Just wondering, do you change your oil every 3k miles, or when the % gets lower? And if you go off the %, what % do you let it get down to before changing? Thnaks

I change mine every 10,000kms or 6,000 miles. That will have be down to about 35% or so usually.

cool, so just wanted to make sure there wasnt any stipulation to oil changes that might keep GM from warrantying anything.

I do mine at 7500 or when the computer says so. At 7500 mine usually reads 30-35% left. GM will be held liable to the computer. If that thing goes down to 0% then yes they could deny a claim. As long as you are under the listed ammount in the diesel supplement and still have % left on the computer there is nothing they could do.

I do mine at 7500 or when the computer says so. At 7500 mine usually reads 30-35% left. GM will be held liable to the computer. If that thing goes down to 0% then yes they could deny a claim. As long as you are under the listed ammount in the diesel supplement and still have % left on the computer there is nothing they could do.

What if you forget to rest the oil life monitor? % left on the computer can be reset at anytime, denying a claim on a manually resetable item?

Change mine every 5K. The dealer I go to only charges $20 to change oil, filter, lube, fluid check etc. if you bought the vehicle from them. ($10 for gas engines.) Cheap insurance and what they recomend for diesels.

I change mine about every 7500 miles or at about 40%... I try not to let it go any lower unless I am on the road and don't want to pay someone to do it for me..

$20 for them to do it is a steal!

I do mine between 50%-30% of life left.

is $20 what normal GM dealerships charge if you bought from them?

Every 10K, oil monitor says 2-3% left at that point. Shell RotellaT Synthetic and a Delco oil filter.

Change mine when I am down a quart, usually in the 5-6000 range. Rotella T and Baldwin filters. Simple and easy this way.

Since I have a "soot" problem, I change according to hours. 100-125hrs.

Schaeffer's oil analysis recommended me to go 10k this next oil change. I think I'll change the filter at 5k just to be safe. I figure that with the OA documentation, even if I go to 0%, I can show that the oil and wear particles were within acceptable ranges.

Lube, filter and oil change every 5K. Cost isn't that much. Use Shell Rotella and OEM filters. Always keep an eyeball on the work done to insure the proper stuff gets poured into the engine.

I just changed mine with about 9600 miles on the oil. I changed the filter 1/2 way through the interval. I sent an oil sample in today so that I can tell where I'm at.

Keep in mind that the algorithm used in the oil life monitor is designed for petroleum oils. While I'm not totally convinced that synthetics can always extend drain intervals, my oil life monitor showed 4% when I changed mine yesterday.

I'm going to see what analysis tells me, but I really don't think that 10,000 mile changes with a quality oil and good filter are out of line at all for these engines.

In my opinion, 3,000 mile oil changes in a diesel that's broken in are a waste of time, money, and resources. Short drain intervals are not the secret to long engine life.

I change when Oil Life monitor is around 33-35% which is generally around 7500 miles.

No less than 3000 miles/no more than 5000 miles. Been working with diesel engines for 35 years. Don't think I'm going to be convinced by some newbie GM engineer that it is now O.K. to run them to 7000 miles or better. I've gotten 700,000 + miles on/off road on CAT, Cummins and Detroit. Oil is a small investment if your going to keep your rig for the long haul.

Coyotekid,

I would be VERY interested in hearing the results of the Syn analysis..... Will you please post an update after you receive results??
Thanks McCoy

Roger that...I sent a sample of it off to Atlanta Labs as well as Blackstone Labs for comparison purposes. Terry Dyson of Dyson Analysis is going to review the Blackstone report for me and make some recommendations. We'll see what the verdict is.

keepin' it: So do you change that often in an OTR truck with a 40 quart sump as well? I'm not being a smartass, punk kid here, so please don't think I am. I guess I am pointing out that just because you change every 3,000-5,000 miles as a tradition doesn't make it the gospel. Cummins recommends 7,500 mile change intervals in their 5.9 Dodge pickup engines when using petroleum, so what do you think about that?

I guess I'm going to base my opinions and practices on what used oil analysis says as opposed to "tradition." What do you think about oil analysis?

Change mine every 5K. The dealer I go to only charges $20 to change oil, filter, lube, fluid check etc. if you bought the vehicle from them. ($10 for gas engines.) Cheap insurance and what they recomend for diesels.



Thats very cheap, the filter and oil usually cost more than that.

FWIW, I've had 5 UOAs done on my truck at 8k mile intervals, using 4 different kinds of oil (2 synthetics & 2 dinos). From a wear standpoint, synthetic oil hasn't produced any better numbers than conventional oil. And each time, there was plenty of life left in the oil to extend drain intervals past 8k miles, regardless of it being synthetic or not.

Mine's on 10K mile changes too. Normally 10% left on the monitor. Rotella Synthetic oil and AC Delco filter.

I use the %-meter. It corrects for idling and gives credit for highway driving.

Any number above 0...i use about 10% as a guide for when to buy oil, then do it as soon as I can.

I use Mobil 1 T&S, and I also have a bypass filter.

As to warranty implications, I believe there have been court cases that set precedent that a warranty cannot be denied because you don't follow the manufacturer's recommendations or follow it's maintenance schedule. The burden is on the manufacturer to show proof that your lack of proper maintenance or misuse caused the repair or failure. Some manufacturers may try to bully someone out of a warranty repair with that approach. Of course if you forget to put oil back in your engine, why is it GM's fault when it siezes up! Fair's fair.

10k in o4 Dmax, Amsoil 15w-40 and filter, 26k now

10k in 02 6.0 gasser, Amsoil 10w-30 and filter, 61k now

5k in 90 5.7, Amsoil 30w, switch to 10w-30 soon, 258k now, original motor

What is this %/monitor stuff......something on the newer trucks?
I have my wheels rotated, oil and filters changed every 5K....rotella.

Just changed the oil over the weekend. I used Shell Rottella T 5w-40 and a Baldwin filter. I waited for the oil life to hit 0% then changed. Went a total of 10,562 miles since the last change.

what is the % thing. i have an 02 and out of nowere my change oil light comes on. i have been using amsoil 15-40 and amsoil filters. at 60k i tried mobile 5-40 and its seems to have of turned blach alit faster than the amsoil did. im going back to amsoil after this next oil change becouse thats what i use in all of my motors from a 300$ lawn mower to 35k in 4 wheelers and dirt bikes with nouthing but good results.

Just wondering, do you change your oil every 3k miles, or when the % gets lower? And if you go off the %, what % do you let it get down to before changing? Thnaks


I do it about every 5000 miles, it seems like it works good with mine.

What is this %/monitor stuff......something on the newer trucks?
I have my wheels rotated, oil and filters changed every 5K....rotella.

what is the % thing. i have an 02 and out of nowere my change oil light comes on. i have been using amsoil 15-40 and amsoil filters. at 60k i tried mobile 5-40 and its seems to have of turned blach alit faster than the amsoil did. im going back to amsoil after this next oil change becouse thats what i use in all of my motors from a 300$ lawn mower to 35k in 4 wheelers and dirt bikes with nouthing but good results.

In the DIC (Driver's Information Center) some models have a % Oil Life field. Can't remember when it was offered '03+ I think.