Extended drain intervals?

[JHOOTITAN]

I have seen this term in threads concerning oil and filters. I'm curious, What is an Extended drain interval, what is the purpose of it, and how does it work?

[virus]

Originally Posted by JHOOTITAN

I have seen this term in threads concerning oil and filters. I'm curious, What is an Extended drain interval, what is the purpose of it, and how does it work?

It means extend your drain interval past 3000 miles. Many people that use good synthetics such as Mobil 1 EP and Amsoil can extend their drain intervals to 15,000 miles or so with filter changes in between. I personally change my filter at the 5k mark.

[Talkinghorse]

Extended drains were first introduced by AMSOIL back in 1972 when the company became the first to market a 100% synthetic oil that met API requirements. That first revolutionary oil was guaranteed to perform for up to 25,000 miles or 1 year, whichever came first, with a filter change and top-off at 6-months. Mobil introduced Mobil 1 a few years later, but they soon backed away from recommending extended drains. For the past 30+ years AMSOIL has continued to formulate their oils with the highest quality base stocks and additives enabling their oils to be used for extended drain intervals...and their oils still carry a written warranty protecting the user. Today there are hundreds of thousands of motorists who are successfully practicing extended drain intervals. Mobil has recently reintroduced their EP oil as the industry trend is to extend recommended vehicle service intervals. In answer to another question you asked, and OEM can not refuse warranty coverage for extending oil drain intervals...a problem must be the direct result of the lubricant in order for it to be an issue.

While there may be an economic benefit to using a premium synthetic and extending drain intervals (depends whether you DIY or rely on a service center) the one benefit for the average consumer is one of convenience...if you can get by changing oil only once or twice per year, while treating your engine to a premium product, then it makes sense to do so. In addition, if you are environmentally conscious, you can greatly reduce the amount of waste oil (percentage wise), energy required for manufacturing and packaging (used plastic containers) going into the system by reducing the number of oil changes...if more people were to do this it would have a much more positive impact on the environment.

I have used synthetics since the mid-70's primarily for the performance advantage...they pour in sub-zero temps and offer superior protection in the heat of summer. Tests have shown that synthetics lower operating temps, reduce engine wear, reduce emissions and offer a modest improvement in fuel economy. I might pay a little extra for all of this, but when bounce that off the cost of my vehicle, then, for me, the choice becomes very clear.

[TOK]

I guess I'm old school, but I can't see the point of jerking around with oil samples and filter-only changes when it takes 20 minutes to change the oil.
If you can afford a $30k+ truck, you also shouldn't need to cheap out on the maintenance.

One heretics opinion.

[P's Titan]

Originally Posted by TOK

I guess I'm old school, but I can't see the point of jerking around with oil samples and filter-only changes when it takes 20 minutes to change the oil.
If you can afford a $30k+ truck, you also shouldn't need to cheap out on the maintenance.

One heretics opinion.

IMHO I disagree but hey thats just me. I like the idea of the syn and less changing.

[Talkinghorse]

Originally Posted by TOK

I guess I'm old school, but I can't see the point of jerking around with oil samples and filter-only changes when it takes 20 minutes to change the oil.
If you can afford a $30k+ truck, you also shouldn't need to cheap out on the maintenance.

One heretics opinion.

Oil change intervals are a personal thing and while the technology for extended drains is there, one must be comfortable with his/her decision. I don't push extended drains for the reason you state, but on the other hand the concept has been proven for those who want to push the lubricants to the max. Another consideration is that many folks are not very diligent about maintenance...use of a quality synthetic will provide additional protection for those who "forget" to have their vehicle serviced routinely.

I use AMSOIL and change oil/filter every 6-months (spring and fall), regardless of mileage. Most often I am running 9~10K during this time. No oil samples, no mid-term filter changes, no oil consumption; yet I am using a premium product and changing three times less often than what the industry would like us to think is necessary. I take care of cars for folks that have operated on this schedule for many years and several of these vehicles are approaching 200K...no oil leaks, no seepage, no oil consumption, internal components spotlessly clean...the rest of the vehicle will fall apart before the engines quit. I also have a commercial account that uses this oil in ~130 Sheriff dept patrol cars...filter change and analysis at 10K and complete drain at 20K...absolutely no mechanical problems, less vehicle downtime, and a huge manpower ($$$) savings...but that is in a fleet management situation where the vehicles are in use 24/7 and the maintenance dept was going crazy keeping up with oil changes. The situation for the average consumer is much different.

As you say, "If you can afford a $30K+ truck, you shouldn't need to cheap out on the maintenance"...and in my book that includes avoiding inexpensive lubricants formulated to a minimum standard, no matter how frequently you change them.

[CraigG]

I agree and most people like extended drains because it is less time spent doing the maintenence. If you look at some Uoa you will see that at 10,000 mi drains some top syns show less wear than some dinos do in 3000 mi intervals so its really about what you feel comfy with. There is really no GOOD reason to drain a good syn before its time.