Dealer said 5000 mile service interval is better ?

[JimCT]

I do 5,000 mile intervals. If I went by the oil life monitor I think I would be at about 10,000 (or close to it).

Is it overkill? Yeah, probably. Ford cannot deny a warranty claim if you go by their recommended intervals. But realistically, the cost of an oil change is on par with the cost of a tank of gas - that's not going to strain my budget, so I just don't see it as a big deal.

Sponsored

 

[jcnnjc]

If you change your own oil, Filter and oil only costs around $30 bucks. Seeing what the oil looks like at 5-6k, I would never stretch it just to save a few dollars.

 

[Shadowfax]

Ecoboost engines should have the oil changed every 3500 miles.

 

[Bry@n]

I just change my oil at 5,000 miles. Easy to know when and I rotate same time.

 

[MAGPLM]

10,000 mile full synthetic extended performance Mobil 1. Got 315,000 miles out of and escape engine. Not sure if I want to do this or use cheap synthetic every 5,000. Don’t drive as much anymore.

 

[Baloo]

This seems a little overkill; but it's your truck. I WFH and plan to do it no less than every 5,000 or twice a year (whichever is more frequent).

Oil deteriorates over time. Short drives are harder on oil and the engine than long drives.

 

[MAGPLM]

Very true. I think I will do the 5,000 cheap full synthetic.

 

[TC in MN]

The turbo's high spin and heat generated wears oil out quickly. I'm going every 3K just to be ahead of the chance of an oil related problem, cause I can easily see Ford saying the resulting damage being wear and tear. In short, cheap insurance.

 

[billbillw]

I'm planning on 4500-5000 intervals on my Ecoboost when it arrives. Small boosted DI engines are hard on oil, especially if you do a lot of short drives. They suffer from oil dilution. I am a DIY oil changer, so the cost for a Motorcraft filter and 5qts of syn-blend oil is minimal on these vehicles. For the hybrid owners, I'd say, follow the oil monitor or a calendar if you don't drive a lot of miles.

 

[billbillw]

The turbo's high spin and heat generated wears oil out quickly. I'm going every 3K just to be ahead of the chance of an oil related problem, cause I can easily see Ford saying the resulting damage being wear and tear. In short, cheap insurance.

The turbo itself doesn't wear the oil, but the bearing demands good oil. What wears the oil out is the blowby from boost and fuel dilution from the DI.

 

[realshelby]

BS about the EcoBoost engines. Turbos are water cooled. So coking of the oil is not an issue. It would have to be an EXTREME condition to change the oil at 3K miles and no one here has ever tested their oil to show it needed changed at that interval. Send off a sample to an oil analysis lab ( Blackstone Labs is where I do mine ) and see if there is ANY fuel dilution, silicon (dirt), coolant, or abnormal wear, and additive condition. Then you can base your oil change interval from that. Or tell me how wrong my statement is.
My Son has a 2011 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost with over 160,000 miles. Oil changes around 10,000 miles. Still perfect condition.....

 

[colinl]

Short answer: dealer is right. 5k to 7k is better for longevity than 9-10k.

The filter should be what determines an appropriate change interval. When it's time the change the oil, if it's the Ford synthetic blend or a quality full synthetic oil it should still test good if you were to send it off for analysis. It's actually the filter that needs replacing.

I have owned several other vehicles with long oil change intervals. Only one of them had a large volume, cartridge-style oil filter. The rest, like the Maverick, have a traditional spin-on filter that typically holds 8-12 oz of oil. That limited filter volume needs frequent replacement. If you read this far and still care, go look on YouTube for videos where people cut apart small spin-on filters like the Maverick uses. Or you can just believe me.

Look in Fordpass and start thinking about a change when you see 50% life. When you see 25% it's definitely time.

 

[billbillw]

BS about the EcoBoost engines. Turbos are water cooled. So coking of the oil is not an issue. It would have to be an EXTREME condition to change the oil at 3K miles and no one here has ever tested their oil to show it needed changed at that interval. Send off a sample to an oil analysis lab ( Blackstone Labs is where I do mine ) and see if there is ANY fuel dilution, silicon (dirt), coolant, or abnormal wear, and additive condition. Then you can base your oil change interval from that. Or tell me how wrong my statement is.
My Son has a 2011 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost with over 160,000 miles. Oil changes around 10,000 miles. Still perfect condition.....

Some people want to see well over 160k miles trouble free. Also, the 3.5L EcoBoost is considerably less tuned than the 2.0L EcoBoost. The 3.5L in 2011 was 104hp-120lb-ft/L of displacement. The 2.0L in the Maverick is 125hp-138lb-ft/L.
At ~$35 per oil change (DIY), a 5k oil change interval leads to an extra $350 in maintenance per 100k miles vs stretching to 10k intervals. I'm OK with that.

 

[realshelby]

Well, the 2.7 Ecoboost is tuned higher than either of them. Again, not telling anyone what to do. But stories of a ( shorter than recommended) mile oil change interval will extend engine life just isn't necessarily true. If there was that much difference in how much wear there was between 10000 mile oil and 5000 mile oil, that would be different. But the difference in wear, based on oil sample FACTS, shows it just doesn't make a difference in actual engine wear. The biggest reason oil needs changed is the additive package. That is what controls acid formation, foaming, and cleaning. Otherwise the actual LUBRICATION is doing just fine. That is what your filter is for, to remove abrasive particles, and it does that rather well.
Now that said, if you THINK you have a fuel dilution problem as some claim the 2.0 EcoBoost has, then do yourself a $50 favor and have your oil tested. At 3000 miles or whatever you change at. Then you will know if there is ANY fuel in the oil. Or Coolant. Or about 15 other things....
Decades ago changing oil at 3000 miles was justified. But oil and engine technology today make that questionable. That would be more than 3 oil changes for every one at the 10,000 service. Every time you remove the oil drain plug, pull the oil filter, you run a risk of something going wrong. A loose drain plug will kill that engine faster than old oil!

 

[bgn]

Dealers telling you that oil changes should be more frequent than the manufacturer calls for is like real estate agents telling you it's the right time to buy or sell. Of course they'll tell you that. They stand to make twice the money off of you.

Sponsored