Dodge Challenger Forum banner

Do I really need an oil change?

4K views 24 replies 20 participants last post by  f6f 
#1 ·
Last oil change 4-14 6000 miles, Mobil 1 synthetic

8969 miles and oil change notification came on today

Seems kinda early as I thought I could go around 4-5k between changes
 
#5 ·
If you've been driving it hard then it may be time. If not then I have no idea why it thinks you need to change it but I would probably just er on the side of safety and change it anyway.
Compared to the alternatives, oil is cheap.
 
#7 ·
both my challenger and my jeep have the same set up.since i do not drive my challenger from november till march i just go old school and have a note pad in each glove compartment with the date and mileage per oil change.i know everyone does it different but i do my oil changes every 4000 miles or six months which ever comes first.maybe it has a sensor for oil or its some kind of math (data) the pcm pulls off the engine.oil is cheap..engines are not..hope this helps
 
#8 ·
Always figured that oil changes with filter were the cheapest insurance you can buy...I probably do them more often than most...But with a 50+K car...What's an extra couple bucks worth to you...
 
#10 ·
The engine oil change indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the engine oil change interval may fluctuate, dependent upon many factors including your personal driving style, engine hours, etc. If not reset at a change it will think it's working with old oil.
 
#11 ·
When I use Mobil1 I usually get between 6,000 and 8,000 miles between changes.

A few months back I tried Pennzoil Pure Platimun and the monitor called for an oil change after just 2,800 miles.

So I changed the oil rather than taking a chance and went back to Mobil1. I have a little over 4,000 miles so far and will wait for the monitor to call for the next change.
 
#13 ·
Has to have just been a coincidence, the oil change indicator system does not measure oil quality so has no idea what oil is in it, it is strictly duty based as has been said. You must have just run it a little harder or had more start and stop city driving when the Penzoil was in it.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#14 ·
Then it almost certainly didn't get reset the last time. Looking back at what you posted, there was an oil change at 2500 miles, another at 6000 miles, and again now at 8969 miles. 2969 miles on the oil is WAY sooner than I've ever seen, but 6469 (which is how many miles would be on the OLM algorithm if it wasn't reset at 6000 miles) is just about what I see every time on my 2012 SRT8. So your monitor went off for the oil change at 2500 miles, not the one at 6000!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thunderinn
#17 ·
I've concluded that the indicator comes on for reasons we mortals don't fully understand. I use my SRT as a GT (highway use only) and my oil change indicator comes on about 4000 to 5000 miles. The algorithm must consider highway use severe duty--maybe it's because I don't slow down for those mountain passes and the oil temperature gets up to 245 or so. But I always understood highway use was easy on the oil because there's virtually no fuel dilution or water condensation-based acid formation. Mobil 1 shears like crazy under hot conditions but others are more stable. (I have nothing against Mobil 1; I use it in my everyday cars.)


In similar conditions my Brand X-car oil monitor comes on at about 10,000 miles.
 
#18 ·
Chrysler is conservative on oil change intervals.

The oil in high heat conditions, will get the Oil Change Reminder to trip off earlier.

The SRT engines seem to run oil hotter - not uncommon to see the system go off 2,400-2,600 intervals.

When I put the 392 cam in my 5.7 (and tune) my change intervals went from 5 - 5,000 to average of 2,500 and in very hard driving 1,850mi.

Just a couple of weeks before I sold my '09 I put the police oil cooler setup on my 5.7 and this brought oil temps down. [the 6.4 SRT engines have this oil cooler on them since '11 when the engine came into production].
 
#24 ·
turn ignition on w/o starting engine (no foot on break pedal - 'auto) / (don't push in clutch pedal on 'stick).

Depress the accelerator pedal fully to the floor and relase - do this three times, then shut ignition off.

To check is message has been cleared, turn to "on" (w/o starting engine) if the message no longer appears (wait approx 8-10 seconds for light check sequence to complete) you're all set to go.
 
#23 ·
Any exceptions? I use synthetic. I've changed four times. 1. At 1000 miles/3 mos 2. 3500/6 mos. 3. 6000/1yr 4. 7000/1& 6 mos. I'm not adding many miles but have been changing by the calendar. Is going beyond 1 year if you are only logging a few thousand miles a good thing?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top