quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

The industry considers the Chevy Blazer and most large truck framed SUVs as a truck when they describe sales figures. You can bet there is a reason to do so.

One of the reasons why the auto industry considers SUVs to be trucks is that by qualifying as trucks for the EPA , they do not have to meet the same air quality standards or fuel economy standards as cars do. I’m sure that there may be other reasons also, but the bottom line is that the companies that build these vehicles definitely consider them to be trucks. That is aside from the obvious weight and construction details of these vehicles.

Hello All,
A very definite non-mechanic here, but I was always taught to change oil with the 3000 mile concept.
At work, we have a fellow who uses the synthetic old and loves it, but…he has said, (probably a
myth) that once you start using the synthetic, it is bad for the vehicle to go back to regular oil.
I repeat, it is probably a myth.
I am a bad boy and have went 10,000 miles before an oil change.
That was in my youth…well, up into my 40’s.[:I]
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

The industry considers the Chevy Blazer and most large truck framed SUVs as a truck when they describe sales figures. You can bet there is a reason to do so.

My "3000 mile Oil Change" mentality comes from the constant reminder of my step-father who hammered me with the concept all of our lives together. He did it religiously (being an Accountant) as part of his well-organized and ‘everything has a time and a place’ type of life. I accepted that, while not quite in the same well-organized lifestyle.

ALSO much of my Adult driving life has been in the High Desert of SoCal. Even today less than 50% of the streets within the town where we lived in California are paved. I roared around the backroads of Cajon Pass for years….and even "mowed the weeds" in my ‘yards’ there by dragging a couple of railroad ties behind my Explorer a couple of times a year. Sometimes it took a couple of days for the dust to settle, much less get the truck cleaned up ! So It has been easy for me to maintain the 3000 mile change philosophy. I don’t think Ford’s or Toyota’s descriptor of "Heavy Duty" or "Extreme Conditions" even begins to cover those High Desert Driving habits.
Now that I am a sedate elderly driver,(like Seafarer) I could probably stretch those numbers a bit…but what the hell. A habit is a Habit. Here in the green-belt of the Ohio Valley we still follow the ‘old ways’.[8D]

The State argues that SUVs, such as the Blazer,  are vehicles designed for carrying passengers, rather than vehicles designed or used primarily for the transportation of property. Appellee s Br. p. 4. Specifically, the State points out that in a decision interpreting Georgia s seatbelt statute which is nearly identical to Indiana s the Georgia Court of Appeals held that SUVs were not trucks. Crosby v. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., 524 S.E.2d 313, 321-22 (Ga. Ct. App. 1999), rev d on other grounds, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. v. Crosby, 543 S.E.2d 21 (Ga. 2001). The Georgia Court of Appeals held as follows:
While SUVs have a pickup truck chassis, the body is that of a passenger vehicle, fitting the definition of  passenger car in terms of passenger capacity.  Truck means every motor vehicle designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. Thus, SUVs more closely fit the definition of a  passenger car than a  truck and replace most station wagons as dual purpose vehicles.

quote:

Originally posted by fpczyz

quote:

roossy90 Posted – 09/09/2006 : 13:19:12
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My truck is 2002 Blazer with 69K miles.

Your Blazer is a truck??………. I didn’t know the Chevy Blazer made a truck.

Since the Blazer is a truck-based SUV, I would say that it is more accurate to call it a truck than to call it a car. It shares a body-on-frame design with one model of Chevrolet pick-up, if I recall correctly.

quote:

roossy90 Posted – 09/09/2006 : 13:19:12
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My truck is 2002 Blazer with 69K miles.

Your Blazer is a truck??………. I didn’t know the Chevy Blazer made a truck.

As for 3,000 miles or not. If the oil looks clean the engine is staying clean without sludge buildup. 3,000 mile intervals seem to mostly do that and you might question if you need that change when the oil looks clean. Start out that way and your oil stays clean. Once you slack off and start building up sludge your oil will always be contaminated from the day you put it in. Again, it is a longevity thing. If you desire to keep a car for a long time frequent oil changes are a good thing.

I would guess that on Cartalk.com you would not have to ask. I bet if you just searched their archives you would find plenty of discussion on this subject. It comes up in every auto specific thread I ever read. I usually seek out a message board for any new auto I buy and hang with it for a year or so or until newer models start leaving me in the dust of my concerns.

I’ve always viewed 3k mile oil changes like bottled water. I know I need some water each day, but I didn’t know exactly how much I needed until they started selling it…now "they" remind me every day.

If my memory serves me (and it may not), the recommendations for oil changes more often than 7500-10k was for extreme conditions, heavy use, and some specialty vehicles.

Then between the advent of the quick oil change shop and dealerships fighting other lost income on the lower maintenance vehicles…suddenly every 3k was the new deal.

I’ve never used synthetics and probably never will. In my 20+ years around the auto business, I’ve never heard a mechanic say I should…but many service writers have tried to sell me on it.

If you want opinions from people who are more mechanically oriented than most of the members of this board, you should go to:

http://www.cartalk.com/board/postlist

You must register (an easy task) in order to post a question. Your specific question comes up at least once a week on that board, and if the members aren’t too bored by the repetition, you will probably get at least a dozen responses–one of which might be mine, as I am a long-term member of that board.

As to a consensus, you might as well forget about that. Out of a dozen responses, you will likely get opinions that represent at least four different points of view, and each person will be totally convinced that his opinion is The Gospel on the topic of conventional vs. synthetic oil. Much of this comes down to personal preferences, rather than a quantifiable, scientific certainty.

I plan on keeping my 05 Toyota Avalon for about 6 years. I drive 15 miles each way to and from work, about 2/3rd of that is at 75 – 80 mph on the freeway.

I use synthetic Mobil 1 for the better lubrication and extended drain interval. I change my oil and filter every 5k.

The most important thing to do is change the oil and filter regularly.

MikeS.

I second Tedbear’s recommendation. I try for 3000 miles, but often run past the point and get closer to 3500 before finding time to do it. That is well within the Owner’s Manual recommendations . I do use 10-30 weight ‘regular’ oil and try to stay with the same brand each time. Wally World does just fine at keeping things clean and lubed for me.

I do use Syn-blend oils in my tractor and mower as they tend to get done once a season and need the extra-lube factors in that extended period.(do it yourself changes for them)

If you change your oil and your oil filter every 3,000-4,000 miles, it would be pretty much insane to use synthetic oil, since it costs so much more than conventional "dino" oil. My suggestion is that synthetic oil is only necessary if:

*The manufacturer specifies it (as with VWs)
*You plan to keep the vehicle for many, many years
*You only want to change the oil every 7,000-10,000 miles
*You live in an extremely cold region, where the viscosity of synthetic oil gives superior protection upon engine start-up

The conventional motor oils today are far superior to those of years ago. If your normal driving routine includes mostly trips of over 5 miles each time the engine is started, then you can safely go 4,000-5,000 miles between changes of conventional oil.

Personally, I prefer to change my oil every 3,000-4,000 miles, just to get the contaminants out, and to get oil with fresh additives into the crankcase. I use Valvoline conventional motor oil, and I am very satisfied with it. On the other hand, if I lived in Alaska, or planned to keep my car for 20 years, or if the manufacturer specified it, I would opt for the very expensive synthetic oil.

The blends, in my opinion, are a rip-off, as they contain very little synthetic oil. Go with "dino" or with synthetic–if conditions warrant it.

What ever the dealer puts in my Nissan Titan pickup. I don’t know. I just have it changed every 3,000 miles. I prepaid and calculated as long as I adhere to 3,000 miles I will come out way ahead.

On my Mercedes diesel campervan synthetic is required. It will be a while before I change it. Oil change intervals are 10,000 miles.

Synthetics are better and costlier but more important is frequent oil changes. If you change every 3,000 miles your oil is going to stay clean and I think regular oil would be fine. I don’t think blends offer much other than maybe put good feelings in your mind that you think you are doing something better and still saving a little money.

The other consideration is selfish. If you are the type to keep an auto forever, do the best. If you turn it over in less than 3 years do the minimum. You will most likely not suffer the consequences. I rarely keep an auto more than 3 years but still religiously change the oil.