Oil change interval advice from Ask Rob About Cars

The shop where I have my car serviced has been urging me to change my oil in my 2013 Mustang GT California Special more often. I've owned this vehicle since May 2012 and have 11K miles on it. Since I don't have time to drive it much I change the oil once a year since Ford recommends every 10K. The question is should I change it more often or is once a year with synthetic oil okay? Thank you, Russell in San Jose

Answer: Russell, modern engine oils and engine technology allow for the 10,000 mile oil change intervals. Keep in mind the manufacturer also offers a powertrain warranty for up to 100,000 miles so a 10k oil change interval is not harmful under “normal” conditions.

If your trips allow the engine to fully warm up and the oil temperature to get over 200 degrees regularly to evaporate moisture, you’re probably just fine. Keep in mind the manual says to start the engine every 15 days and allow it to reach normal operating temperature.

Ford puts particular emphasis on their oil life monitor stating a the oil change must be done within two weeks or 500 miles of the ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or OIL CHANGE message. Should the monitor be accidentally reset or inoperative, Ford states to change the oil at six months or 5000 miles and never exceed one year or 10,000 miles between oil changes. More extreme use as described in your manual will require more frequent changes and the readout should reflect this.

If you want laboratory data to compare, I highly recommend Blackstone Labs for a $28 oil analysis www.blackstone-labs.com. What would be interesting is how the oil life display readout correlates to the vehicle miles and the lab analysis.

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