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Hi All,
I had been reading about the benefits of leaving the full synthetic motor oil in service for extended periods. I'm talking about 15, 20 or more thousand miles. It turns out the key is to change the filter at regular intervals and top off with new oil.
I decided to put it to the test. Last year I bought Walmart Super Tech full synthetic oil and standard Super Tech oil filters. It was basically the cheapest stuff I could buy. I changed the filter every 3 or 4 thousand miles and topped off with new oil. I probably added an additional 3 quarts over the course of the year.
Last week I finally got an oil sample and sent it to Blackstone Laboratories for analysis after 17,600 miles. I figured the oil had to be toast by then.
Much to my surprise, the analysis showed the oil to be in excellent condition, and they recommended I leave it in another 5k or 10k miles. Here's what they said:
" JOHN: The mildly low viscosity was the only thing that read out of line in this first sample from your Elantra. The low viscosity wasn't due to any excess fuel dilution, so it's not a major concern. All wear reads well below universal averages, which are based on an oil run of 5,000 miles. You've run this fill a whopping 17,599 miles, so this is a very impressive report. Your engine is beating the averages by a country mile, and we see no reason not to run this fill longer. Low insolubles and silicon show good oil and air filtration. No contaminants found. Run this oil another 5k-10k miles."
Based on my report, I plan on keeping my oil in there until 30 thousand miles, then I do another analysis.
I had been reading about the benefits of leaving the full synthetic motor oil in service for extended periods. I'm talking about 15, 20 or more thousand miles. It turns out the key is to change the filter at regular intervals and top off with new oil.
I decided to put it to the test. Last year I bought Walmart Super Tech full synthetic oil and standard Super Tech oil filters. It was basically the cheapest stuff I could buy. I changed the filter every 3 or 4 thousand miles and topped off with new oil. I probably added an additional 3 quarts over the course of the year.
Last week I finally got an oil sample and sent it to Blackstone Laboratories for analysis after 17,600 miles. I figured the oil had to be toast by then.
Much to my surprise, the analysis showed the oil to be in excellent condition, and they recommended I leave it in another 5k or 10k miles. Here's what they said:
" JOHN: The mildly low viscosity was the only thing that read out of line in this first sample from your Elantra. The low viscosity wasn't due to any excess fuel dilution, so it's not a major concern. All wear reads well below universal averages, which are based on an oil run of 5,000 miles. You've run this fill a whopping 17,599 miles, so this is a very impressive report. Your engine is beating the averages by a country mile, and we see no reason not to run this fill longer. Low insolubles and silicon show good oil and air filtration. No contaminants found. Run this oil another 5k-10k miles."
Based on my report, I plan on keeping my oil in there until 30 thousand miles, then I do another analysis.
