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How bad is it to not change the oil?

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    How bad is it to not change the oil?

    I just found out my girlfriend has had her car for about 18k miles and has changed the oil in it once. Is this getting to the point of actually damaging the car? Needless to say it's getting changed immediately, but I'm just wondering what it actually means.

    #2
    I would say that 18k without an oil change is very bad. Is the car brand new? It'll be interesting to see what the oil looks like and if there's a lot of debris in it......
    -------------------------
    '91 LX
    '03 Mazdaspeed Protege #235
    -------------------------

    Originally posted by pigeon
    well if you're a fan of inaccuracy and uncertainty.... then by all means, go set your timing by feel and sound

    while you're out there, you might as well adjust your air/fuel ratio by smell... and your tire pressure by ride height

    Comment


      #3
      No, only 9k... she changed it about 9k ago. Yes, it's new... oh well, I should have time to do it this weekend. I'll take a picture of it.

      Comment


        #4
        Not sure, but you might want to flush the engine afterwards if the oil seems very dirty.
        -------------------------
        '91 LX
        '03 Mazdaspeed Protege #235
        -------------------------

        Originally posted by pigeon
        well if you're a fan of inaccuracy and uncertainty.... then by all means, go set your timing by feel and sound

        while you're out there, you might as well adjust your air/fuel ratio by smell... and your tire pressure by ride height

        Comment


          #5
          Is that difficult? I've never done it before. Or would that be something better left to a mechanic?

          Comment


            #6
            what year/make/model car is it?

            i'd say you should be ok with just a normal change for now

            i would probably do a 2nd change in like 2-3000 miles so you can 'flush out' all the whatever remaining oil residues that were in there.

            and i'd suggest synthetic (mobil 1) and a high quality oil filter if she doesn't change oil often. extra level of protection

            '04 Titanium RX-8

            Comment


              #7
              2002 Cavalier

              Any recommendation on the filter brand?

              Comment


                #8
                Purolator, Wix, Mobil 1, K&N

                Purolator Premium Plus is a good filter that is widely available.

                stay away from Fram

                '04 Titanium RX-8

                Comment


                  #9
                  I am personally a fan of wix, but I haven't seen or heard of Purolator, where would you suggest looking?

                  DaPro
                  94 Protege DX SOHC 1.8l 5 Speed
                  (DaPro)



                  its better to wait and save then to waste money on crap to get you by....

                  Comment


                    #10
                    AC Delco or an OEM replacement is another option.
                    -------------------------
                    '91 LX
                    '03 Mazdaspeed Protege #235
                    -------------------------

                    Originally posted by pigeon
                    well if you're a fan of inaccuracy and uncertainty.... then by all means, go set your timing by feel and sound

                    while you're out there, you might as well adjust your air/fuel ratio by smell... and your tire pressure by ride height

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by dapro
                      I am personally a fan of wix, but I haven't seen or heard of Purolator, where would you suggest looking?

                      DaPro
                      all the major automotive store chains in my area (AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, Pep Boys) carry Purolator

                      Sears also carry Purolator IIRC.

                      '04 Titanium RX-8

                      Comment


                        #12
                        its a 22 ecotec right.....well then shes screwed.

                        playing dude, its all about how she drives...i do agree with the zoomster, just change it once, and then again after a few days or so.
                        According to my Anger Management Counselor, after 26 weeks of anger management class, I should be an expert when it comes to Anger Management...tell that to the guy who threw a starburst at my car in rush hour traffic...haha


                        Todays thought of the day:

                        Rice is great if your really hungry and want to eat 2000 of something.

                        Mitch Hedberg

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by fuq_A_vtec
                          its a 22 ecotec right.....well then shes screwed.

                          playing dude, its all about how she drives...i do agree with the zoomster, just change it once, and then again after a few days or so.
                          Change it again after a few days? Isn't that kind of a waste? I was planning on changing it again after maybe 2000 miles, instead of the normal 3000.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            yeah it's not necessary to change it after a few days, couple thousand miles is fine. The new filter should pick up whatever dirty stuff that were left in the engine, and the new oil will add new protective additives to the engine.

                            '04 Titanium RX-8

                            Comment


                              #15
                              im just telling him what we did at uhaul...if a truck missed a PM by anywhere from 5-10k miles we would change the oil, run it about 500 miles, = 2 days worth of parts retrieving and then change the oil again and put it on rent. This always cleaned them up pretty good.
                              According to my Anger Management Counselor, after 26 weeks of anger management class, I should be an expert when it comes to Anger Management...tell that to the guy who threw a starburst at my car in rush hour traffic...haha


                              Todays thought of the day:

                              Rice is great if your really hungry and want to eat 2000 of something.

                              Mitch Hedberg

                              Comment

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