From my reading and discussion with the dealer, the recommended oil change intervals are the earlier of 6,000 miles or the light that comes on to tell you to change the oil. As someone who is used to changing oil a lot more often than that, a couple questions:

1. What do you think of 6,000 miles between changes? Do you think an earlier change might be good for the first one? What happened to that whole break-in period oil change?

2. Do you think synthetic is worth the extra money? I haven't heard anyone keeping a vehicle long enough to find out and wondered if anyone had any good reason why conventional oil, if properly changed, was not good enough.

Thanks.

 

This is a whole can of worms, but here's what I have done.

I ran the factory oil till 1100 miles, then changed to amsoil 5W-20. I use an over-sized amsoil oil filter. My change interval is 5000 miles. I also attached some rare earth magnets to the filter.

 

1. I wouldn't wait 6000 miles to change my oil unless I was running synthetic and then I'd still want to change earlier than that and probably my filter too.

2. Yes, some probably more than others. It's hard to quantify anything, but less friction is good.

 

I personally beleive that synthetic isn't worth the extra money. I stick with what the manufacturer says to put in, since they made the jeep.


I Also swear by the 3000 mile rule. 6000 is for "light driving" or something of that nature. I feel safer with 3000 miles anyways.

I have an 07 though, so there's no oil light. I'm not sure if the JK's are like hondas, though. I know my girlfriend brought her brand new honda in at 3000 miles for a change, and they sent her right on home, saying the oil still has 30% life left. I wonder if the Jeep actually calculates oil life remaining, or is just set to come on ever umpteen thousand miles

 

6000 is fine between oil changes, modern oils are MUCH, MUCH better than they were just 10 to 15 years ago, and immeasurably better than 25 years ago when 3000 mile changes were recommended. Earlier for the first is not a bad idea.

Synthetic is better at handling heat, and shearing forces. And it lasts longer. If you are really stressing the engine or plan on doing extended oil changes (10,000 miles) use synthetic. If not you will be fine with a good quality dino oil.. The dino oils over the last 5 years or so have gotten much better again. Almost as good as synthetic as long as you don't let them go past about 6k.

A few years back a Camaro club did an independent test of Mobil 1 and Amsoil synthetic to see if they really could last 15k.. Doing oil analysis every 3000 miles and changing the filter as recommended, they found that as long as you kept the oil level correct if it went down, Mobil 1 was good to 12k, and Amsoil was good to 15k, but Amsoil seemed to need filling up more often.

On all my vehicles for the last 10 years I have done extended oil changes with synthetic, (10k on my cars and trucks, and 1.5 time recommended on my motorcycles) with no problems. But seeing as I have an 08, and they require 3000 mile oil changes to keep the unlimited mileage warranty I still have not decided it I will use synthetic or not.

Although I bet if someone with money decide to take DC to court they could beat the 3000 mile requirement seeing as 07s have the same engine and a 6000 mile requirement. But then people with that kind of money don't keep vehicles long enough to worry about the warranty.

 

Hi!
Change interval is very dependent upon how you use the JEEP and weather conditions (cold / hot, etc). If you have your JEEP serviced, as I do just for the maint log, at a dealer, be advised that they WILL promote the every 3000 mile service simply because it creates much more cash flow for them. I DO use Mobil 1 EP lube and filter as a personal choice. I DO NOT purchase it from the dealer at $12 per Qt but at an Auto Parts store for $4.95 per QT and have the dealer record that on the service ticket (Mobil 1 EP 5W20 supplied by customer). They WILL whine and cry but if you ask them politely if they'd rather you spend your service dollars at another dealership they will press a few keys for you. Service is a real game... they are in it to get your money and you are in it to save your money! Take care... Mike

 

The problem with that logic is that it assumes that the manufacturer has the best interest of the car buyer in mind. That is not the case. In fact, it is in their best interest for your engine to wear our sooner than later. Not too soon to be labeled a quality issue, but not too long to affect their revenues much.

 

Why would Jeep say change every 6k miles when you have a lifetime warranty?
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They would cover themselves better to say "change every 3k miles" or "every 6k with synthetic".

My 08 says every 6k and I have the lifetime warranty. I think I will do it every 4k-5k miles just to be safe and within specs but I really don't think I would get my moneys worth out of synthetic at these change intervals.

If I didn't have the lifetime warranty i would use synthic and change every 8k to 10k miles. Thats how I do my wifes Honda.

I would also like to ad that I have had many many vehicles. Some I used synthetic and others I used Vavoline dyno oil. I have never had an engine failure in anything I have ever owned. That includes lawn equipment.

I think think that most people on this forum like me are very car/Jeep crazy. I am a maintenance freak. If I buy a used truck I change all fluids the first weekend. And I mean ALL the fluids. If you pay attention and do your maintenance BEFORE its needed (before a failure) I think that things will hold up way beyond the normal life span. Just my 2 cents

 

I'm not there yet, but I plan to use synthetic and change my oil every 5K miles. I'm disturbed by the line in the manual for the dealer or other service center to sign off the service interval. I always perform my own maintenance. Even with receipts, where might that leave me in a "lifetime" problem?


3 month/3K miles has always been a gimmick to sell oil changes. Nobody needs to change oil that frequently except extreme duty.

 

My dealer has told me to stick to 6,000 miles like in the 08 manual. I looked closely and nothing in there says to do it more often. It says basically to wait for the change oil light or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Sounds like there is plenty of debate. Since I can't get my brain around waiting 6,000 miles or more and using synthetic, I'll probably stick with regular oil and more frequent oil changes. It's a few bucks but can't hurt.