

How so? Sell a POC, it dies, dealer profits. Smart customers move on. GM fails because people will not pay top dollar for a POC.

Bring on Tata... $4,000 and goes further than a Volt at 10 times the price.

But you do every 5000 as you don't want the risk. And less waranty arugments.

In 200,000 miles in say 10 years of driving, that works out to 26.66 oil changes instead of 40. Say 14 oil changes saved.

At a high rate of $50 per that amounts to $700. Or $70 a year. Small insurance to avoid a $3000 full motor job or burning a quart every 7500 for 80,000 miles.

Mind you, will a GM today make 200,000 miles? A Volt will surely not, not at least without a few expensive battery replacements. The batteries will not take that many charge/discharge cycles be they lead-acid or lithium.

What could be both? Your statement makes no sense.

Why should the dealer or anyone else be responsible because the owners aren't paying attention?

This has nothing to do with the premise you offered. GMs oil life monitor is not a POC. Regardless of what you may think about the rest of their vehicles, the oil life monitor is based upon sound engineering.

What does the Volt have to do with any of this? AFAIK, they aren't even on the roads yet.

Carbon/water unit didn't notice the electronic unit was not working.

You said that it come on 100 miles later. The carbon/water unit saw it on. How is that "not working?"

Once again our friend Canuck57 is telling us the sky is falling LOL

Once again our friend Canuck57 is telling us the sky is falling LOL