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Date:         Thu, 20 Jun 96 07:33:14 CDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      Re: Consumer Reports on oil

On Thu, 20 Jun 1996 02:17:37 -0500 Rick Gordon said: >They felt that the test wasn't sufficient to measure sludge buildup, as >this requires the engines to sit cold and cabs never sit for long.

remember this! cause your little short trips down to the grocery store and driving six miles to work, especially on cold days, is what car makers usually consider in the category of "severe conditions". running the engine all the time (or for long intervals), whether down the highway at speed, or sitting at the airport/whatever waiting for a fare, is a whole nuther story. so IF you use your car the way most folks do, you might want to consider changing the oil more often.

when i used to get my oil analyzed, it took only 3000 miles for a straight 30W oil to change viscosity into a 46W oil. and that's JUST the viscosity. not counting the silicon (from dirt getting through the air filter) and other particulates that showed up in the oil during that "short" mileage.

Consumer Reports can say whatever they want (and remember: these are the same clowns that said the VW's weren't worth buying! :) just thought i'd muddy up the water a bit), i'm changing my oil every 2500 miles.

i figure that way, i spend about $60 every 10,000 miles. a rebuilt engine costs $2500 (not counting installation). so ... i could skip the oil changes and just get a new engine every 416,000 miles. yeah, right. :) besides ... changing your own oil gives you an opportunity (or even if someone else changes it) to LOOK under the bus and SEE how things are going, to notice oil leaks, damaged sheet metal, this doodad ain't where it's supposed to be, that sort of thing ... like the old 3,000-mile valve adjustments: it wasn't JUST about valve adjusting ... you were forced to LOOK at the engine and pay attention to it. and THAT is what keeps a car going strong: catching the little things before they become big problems.

but ... everybody has to spend their own money their way. and that's ok, too.

joel


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