6 car care myths and mistakes

[AJ]

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/...x.html?cnn=yes

Thoughts?

[polishmafia]

well i agreed with them all until the last one about changing the oil. i see cars come into goodyear that havent gotten an oil change in 6, 7, 8 thousand miles and that shit is thicker than mud.

of course, if youre using synthetic you can go longer without one, but regardless an oil change is so cheap and so easy why would you NOT do it? boggles my mind.

[xveganxcowboyx]

I will continue to warm my car up, especially when it's cold out. They should probably have an adendum for boosted vehicles...

[asshanson]

Originally Posted by polishmafia

well i agreed with them all until the last one about changing the oil. i see cars come into goodyear that havent gotten an oil change in 6, 7, 8 thousand miles and that shit is thicker than mud.

I can't go more than 5k miles without losing a quart anyway, might as well change it then.

Edit: I should read more.

[blageo23]

Thats what the reading says. You dont need to unless you are doing tires for winter. Also I dont believe the tire one tho. New tires come with what, 9/32? and you need to change them at 4/32. I dont know that I like that idea.

[A//// Guy]

Ill warm up my car for a little bit atleast. Helps the tranny shift better as well...

And I wouldnt keep regular oil in for more than 3-4k, synthetic maybe 5 or 6 max. Usually 4 though because thats about 6 months anyway for me. So twice a year about...

[123abc]

I change my oil anywhere from 2-3k miles, and let the car warm up mostly so I'm not a cold mofo when driving.


I hate being cold.

[BLaCk_1cE]

Is it true that if, lets say you go into tires plus to get an oil change, and they notice that your tires are below whats good to drive on, like 2/32 or less, that they have to keep your car there until you get new tires?

That happened to my friend once, just wondering if that was legal of them.

[Halon]

Ha, I can't see that being legal at all. I think it sounds like some good tips for the average commuter. I change my Galant with good ol SuperTech about every 5k miles. I think it was Amsoil that did a NY Taxi Cab test awhile back using different oils, and even the conventional oil lasted quite a bit longer than 3k miles. The talon, well it gets new oil quite a bit just because I'm constantly working on the thing.

[Kracka]

I use only conventional oils (Chevron Supreme 10W-30 to be exact) in both my cars. The S gets an oil change generally between 4-4.5k miles, and the Laser about every 5k miles. Blackstone analysis on 4.5k miles old Chevron comes back saying its nearly perfect and has lots of life left in it. If I were running synthetic oils they wouldn't come out before 10k miles. All changing oil early does is use up more of the world's oil supply causing gas prices (and motor oil prices) to go even higher. As long as you are using a quality filter and quality lubricants just follow the manufacturer's recommended interval (5000 miles on a turbo DSM for example) and save yourself some money.

[Thor06]

I use clean 5000 in the Cavalier and change it at 4500-5000. For something that is as cheap as an oil change, I dont see the point in putting it off like some of them say. I will gladly pay the extra $20 a year and change my oil more often, its worth my peace of mind. The Talon got GTX this past summer, but that was only for a thousand miles. I have to change the filter housings so I can use my oil cooler and when I do its going to get either Royal Purple or Amsoil or something depending on which my research finds is the better choice. That will get a change once a year, but keep in mind that I only drive it 4 months a year and will get between 2.5-3k miles in that time.

[Goat Blower]

Surprisingly, this was well written and right on the money on all accounts, although I still like 3K mile oil changes, just because it's cheap insurance. My GSX probably gets an oil change every 750 miles or so.

[turbotalon1g]

Coolant flush? my car usually gets new coolant every 5k, usually cause i doing something to it.
I the corolla i just change the filter every 3k, but i think i might change that to 4 or 5.
The talon gets an oil change every 3k, i might go 4k though.
I have been thinking about this, but i am unsure yet, the talon gets driven pretty hard.

[Kracka]

Originally Posted by Thor06

Royal Purple or Amsoil or something depending on which my research finds is the better choice..

Of those two Amsoil is the better choice, but Redline motor oil is even better yet. Royal Purple has good initial protection but the additive package wears out very quickly.

[Gravy]

On the keeping your friends car that is illegal, working at a parts store, we've recomended tires VERY highly to people before. Had one guy come in on cords ALL the way around the tire. Told the guy he needed new tires, yelled at us for trying to sell him something he didn't need. Next day he was in with a flat.... go figure.

But they can't hold your vehicle hostage, speaking as an ex-service writer, tell the place your going to call the cops and they'll give you the car right back. But, i wouldn't bother bringing your vehicle back there. If they treated you like that on that visit, they'll probably do the same. And if they remember you... it's kind of like a fast food joint. You may get something you didn't want in your car.

[niterydr]

3k oil changes is a waste of money on most vehicles (daily drivers).
Coolant flushes are a waste of money if they are performed more often that every few years.
DOT min on tires is 2/32, usually pointless to replace them before that unless you have a vehicle you race, drive agressively, or have un-even tire wear.
Holding vehicles is illegal, as stated.

[TkrPerformance]

I change the evo every 4k or so when it needs a little extra I will change it.
Only do coolant flushes if you have a gm with the orange death in it or your coolant is brown (some cars I have done were muddy color)
At my old job we held some unsafe cars but not because of tires. It came down to the fact that if it left unsafe we could be libal for it if they got in a accadent and got hert of died

[MustGoFaster]

My Grand AM has a light that comes on every 6000-7500 miles. They adjust it based on temps and speeds. I change it when the light comes on. The cars I track get a change before I take them to a track weekend (road course, not 1/4 mile), road courses can be very tough on cars, generating high oil temp. Fresh oil is a good idea.

As for tires, not till I see cords!!! or winter is coming and I have very little tread.

[niterydr]

Originally Posted by MustGoFaster

My Grand AM has a light that comes on every 6000-7500 miles. They adjust it based on temps and speeds. I change it when the light comes on. The cars I track get a change before I take them to a track weekend (road course, not 1/4 mile), road courses can be very tough on cars, generating high oil temp. Fresh oil is a good idea.

As for tires, not till I see cords!!! or winter is coming and I have very little tread.

first layer of rubber or 2nd?
HAHA!

[Thor06]

Originally Posted by S2kracka

Of those two Amsoil is the better choice, but Redline motor oil is even better yet. Royal Purple has good initial protection but the additive package wears out very quickly.

Cool, thanks Chris.

As for tires, I usually put it as far as I feel comfortable. The first stock set of tires on the cavy got damn near bald before I changed them, mostly because I had the 17's on in the summer and the stockers didnt wear much over the winter. The summer rims for my Talon will get new tires sometime this year, the Yoko's are getting pretty smooth. As for coolant flushes, I never really do them other than when I have to change something in the coolant system which is usually more than every couple years.