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Mobil 1 drain intervals

12K views 35 replies 22 participants last post by  DWard  
#1 ·
I'm getting ready to reach 5K miles and plan on switching over to Mobil 1 oil and filter.

Mobil advertises 15K drain intervals, but I'm not sure I buy that. For you guys that are running Mobil 1, when are you changing your oil and filter? Are any of you running it to the 15K mark?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
I always change my oil at 5k on my truck and am running M1. Yes, the oil can probably last 15k miles because it's synthetic, but just like dino oil it still gets dirty. Also like the previous post, you don't want to give Toyota any reason to deny you warranty.
 
#6 ·
Don't waste your money on the extended performance mobil 1 if your going to change at regular intervals (5K miles). Just buy the standard mobil 1 at Wall Mart (cheapest place I found it buy the 5 quart container).
 
#7 ·
Same here - I buy the regular Mobil 1 at WalMart in a 5 qt jug and change mine at 5K - probably overkill, but I may keep this truck for a really long time.
 
#11 ·
Keep looking or try another Wally World. They have all the different flavors in the 2 or 3 I go to. The only one I can't find anymore is the Truck and SUV formula. Kinda pisses me off as thats what I've been running in my wifes F150 since it's first oil change.
 
#12 ·
bassdog said:
I'm getting ready to reach 5K miles and plan on switching over to Mobil 1 oil and filter.

Mobil advertises 15K drain intervals, but I'm not sure I buy that. For you guys that are running Mobil 1, when are you changing your oil and filter? Are any of you running it to the 15K mark?

Thanks
If your truck just reached 5K, I wouldn't recommend switching to synthetic oil just yet as your vehicle is not fully broken-in. Wait until it reach at least 10K or more before doing so.

I used Mobil 1 5W-30 (10W-30 in the summer) and usually changed it at 5K interval (including filter) unless I don't have time to get it done, I will push it to 6-7K from time to time before doing so. I know these synthetic oils can go longer, but I like to keep it clean.

FYI... Another good synthetic oil brand too is Castrol Synthec. I've found that it give a slight advantage in better gas mileage and slightly cleaner in the long run vs. Mobil 1, but both works great in my experience.

Hope this helps.
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
Thanks for the info, Phil!

I am aware that we can use synthetic oil from the begining. However, it will take a long period of time for the new engine to fully broken-in. New engine works better and more efficient when parts are fully seated. Synthetic lubricants are very slick, which in this case it doesn't allow the pistons/rings to seat right away as it should with the standard grade petroleum will, but no harm except will takes much longer. Remember, the oil manufacturers will say it's OK, which it is, but more importantly because they want to sell their products. But the truth is, it's better to have a fully broken-in engine's to take advantage of the performance gain with synthetic oil than to just rush to use it without fully break-in your motor.

Have one ever try to run without warming their joints/muscles or try to floor a gas pedal while the car it's not at temperature?
It will not perform to its potential for that reason. Same philosophy here never the less.
 
#15 ·
I run 6K miles between changes. And 12K on the rest of the fluids (all Redline, except Mobil 1 in the engine). Overkill? Probably. But I do my dirt bike every 2 rides, or less than 100 miles. ;)
 
#16 ·
I use Mobile 1 synthetic (from Wally World or KMart) and I change it every 5K. I use Toyota filters BTW.
 
#17 ·
I have seen a link to this website thrown around on these forums, but I'm wondering what everyone thinks of this. These guys tested different brands of synthetic oil for longevity etc by taking a sample every 1000 miles and having blackstone labs test it. Among other things, they found:

"[FONT=Arial, helvetica]While the wear metals all accumulated steadily over the course of the test, the highest concentrations of accumulation per mile occurred in the first 3,000 miles of the test! From the 3,000-mile mark all the way to 18,000 miles, only lead showed an increase in per-mile wear beyond 3,000 miles. Yet even with an increased wear rate, lead wore the least in terms of absolute wear. For iron and copper, the longer the oil remained in service, the lower the wear rate got.:eek:

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, helvetica]In case it isn't obvious yet, this means that the most wear occurs in the first 3,000 miles." - Mobil 1 Test Results[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, helvetica]Obvisously, the toyota engines are different from this test engine, but this test is thought provoking nonetheless. Has anyone ever heard something like this from any other source? :cool: I just thought it was an interesting finding. I just switched to mobile 1 after my first 9,000 miles on my 2006 :D, thinking of going 8500 between changes.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, helvetica]DW
[/FONT]
 
#18 ·
Here's my Mobil1 "test results":

2 1989 BMW M3s, both with over 200k miles on the original motors. We'll call them car A and car B.

Car A has run Mobil1 since 10,000 miles from original owner until now. Oil change intervals 3k miles.
Car B has run several brands of dino oil and then was changed to Mobil1 at about 180k miles. Oil change intervals 3k miles.

Both cars went in for a valve adjustment at the 200k mark to the same mechanic.

Car B, had normal-above normal wear and pitting on the cams.
Car A, had almost no wear and no pitting on the cams. In fact the mechanic asked when the motor was rebuilt yet it's never been cracked.

Not only that, car A is my car and it's been driven very hard with engine revs reached 8k on a daily basis. Car B is my dads card and it is driven much more conservatively.

So my conclusion from personal experience is that Mobil1 does make a difference.
 
#19 ·
I was more curious about the "most engine wear occurs during the first 3000 miles" conclusion. But, M1 sounds like its a good choice regardless.

dw
 
#20 ·
Here's my Mobil1 "test results":

2 1989 BMW M3s, both with over 200k miles on the original motors. We'll call them car A and car B.

Car A has run Mobil1 since 10,000 miles from original owner until now. Oil change intervals 3k miles.
Car B has run several brands of dino oil and then was changed to Mobil1 at about 180k miles. Oil change intervals 3k miles.
What was BMW's recommanded oil type/grade/interval?
 
#21 ·
What was BMW's recommanded oil type/grade/interval?
That's a very good question. I'd have to go back and look at the manual for that info. I've been at the routine of 3k changes with M1 that I've not bothered with looking at the manual in a long time.
 
#22 ·
In my 01 Tacoma with 85,000 miles I change my Mobile1 5W30 every 8-10,000 miles.Switch to Mobile1 when the truck had 2,000 miles on it.Never had a problem and the engine purrs like a kitten. My mechanic had the oil tested at 10,000 once and it was still way up there and could have gone much longer with no break downs in quality.
If your using Mobile1 and changing it every 3-5,000 your defeating the purpose of synthetic and wasting your money. Mike
 
#24 ·
In my 01 Tacoma with 85,000 miles I change my Mobile1 5W30 every 8-10,000 miles.Switch to Mobile1 when the truck had 2,000 miles on it.Never had a problem and the engine purrs like a kitten. My mechanic had the oil tested at 10,000 once and it was still way up there and could have gone much longer with no break downs in quality.
If your using Mobile1 and changing it every 3-5,000 your defeating the purpose of synthetic and wasting your money. Mike
I average 8K per yr. on my 05 tacoma & about 12K on wifes car. So I service with mobil 1 every 6 months. I don't think i am wasting money changing oil at 4 to 6K miles. Was servicing at 3 mo. intervals before Mobil 1. So cost is only slightly more with less labor.:rolleyes:
 
#25 ·
I average 8K per yr. on my 05 tacoma & about 12K on wifes car. So I service with mobil 1 every 6 months. I don't think i am wasting money changing oil at 4 to 6K miles. Was servicing at 3 mo. intervals before Mobil 1. So cost is only slightly more with less labor.:rolleyes:

Didn't mean to imply that it was wrong to change your oil at low mileage. I was just pointing out what some people seem to forget. Synthetic was developed to run longer without having to worry about changing it or if it was still protecting your engine. Some people still change there Mobile1 every 3,000 miles. If your going to do that then you can use the standard cheaper oil with no problem. If you have the standard oil tested it will most likely show that it is still doing a great job at 4 or 5,000 miles.
Mobile1 now has an oil out that they claim can go 75,000 miles between changes by just changing the filter every so often. I would have to have that tested every now and then but if they have it on the market I'm sure it works......I'm still going to stick with the 8-10,000 change on my truck but may move up to the higher mile blend now that I have 85,000 on my truck. Mike
 
#26 ·
Went to Mobile 1 at 1000k and why wait? Toyota accepts synthetic oil as an approved product and what ya need to be concerned about if you DIY is to keep reciepts for oil and filters and be able to prove to Toyota is that you are doing the required maintenance at 5k!!, if not ya might have a fight if you have a motor issue later!! HOW BOUT THEM:tu: HOG"S:tu: