JL Maintenance Schedule by Miles?

[Majestic]

There is no true way to know when oil life is up unless you do an oil analysis a few times for your vehicle following an oil change. So, you can follow the oil life monitor or go under the 3,000-5,000 mile oil change intervals. Either way, both are assumptions.

The testing has already been done by mulitiple manufacturers since the 80’s.

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[Litfuse]

The testing has already been done by mulitiple manufacturers since the 80’s.

My point was, no matter if you go with the old practice of changing your oil at 3,000 miles or listening to a formula that has been set by humans to align with their Jeep Wave program, you are going purely off assumptions.

 

[Majestic]

My point was, no matter if you go with the old practice of changing your oil at 3,000 miles or listening to a formula that has been set by humans to align with their Jeep Wave program, you are going purely off assumptions.

The manual is only authoritative reference for your maintenance schedule for your vehicle. Otherwise going by the 3000 mile rule means you’re applying the maintenance schedule written for different cars 30+ years ago. Why one would trust one and not the other is illogical.

 

[Litfuse]

The manual is only authoritative reference for your maintenance schedule for your vehicle. Otherwise going by the 3000 mile rule means you’re applying the maintenance schedule written for different cars 30+ years ago. Why one would trust one and not the other is illogical.

My point, once again is they are both based off assumptions. A person has to decide which approach they are more comfortable with. My mom, who knows no better will go with the oil life indicator. An enthusiast will probably change their oil based off of past practices. I think we are getting into a discussion about values and habits.

 

[Majestic]

My point, once again is they are both based off assumptions. A person has to decide which approach they are more comfortable with. My mom, who knows no better will go with the oil life indicator. An enthusiast will probably change their oil based off of past practices. I think we are getting into a discussion about values and habits.

Being an enthusiast doesn’t make a person more qualified than the engineers who wrote the manual. Your mom would be making the more informed decision.

 

[TrailTorque]

If you are part of the Jeep Wave program (4 free oil changes and tire rotations to be used within 2 years), then get your oil changed every 5k miles. With the reliability of the 3.6 (can't speak of the 2.0) and with synthetic oils, the oil change could be put off until 10k miles...even though I personally wouldn't. 5k miles is a very safe number. I personally thinking doing it before 5k is a waste of time. Jeep wouldn't suggest 10k if it wasn't true. Just my .02 cents.

My thoughts exactly. 5k is good to go. People changing at 1k is such a waste IMO even for your first oil change. Sh!t hasn’t even cycled good enough yet at 1k lol

 

[Litfuse]

Being an enthusiast doesn’t make a person more qualified than the engineers who wrote the manual. Your mom would be making the more informed decision.

You are right that an enthusiast may not know more than the engineers. I am not sure how I can put this any simpler terms, but the oil life indicator does not have all the perimeters to truly identify oil life. It can not tell if it is conventional oil or not. It can not tell the quality of oil put in. It’s a dummy light like tire pressure sensor monitors. It’s essentially engineers designing around the lowest denominator.

 

[Biscuit]

My point was ... you are going purely off assumptions.

Maybe you are, but don't brashly assume that everyone else is.

 

[Litfuse]

Maybe you are, but don't brashly assume that everyone else is.

Ok, I’m going to finish my dialogue where I probably should have started. 10,000 mile oil changes started when many European car manufactures began offering free maintenance for a certain amount of years/mileage. It made their product more of an attractive purchase. American car manufactures have followed suit. To stay competitive, oil brands had to step up from a marketing perspective and offer products that would essentially go the distance. We all know that oil companies and car dealerships alike would love to continue to see you every 3,000 miles. But when John Doe picks up oil at his local auto parts store, if he had a choice between oil ‘A’ that promises 10,000 plus miles or oil ‘B’ that does not, which one do you think he is going to pick? In addition, we all know Jeep dealers are not going to write 10,000 mile oil change sticker reminders after the Jeep Wave program is up for a customer. They will want to see you back much sooner. This is all marketing hype. You ask how I know? My wife, who works for a large advertising firm has worked with major oil and oil filter brands to discuss this very issue. I have even been able to sit in on some brainstorming sessions. 10,000 mile oil changes have not been brought on by engineers, but through marketing plans and now more stringent environmental regulations.

Personally, and for the sake of our world, I encourage you all to do extended oil changes. Just know where the origin of extended oil changes came from.

 

[Majestic]

You are right that an enthusiast may not know more than the engineers. I am not sure how I can put this any simpler terms, but the oil life indicator does not have all the perimeters to truly identify oil life. It can not tell if it is conventional oil or not. It can not tell the quality of oil put in. It’s a dummy light like tire pressure sensor monitors. It’s essentially engineers designing around the lowest denominator.

The type of oil is specified in the owners manual.
This type of system has been proven for decades. Yes it makes the purchase more attractive, especially when all the competition is doing it. The engine already has the sensors required to make a good assumption of oil life.
My dealer on the other hand consistently leaves a sticker in my windshield reminding me to come back in 3k miles. They have their own agenda, but I default to the manual.

 

[Litfuse]

The type of oil is specified in the owners manual.
This type of system has been proven for decades. Yes it makes the purchase more attractive, especially when all the competition is doing it. The engine already has the sensors required to make a good assumption of oil life.
My dealer on the other hand consistently leaves a sticker in my windshield reminding me to come back in 3k miles. They have their own agenda, but I default to the manual.

You do what you do and I’ll do what I do.

 

[tonythehomie]

That’s how they’ve always worked and it’s stated in the manual. This system isn’t new; it’s been around for decades.
https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/oil-life-monitoring-systems.html

Thanks!

 

[HealthRebel]

Perhaps an analogy here when talking about oil change intervals...

Regarding health, there are nutritional recommendations that will sustain life. These specific nutrients and amounts are needed in order to maintain average human function. However, optimal nutrition can bump your health up to the next level and allow you to push the human potential further and increase the likelihood for a higher quality and quantity of life. I speak these words everyday.

Maybe the oil change interval recommendations are the same. If you do what the auto manufacturer recommends, this will produce an average mechanical expectancy out of your engine. If you change your oil more often, where there are a lot of added benefits... less corrosion and contaminants, less friction and wear, etc., perhaps you can increase the mechanical expectancy of your engine.

Just like the pharmaceutical industry does NOT want you to become healthier, where you no longer need their "symptom treating" products, perhaps the automotive industry does not want your engine lasting longer where maybe you're not replacing your vehicle as often.

Are you going "Hmmmmm...."?

Just follow the money.

 

[me109stock]

Oil technology has changed (improved), manufacturing processes have improved, engine design has improved... Changing oil every 3k miles is a thing of the past. On my Porsche, the manufacturer recommends an oil change interval of 15k miles using Mobile 1 Synthetic. At 10 qts per change and with synthetics it's close to $80 just for the oil, and I shoot for every 7500 +/- 1000 based on my past and upcoming activities (long trip, track days, etc.).
Commercial diesel trucks base their oil changes on testing and will often exceed 15-20k miles between oil changes. When an oil change costs you multiple hundreds of $$$ just for the oil, it only makes sense. The oil generally gets excessively contaminated before it loses viscosity or breaks down - much different than the old style oils.
I bought my JLUR used at just about 1yr old with 13k miles and the prior owner was servicing it about every 7k miles - I plan to continue that trend. Based on the current oil life indicator pace I will be early. i put about 2000-2500 miles per month on the vehicle as it is my daily driver as well as my weekend play vehicle.

 

[palmor]

It's nice to know that no matter what kind of automative enthusiast forum you frequent you can always count on the "how often should I change my oil" debate to pop up :D

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