Synthetic vs Conventional Oil

[Dadio]

About the only reason why I'd use mineral oil is if it leaks badly or burns oil fast , in that case you are constantly refilling with good cheap fresh mineral oil so it never degrades much but it is a bit of an environmental disaster to run a car like that .

[limestang]

One additional thought. When deciding when to change oil, look at the condition of the oil on the dipstick. I’ve had some cars where the oil is still clear at 5000 miles and others where is very black and appears worn out. Car age, engine condition/tuning/mileage, driving pattern, usage, climate, calendar time, auto brand/model, and oil and filter quality all affect oil life.

- Limestang

[Basher67]

Chevys have a reminder on the digital odometer readout that reminds you to change the oil at preset mileage intervals. It doesn't sense dirty oil or anything. It's basically like an alarm clock telling you to change the oil at a set amount of mileage. You can reset it yourself pretty easy. If I remember right from my '06, you turn the key on and stomp on the accelerator a set number of times to reset it. Easy to find the sequence online.

[Halgar]

Yup, this thing has the "oil minder". The owner's manual says that it uses an algorithm to determine oil life base on driving and operating characteristics. I actually found the receipt for the last oil change, which was 2000 miles ago. The shop sticker in the window says the next is due in 1500 miles. I will be having every fluid changed this week, so I won't know if the "oil minder" is a set mileage or calculated until I go through a few change intervals.

Yes, key in run position and stomp the pedal 3 times to reset the oil minder.

Interesting side note, along with the mileage and trip odometer, there is also engine hours. I think I'm going to take note of engine hours at time of oil change intervals. A fairly meaningless data point, but one I'm interested to monitor for a while.

Again, thank you all for your input, I greatly appreciate it. Keep it coming if you got it.

[Halgar]

Update: I've decided to go synthetic because I think the benefits will outweigh the negatives. Thank you to everyone who offered advice, much appreciated.

[Coelacanth]

Since when did cars start telling you when to change the oil?

My '08 Torrent did that, it had a "oil change" idiot light that would come on at a specific odometer interval. I think all it was was an odometer countdown. When I brought in the car to have the oil changed, the mechanic would ask if I wanted him to reset the counter, but I could do that myself just by pressing an "Info" button on the dash computer until "Oil Interval" or something was displayed, then hold another button to reset it.

[TRX-1-3]

The oil life monitoring systems use various parameters to determine "bingo mileage" and these methods vary by manufacterer and have evolved somewhat since their introduction.

Some are mileage and / or time based only. Others incorporate algorithms that use inputs such as engine temps, revolutions, manifold pressures, etc. to determine how dirty the oil is based on how hard the engine has worked within the time since the last oil change. Some of the techniques for determining oil life also measure oil system back pressure to detect viscosity issues. Some even use conductivity as an indicator of the presence of water and other contaminates.

I have seen them trip at the manufacterer's interval or before. Never after.

FWIW...

[Halgar]

I have seen them trip at the manufacterer's interval or before. Never after.

FWIW...

That's what I see with the 02 Sierra I drive, I expect a similar scenario with the 03 Suburban that is the basis of this discussion.

I wonder, if there is wizardry behind the oil life function, if it goes off at the manufacturer's recommended interval and is reset without changing the oil if it will know.

[Halgar]

I'm happy to report that the 'burb came back from the mechanic with a clean bill of health. No surprises were found and all the maintenance is now up to date.