How accurate is the oil life indicator?

Exactly how accurate is the amount of oil life left that the dic displays? how does it go about finding this number?

I'd like to know what all it uses too; I was thinking that at the very least it would be based on engine hours, and that if it's really smart it would factor that also with fuel consumption, # rpms during those hours, max, median, and high rpm, same for throttle position usage, etc., all in order to determine just exactly how hard the motor has been used during those given hours. I'd like to think it does this, but really don't know and will therefore just change it at intervals as if there was no monitor. Good question that I'll bet Dave can answer when he sees it.

I heard an interview on The Wall Street Journal Report on XM a couple of weeks ago with a guy from GM. He was talking specifically about the oil life indicator. To summarize, he said they've made continual improvements in the system, and his point was that if every GM owner waited to change their oil when the oil life indicator said it was time to change it, we'd save umpteen gallons of oil each year. I don't remember the quantity he said, but it was a lot of oil.
Anyway, that was his take.

I read a couple independent studies a while back about GM's Oil LIfe System. They ran some tests concerning the breakdown of the molecular structure of the oils. With today's advancement in oil engineering, tests have shown that the 3000 mile oil change interval isn't needed anymore and is just wasting good oil. GM's system take into account, eng oil temp, RPMs, operating hours, and other factors I can't recall. They say the tests revealed that GM's system was astoundingly accurate and would help save tons of oil every year if every GM owner with this feature trusted and relied on the system.

JKmotorsports said:

I read a couple independent studies a while back about GM's Oil LIfe System. They ran some tests concerning the breakdown of the molecular structure of the oils. With today's advancement in oil engineering, tests have shown that the 3000 mile oil change interval isn't needed anymore and is just wasting good oil. GM's system take into account, eng oil temp, RPMs, operating hours, and other factors I can't recall. They say the tests revealed that GM's system was astoundingly accurate and would help save tons of oil every year if every GM owner with this feature trusted and relied on the system.

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Yup and with the price of oil these days you want to get all of you can out of it. I mostly wait untill the oil life gets to about 5% then I take it to the dealership.

I dont trust it one abit, i run my trucks hard, it cant tell me how dirty the oil is, or if there are metal particals are in it, now this may be completly different and more power to ya when using it, but i didnt get past 400k on origional engines on my older gm trucks by going past the 3000k or 3 months oil intervertal, every 4k with Mobile 1 and a magnetic oil filter. trucks run like the day they were born.

Rollin Thunder said:

I dont trust it one abit, i run my trucks hard, it cant tell me how dirty the oil is, or if there are metal particals are in it, now this may be completly different and more power to ya when using it, but i didnt get past 400k on origional engines on my older gm trucks by going past the 3000k or 3 months oil intervertal, every 4k with Mobile 1 and a magnetic oil filter. trucks run like the day they were born.

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:iagree:

Better safe than sorry.

I always take every article I read with a grain of salt. Scientists say there is a hole in the ozone layer, others don't agree. Fox says Bush is awesome, CNN does not. Hmmmm, I guess it's a matter of opinion. But don't take one person's opinion as the truth. Get many pieces of info and make an informed decision.....Basically what I'm saying is I have no idea.:iq:

There is a difference between being sorry and just plain wasteful (or overkill).

I have seen many fleet operated (to numerous to mention) GM vehicles over the years that have been serviced with marginal brands of conventional oil and no-name filters that have gone well beyond 500,000 miles and still run fine with oil change service intervals in the 5,000 - 8,000 mile range.

The real problem with an high-mile vehicle is that the interior gets worn out and stinky and the rubber bushings and body mounts harden while everything else gets sloppy making driving the vehicle an unpleasant experience.

Rollin Thunder said:

I dont trust it one abit, i run my trucks hard, it cant tell me how dirty the oil is, or if there are metal particals are in it, now this may be completly different and more power to ya when using it, but i didnt get past 400k on origional engines on my older gm trucks by going past the 3000k or 3 months oil intervertal, every 4k with Mobile 1 and a magnetic oil filter. trucks run like the day they were born.

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Hey RT, how often do you change your oil anyway?

Poe1983 said:

Hey RT, how often do you change your oil anyway?

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in the yukon, about 2 days after i bought it i went to mobile one, my OD as of today is just at 2k and 2k miles from now i plan to change it.

I'd rather be safe than sorry with something like an engine..

I change the oil at 50% on the dash or 3500, whichever comes first. I did that on my 2003 Tahoe and even when it needed an oil change at over 100k, the oil still looked new on the dipstick and didn't burn a drop. Every other car I've owned the oil would be dirty already 100 miles after an oil change.

I switched my trucks over to Mobil 1 this month and I plan on changing it at 4500 or 25% whichever comes first.

I want the truck to last for very long time. So, I just change it every 3K miles or 3 months.

I think that it is just what you are comfortable with. I have seen some people with Diesel trucks change their oil every 50k miles with regular analysis done and some top-offs. Some of these trucks have had well over 200k miles on them without any issues.

I have a friend with a Honda (I know, different animal) with 50k miles on it and she had never changed the oil...of course she didn't even know what I was talking about when I mentioned it.

Some people change it every 3k, 4k, 5k, etc. I think a lot of it has to do with how you were raised and what you feel is best.

If a 3k oil change makes you feel more comfortable, go with it. If you want to follow the oil monitor and that makes you feel better, go for it. From what I have read about it, it seems like there is some actual truth behind it. Will I run it all the way down to the end of the oil life? HECK NO! But I don't think that going over 3k with my lazy style of driving will cause any damage as long as the oil monitor is showing good.