We often get asked “How often should I change my engine oil?”
I would recommend oil changed every 5000kms. Why? Because you always want good, clean, fresh oil in the motor. The manufactures will tell you to do an oil change every 10,000 or even sometimes every 15,000kms. The reason they tell you this is because they want you to think the “COST OF OWNERSHIP” is low.
This is important for them and their vehicle sales.
In fact, several motoring groups publish a report on “Cost of Ownership” report and give a better score for cheaper ownership costs.
See these links for example: https://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring-services/buy-sell/buying-advice/car-operating-costs.htm https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html https://caa.ca/car_costs/
The problem with these reports are that many of us wish to hold on to the vehicle long AFTER the warranty period has expired and we care about the longevity of the engine well PAST the warranty stage. Running the il longer may save you money in the short term however the damage its doing to your engine will be significantly more than if you are running a good clean oil in the engine at all times.
So forget doing an oil change as per “the book”.
Take my word for it. Oil changes at 5000kms (or say 6000 if you forget or are too busy) means that you are giving the engine much better care.
You don’t have to do the filter every 5000kms. You can do that every 10,000 but do the oil every 5ooo. Your engine will love you for it.
The above is ESPECIALLY TRUE and applicable to the DPF equipped Ford Ranger PX2 / Mazda BT50 debate of why the turbo chargers are failing. Its oil change related. Changing the oil at 5000kms will stop the issue in its tracks. For those that do want a more aggressive turbo charger for more power on these Ford / Mazda we have a High Flow Garrett GT22 turbo with high flow billet compressor wheel and Hi Spec 360 Deg Thrust bearing as a DIRECT bolt in. No modifications necessary. Fitting this with our Remapped tune files and the car will get 30% more torque and do it safely. See here for more details: https://chiptuning.com.au/product/dpf-equipped-ford-px2-ranger-and-mazda-bt50-3-2ltr-turbo-upgrade/
As a side note: whenever I purchase a new vehicle (or rebuild an engine), I will drive to a nice country road and DRIVE THE ENGINE HARD. This high pressure behind rings forces the rings to scratch the cross hatch patterns in the new bores and helps to bed the rings in to create a better seal. A better seal holds more combustion pressure in the combustion chamber and drives the piston down harder. This procedure lends itself to having the engine develop the most horse-power throughout the life of the engine.
The full procedure is as follows: Rev the engine through the gears to just before red line and back off in forth, letting the revs drop down slowly. In an auto you would hold in 3rd or 4th gear. This draws oil up to the rings to lubricate the bore and wash away the metal filings that are coming off the rings.
After 60kms of this vigorous driving I would go back to the dealer (or the shop) and change the engine oil and filter. I do this because MOST of the wear to bed the rings in (and other parts) will happen in the first few kms. If you wish to totally anal repeat this again.
In doing this you will 100% get more power and better fuel economy from your pride and joy.
I get asked at this point “why don’t the manufacturers tell you to do this in the owner’s manual?” The reason they don’t is because you can imagine the law suits they would get if the told all new customers to drive fast and hard. Any one crashing their car because they drove silly around town etc would say “But they told me to do it”.
You now have the knowledge. Drive carefully and enjoy your motoring.