In a message dated 10-Jun-99 01:11:59 Eastern Daylight Time, I wrote in reply
to Ken's comment of : "As I recall the jist was that there was no noticeable
(measured) difference in engine wear between any of the tested oils,
including synthetics, within 3000 mi oil changes. The major benefit of
synthetics seemed to be more miles between changes."
>
> Ken, right. That was one of the several conclusions. But my reading was
> also that it was no longer necessary to change any modern oil at 3K miles.
I
> have a copy of the article and will double check it tomorrow. Will let you
> know what I think is the "gist."
The Consumer Reports article (CR July 1996) has several conclusions:
1st -- "Modern motor oils needn't be changed as often as oils did years ago.
More frequent oil changes won't hurt your car, but you could be spending
money unnecessarily and adding to the nation's energy and oil disposal
problems...
[W]e noted no benefit from changing the oil every 3000 miles rather than
every 6000. If your driving falls in the 'normal' service category, changing
the oil every 7500 miles (or at the automaker's suggested intervals) should
certainly provide adquate protection. (We recommend changing the oil filter
with each oil change.) "
2nd -- "None of the tested oils proved better that the others in our tests."
They also recommended using only oil with the "Starburst" emblem that says
"American Petroleum Institute Certified." The reason is that you can then be
sure that those oils have all the necessary modern additives. Cheers.
Art Kelly
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