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Originally Posted by ScarabEpic22
On a brand new engine, which yours is, I never go past 500mi, yes 500.
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It is true (and seems intuitively obvious) that most engine wear occurs at the very beginning of its life, and gradually decreases. Parts are manufactured to within tolerances, and wear themselves down to a good fit only through actual use. Back in the old days, when achievable tolerances on parts were pretty wide, engines shipped with "break-in oil," which contained abrasives(!) to accelerate this wear-in process. It was ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL to change out that oil after the first 500 miles. They quit doing that, but 500 remained a rule of thumb for the first oil change interval for years, and still is for old farts like me (but then, I thermal cycle a brand new engine before I even drive it anywhere, so just call me paranoid).
It's not strictly necessary -- if it were, the owner's manual would say so. Modern engine manufacturing processes produce parts to within such tight tolerances that there is very little "wearing in" to be done -- the engine internals fit together almost perfectly upon assembly. Almost. There is likely some wear going on, which means some wear metals in suspension in the oil (some of which will be trapped by the oil filter; some won't).
Personally, I change the oil AND FILTER at 500 miles on a new engine, then 2K, 5K, and 8K -- and go from there to 3-6K intervals, depending on driving conditions. It may be overkill, but it can't hurt (at worst it's just a waste of money, and this is relatively cheap dino oil; I switch to synthetics at ~20K, and go to 6-8K change intervals). At best, the practice is physically removing wear metals that may cause wear, clog passages, and otherwise harm the engine. You can cut the filter open and/or install a magnetic drain plug and/or pay some lab to analyze the old oil to monitor the level of wear metal, but IMHO it's just easier to assume the worst and change the oil a few extra times.
Tim -- CHANGE YOUR OIL!
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