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Either you have a car with an engine that was engineered in the 1970s, or you're getting seriously ripped off. If you look at what the people who sell motor oi

Either you have a car with an engine that was engineered in the 1970s, or you're getting seriously ripped off. If you look at what the people who sell motor oil recommend, it's 7500 to 10000 miles between oil changes. E.g. here: http://www.elf.com/en/advice-corner/synthetic-oil-faq/synthetic-oil-change-interval.html http://www.elf.com/en/advice-corner/synthetic-oil-faq/synthe... Some manufacturers are specifying 25k - 30k km these days And I do in fact change engine oil myself. Undo one bolt to drain, take off the filter and install a new one, refill oil. Takes 30 minutes including some time for having a beer while you wait for the last bit to drain. It's almost as easy as changing out your windshield wipers and refilling washer fluid. My point is, it makes zero sense to include basic stuff like this in a discussion on reliability.

DKnoll 8y ago
Most people take their car in to a service centre for even basic maintenance, which is why I mentioned it. Obviously a Tesla doesn't have engine oil, but it has other wear items. Since you do some basic maintenance yourself this easily explains why you take your vehicle in for service less. I refer to the maintenance schedule of the vehicle manufacturer, which specifies an interval much less than 30k km in most cases. I replace synthetic oil every 8k km. I was referring to the time interval in my previous comment which is max 6 months for synthetic. I am aware changing oil is easy. I do it myself during the summer months (I don't have a garage). My vehicle is from 2011 also.
- gamblor956 8y ago
  You're changing your oil way too frequently, unless you have a luxury car, in which case your vehicle's maintenance schedule is non-standard anyways and not really relevant to the discussion at hand.
  - DKnoll 8y ago
    I drive a Ford sedan from 2011.
    - gamblor956 8y ago
      As do I...You shouldn't be replacing your oil multiple times a year. Unless you drive a lot (i.e., 10k+ miles a year, meaning >27 miles/day every day of the year or >40 miles every work day of the year), you should be able to go 2-3 years between oil changes.
      - DKnoll 8y ago
        I do drive a fair bit, easily over 10k miles in a year. Changing oil frequently may sound like a ripoff but doing it on time helps you avoid more expensive service down the road. I've seen enough pictures of engines full of sludge because the owner thought he didn't have to change it. Beyond being preventative maintenance, it also improves fuel economy. Keep in mind that most people recommend changing synthetic oil every 6 months, even Edmunds.com which you mentioned earlier (ctrl+F '6 months', https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oil-change-truths/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oil-change-truths...)
        deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
        gamblor956 8y ago
        Edmunds doese not recommend every 6 months for synthetic oil, they took down that article after Scientific American posted it. They recommend oil changes based on a miles driven, or else when your car's oil monitoring system says the oil needs to be changed. (For example, Edmunds explicitly notes that a car like a Toyota Prius should only have its oil changed roughly once a year or roughly every 10,000 miles.) https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/when-should-you-change-your-oil.html https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/when-should-you-chan...
        DKnoll 8y ago
        They say this in the first paragraph: > follow the automaker's recommended service intervals. If I had a Prius I might change my oil every year. I instead follow the manufacturer (Ford) provided service schedule for my car. I have a feeling the 15 year old station wagon I commented regarding at the beginning of this thread is closer to my car than a Prius. Using a Prius maintenance schedule to be representative of the last 30 years of ICE cars doesn't make sense, you might as well compare with a lawn mower at that point.

DKnoll 8y ago

Most people take their car in to a service centre for even basic maintenance, which is why I mentioned it. Obviously a Tesla doesn't have engine oil, but it has other wear items. Since you do some basic maintenance yourself this easily explains why you take your vehicle in for service less. I refer to the maintenance schedule of the vehicle manufacturer, which specifies an interval much less than 30k km in most cases. I replace synthetic oil every 8k km. I was referring to the time interval in my previous comment which is max 6 months for synthetic. I am aware changing oil is easy. I do it myself during the summer months (I don't have a garage). My vehicle is from 2011 also.

gamblor956 8y ago
You're changing your oil way too frequently, unless you have a luxury car, in which case your vehicle's maintenance schedule is non-standard anyways and not really relevant to the discussion at hand.
- DKnoll 8y ago
  I drive a Ford sedan from 2011.
  - gamblor956 8y ago
    As do I...You shouldn't be replacing your oil multiple times a year. Unless you drive a lot (i.e., 10k+ miles a year, meaning >27 miles/day every day of the year or >40 miles every work day of the year), you should be able to go 2-3 years between oil changes.
    - DKnoll 8y ago
      I do drive a fair bit, easily over 10k miles in a year. Changing oil frequently may sound like a ripoff but doing it on time helps you avoid more expensive service down the road. I've seen enough pictures of engines full of sludge because the owner thought he didn't have to change it. Beyond being preventative maintenance, it also improves fuel economy. Keep in mind that most people recommend changing synthetic oil every 6 months, even Edmunds.com which you mentioned earlier (ctrl+F '6 months', https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oil-change-truths/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oil-change-truths...)
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - gamblor956 8y ago
        Edmunds doese not recommend every 6 months for synthetic oil, they took down that article after Scientific American posted it. They recommend oil changes based on a miles driven, or else when your car's oil monitoring system says the oil needs to be changed. (For example, Edmunds explicitly notes that a car like a Toyota Prius should only have its oil changed roughly once a year or roughly every 10,000 miles.) https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/when-should-you-change-your-oil.html https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/when-should-you-chan...
        DKnoll 8y ago
        They say this in the first paragraph: > follow the automaker's recommended service intervals. If I had a Prius I might change my oil every year. I instead follow the manufacturer (Ford) provided service schedule for my car. I have a feeling the 15 year old station wagon I commented regarding at the beginning of this thread is closer to my car than a Prius. Using a Prius maintenance schedule to be representative of the last 30 years of ICE cars doesn't make sense, you might as well compare with a lawn mower at that point.