I have a 2006 GMC Canyon 4 wheel drive,4-door pickup, with the 5 cylinder engine. This is the vehicle that we use as a toad to pull behind the Barth. The truck has 196,000 miles on the odometer and has been towed about another 25,000 miles that are not recorded on the odometer. The truck has been dependable and has never had any engine work done on it.

That's the background information, now the question. I have changed oil at approximately 5,000 mile intervals since owning the truck. I know all of the quick oil change service stores recommend and push 3,000 mile intervals, but I really think with modern lubricants and filters that is simply throwing away money. Since I have changed oil before the "CHANGE OIL" message appeared I never knew what interval the computer would ask for an oil change. I decided to find out so the last couple of oil changes, I DID NOT reset the oil life on the computer. On a trip to Pennsylvania
last week the oil change message came on. 12,365 MILES!!!!! REASONABLE!!!!! SAFE!!!!! Maybe they haven't heard Rusty's lecture on "oil is cheaper than metal"

Nick

"Oil's cheaper than onboard computers".

I don't know how refined the GM software is, but the culprit in oil degradation is water. If the engine is warmed up and running, the water's boiled off. One could safely run several thousand miles continuously.

When the engine is stopped and cools, moist air is ingested into the crankcase, and it condenses.

However, with unleaded fuels and fuels injection, along with contemporary oil formulae, 12K miles isn't that much of a stretch.

Nevertheless, oil's STILL cheaper than metal...

I have to agree with Rusty.

I put 187,000 on a Chevy van and changed the oil,filter and lubed every 3000 miles. It never needed oil between the changes. I sold it about 8 years ago and that van is still running around town. It had a 5.7 gas engine and it was a work horse of a van (3/4 ton).

Jim

I bought an '81 Nissan diesel Maxima with 40K miles. I put 260K on it, sold it to my sister, and she sold it with 650K, and it now has 750K. It eats a 5-spd tranny every 100K, but the engine's never even had the valve covers off.

My '87 diesel Ford 1T van has 170K and the Lexus has 160K. The former is in the shop for change of all the fluids and minor repair.

I used to be on a list site that had to do with Mercedes automobiles. The list moderator at one time was the Tech Advisor to The Star Magazine, the official magazine for MBCA. Anyway, Stu Ritter, who owned and sold a MB independent repair shop, always took the position that Rusty stated. He changes his oil less than 3000 mile intervals on the basis it is cheaper than engines. Mercedes came out at one time with the computer that told the owners when to have the oil changed and wound up eating a lot of rebuilt engines due to gunked up engines.

Tom Taylor