I'm probably going to get flamed for this by all you car buffs, but do I REALLY need to change the oil on my '03 Cavi EVERY 3,000 miles?? Because so far I have gone about 5,000 since the last change, and it doesn't look like it's used barely any oil. The car only has like 50,000 miles on it....
Anyway, just asking...oil changes are a pain in the butt. haha

Oh, that reminds me of this one time, at band camp...oh, wait (OK that was super lame huh) when I had my '96 Cavi which I took all the logos off of and took it to some crappy oil change place...well, anyway...a few days after I got that done I was sitting in traffic and my car starting smoking really bad from the engine and my from window got all greasy and it turned out the idiot thought my car was a freakin' Dodge Neon and somehow fit a Neon oil filter on my car...idiot..:banghead:

yes change you oil every 3000 miles. it's not whether it uses the oil, it's that the oil loses it's ability to lubricate as it thins out and breaks down. so you'll end up needin to replace that ecotec of your at quite a hefty cost. maintenance really isn't optional. you should get it changed ASAP! at 50000 miles you shouldn't be using any oil.

you should get it changed ASAP! at 50000 miles you shouldn't be using any oil.

you mean conventional oil right ? :lol2:

but yeah cavigirl..noshun's right..after 50,000 you shouldnt be using normal oil anymore..you should be using full synthetic to prolong the life of your engine..
by the way..you have an 03 with 50,000 miles on it ? thats alot for a car thats 2-3 years old isnt it ?

If a car "uses" oil, there is something wrong. Oil acts as a lubricant as well as a cleaner. It can trap dirt, carbon, fuel blow by, etc. All that junk over time reduces the effectiveness of the lubricating properties, leading to increased wear of your bearings and other friction parts.

There are no harden fast rules that say you MUST replace your oil every 3000 miles. Some synthetics or synthetic blends are suppose to last 5000, 7500, or 10,000 miles. I probably wouldn't go 10,000, but a quality oil in a well maintained vehicle should be able to go 5000 without too much difficulty. If you have bad seals, faulty rings, poor compression, etc then your oil may contaminant quicker requiring more frequent oil changes.

You can't accurately tell the quality of oil based off the color, smell, taste, etc of it. If you want to go extended intervals you really should get your oil tested. You can send a sample to Blackstone Labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas_engines.html). For $30 ($20 for the analysis, $10 for the TBN [described in link]), they can tell you what all you need to know about your oil. They will tell you how it's wearing, contaminants, how your engine is wearing, etc.

I am just a happy customer of them and always recommend them whenever oil discussion comes up. I've talked with them several times not only about my oil sample, but places to look for problems that cause specific conditions in my sample.

Thank you! I didn't know there was that much to oil (sorry-just a dumb blonde here!!). I think I'll take my car in this weekend for a change...

i never said you needed synthetic and you don't. you have an ecotec and unless you have some crazy power adders you wont benefit from synthetic. it will cost more than twice as much when it's not needed at all. the only ecotec's that say to use synth are the 2.0l fi version, in the ss/redline, saab 9-3, opel/vauxhall astra, opel speedster/vauxhall vxr220 other than that convntional oil is fine

its using the oil because as the oil thins because of wear because of not changing it on time your oil will start to burn off there is nothing wrong with the engine full synthetic is a joke at a great cost only use synthetic if its supercharged who ever said that is a dumb ass, and listens to their mechanic whos trying to make a quick buck on mark up you dont need synthetic in a four cylinder

running the oil low and scraping the bores or wearing the rings allows you to burn oil. My old Boss's silverado would burn about 2 quarts per tank of gas, that thing was fukked, still ran well mind

I have a hard time keeping up with my maintainance, I either forget or dont have any time (usually both). I dont go to 5000 miles but I have gone a little less than 4000. This time I put in Mobil 1 Clean 5000. Is it really good to 5000 miles?

It claims to be. Mobil Clean 5000 is dino oil, not synthetic. Clean 7500 is a synthetic blend. Mobil 1 is the pure synthetic and is suppose to be good for ~10K IIRC. My guess is that that teh 5000 have a few extra detergents then a "conventional" oil. Most oils, presuming that your engine is running well, should be able to go 4K without too much problem. That's where the oil analysis comes in and can give you hard data.

It looks like an oil test is really worth it, if you really want to know how much wear (aluminum, chrome, iron, tin) you have. Also it's nice to know if you have any anti-freeze in your oil as it can cause rapid wear.