I'm coming up to 3000 miles on my 15 Connect. I'm old school and tend to think that 3000 is when I should change the oil and filter and check all the fluids. I know that the new vehicles have much longer service intervals, but I wonder at those long intervals. Any thoughts on the matter?

 

Everyone I've seen send oil test out for lab work shows that the modern oils generally are good well past 10k (the specific one I'm thinking was for an F150, but I know others have had similar results). I still change mine at 5k give or take, anything more than that is wasteful. Frankly 5k is wasteful unless you're doing extreme use, but I find 5k super easy to remember and I drive my car like a race car (which means I can just about keep up with traffic).

Consider this, both the motors and the oils themselves are better than they were before. If all the test come back showing there has been no adverse change to the oil at extended intervals, then why change them sooner?

 

Frantz;



Thank you, your sounds like good advice to me. I'll go with 5K; it's easy to remember and I live in a hot dusty area. I appreciate the help you've given me in my Transit connection.

 

@EvanBly

Every 10K, Technically serviced at 8,997 and we've just had our 20K, Technically serviced at 18,997..

 

Toaster;


You are doing it by the book, and probably the right way. I just have a hard time getting my mind around the notion of such long service intervals.


Part of that hard time is recognizing the precision of newer vehicles and feeling that keeping the lubes at peak quality is important. Part of that hard time is the fact that I live in a very hot and dusty desert environment.


In any event, I don't see how shorter service intervals would hurt (other then the extra cost). Also, I am not putting a lot of miles on my Connect and I harbor the perhaps incorrect assumption that idle fluids are the devils workshop.


As you can see, I just rationalize the heck out of my decisions.

 

Oil changes are cheaper than motors (-= Basically you're paying $800 over 200k for peace of mind (based on $40 a change)

 

@EvanBly

The only reason I'm doing those oil change intervals is because my warranty required that I do so.. but you're warranty or even your dealership might not have those type of plan. I'm just lucky when we bought the van.. nearly everything is covered and for life or as long as we own the van.
I'm sure there will be several who will attempt to debunk all warranty topics.. In our case the dealer we purchase the van from wasn't doing the oil change correctly.. 3 times they left the oil level less than then lowest hash mark. which isn't good in my book. But wasn't a big deal cause the next morning I checked and added 1/2 quart just to bring it up to a respectable level.

 

With the current generation of vehicles, most are equipped some sort of oil change indicator light. None, not one vehicle, is sophisticated enough to test the actual oil in your car and actually provide real time information as to the condition of your oil.



So the owners manual is the first point of reference. In almost every owners manual, there is a maintenance schedule. Driving conditions will vary. Maintenance schedules will differ.

You can trust the OEM estimate based upon your driving conditions for the oil that they spec.

Use an used oil analysis service to dial when to change your oil.

Simply pluck a number out of the air that is based upon "conventional wisdom", "what I've been told by", "XXXX miles is what I've always done on every car since the 1940's, and I always use 10W40 oil & a Fram filter"............whatever gives you peace of mind.

Follow whatever the sticker says at whichever lube shop does the work for you.

 

The extended life warranties are nice. They are offered by the dealer and its an exchange for lifetime service and the off chance the motor or transmission goes. Offers nice piece of mind and keeps customers coming in and staying fresh with sales etc. Really works out well for both parties IMO. I wish we offered it.

 

I suppose most of us are wondering if it is "safe" to wait for the oil change reminder to come on, before changing oil. I guess at one point, the lights were programmed to come on at every XXXX miles as suggested by the manufacturer. Of course, some of us fall into the "severe duty" category, so our oil will wear down faster. Is the current generation of Transit Connect sophisticated enough to use an algorithm based upon your driving, to determine when you need to change the oil? Or is it simply just a light that comes on every 7,500 - 10,000 miles?

 

My change-oil light came on at 3,000 miles. I asked the service representative about the low mileage and he hazard the guess that the light was coming on based on time rather than mileage. I suppose that makes sense, particular for the first change.

 

How long did it take for you to drive 3,000 miles? I see that you have a 2015 model year. The service writer may be correct. If you've driven the vehicle for a year, and only got 3K, then perhaps the vehicle's computer has decided that you need an oil change. Most of us would do the same with a vehicle that has barely been driven. It could be a part of the algorithm used to compute oil change. Time, operating conditions, and mileage all factor in.

 

I've had the TC a little less than a year. My wife and I share and use her Subaru for the long drives because she does not like the van. The van is a very low mileage vehicle.

 

@Evan

I seem to feel that you're regretting the purchase of the van. Several times you've commented to this effect.. In our home, if one doesn't like something, then we simply don't get it.. we both have to agree. If your TC is not within everyones line of thought, I would bite the bullet and send it back.. Like I've said in other post.. We've done it before and we'll prob do it again.. Yes, we're referred to as caraholics.. So there might come a day when we're driving something totally different..