oil capacity between your Honda and BMW?

I have done several oil analysis on recent synth oils. I think I did 3 analysis at blackstone. Bottom line - ignoring the feel good human editorial that they add to the analysis is that today's oils are fine for extended intervals in my car. I was experimenting with gradually extending the oil change interval on my chipped 1.8T jetta. Ended up going between 10-12k km between oil changes. Oil is in good shape additives are still present. Corrosive contamniants weren't an issue. This was on a car that's sump was only about 4L. I redline this car in the first 3 gears at least 2-4 times per day on my commute.

 

I was wondering about the EPA requirements that was mentioned previously....more of wondering what these new requirements are.

 

I also change my Oil + filter minimum once a year.. and probably every 6000-7000 km..

 

I did a quick google search, and couldn't find any EPA mandates requiring longer intervals... I did find that the EPA likes GM's oil interval monitor to lengthen oil changes....

The cynic side of me says that auto manufacturers are there to sell cars, so doing the best to prolong and keep your car after the warranty period expires isn't probably the best interest of the automakers.

The practical side of me says that I believe the oil manufacturers and that oils have progressed a fair bit since 'my dad's time', and longer oil change intervals are possible. Just FYI, my own dad isn't a car guy, and probably just topped up his oil, and didn't realize it needed to be changed (ok he wasn't that bad), but he kept all his vehicles a long time, and only got new ones because the old ones rusted out, and the AC quit working , or the interior rotted out because it was never vacuumed out etc - not because the engine quit working.

Of all the people I know in real life ( over half of em aren't car guys, but rather think of internal combustion vehicles as an appliance) , I haven't heard of an oil related failure ever. Maybe I should put a poll to my facebook friends and see anedoctally(sp) if such a thing does occur.

That being said, I'll probably change the 9L of oil in my boxster every 12-18 months depending on mileage.... On my daily driver vehicles, I'm comfortable going 10-12,000km (4-6 months) between changes with the standard 4.XL oil capacity.....

P

 

I think the EPA issue is reducing total US waste oil. Less oil changes per year = less waste oil recovery operations and I guess, *some* used oil just being dumped, (and we know that happens). Does the EPA care about P Car owners and what they think or how hard they drive or wear issues etc? Nope. So if your engine wears out at 150K instead of 200k - not their problem. I say it is - because broken and tired engines now need to be recycled sooner and that costs way more energy in the end. "Can't see down the road for that freaking huge hood ornament in the way mode"

 

Well one way to reduce the problem is to increase the price of oil, which nobody wants.

The fact is, we change our oil prematurely and rightfully so because we don't know its status. Oil is cheaper than an engine tear down plus parts.

I'm always amazed as to how cheap a gallon of synthetic is in the US...about $24; $42 here. In Europe it would easily be $100 or more. And an oil change at a dealer runs about $300 or more for a regular car.

 

+1