Alright guys here the facts:

1. I use mobil 1 synthetic every oil change with a mobil 1 filter (I'm at 26K on a unlimited purchased 5-23-09).
2. I change the oil every 6K miles and the little oil warning comes on right about when I'm looking to change it, (my mileage drops .5-1 miles per gallon so I change it and it hops right back up).
3. I changed my oil about a month ago, took a 1200 mile trip and did about 150 miles of offroading on washboarded out dry dusty dirt roads in the desert of west Texas.
4. last night about 3K miles into this oil change my change oil light came on...


so my questions:
did my long trip/ dusty offroad adventure really shorten the life of my oil in half?

should I change it, or keep with my regular cycle?

does the sensor actually measure viscosity or something or does it just count miles?




thank you for your time in responding in advance.

 

The computer doesn't track anything directly relating to the oil. It looks at duty cycles, miles, start temps, etc.

I would reset the light, and continue on your regular schedule. Maybe change it a little earlier, but no need to cut the time/mileage in half.

 

+ There is no way it was coming on at 6,000mile intervals either. I don't think you can get over 4,000 miles without resetting it.

 

Might be a good idea to change your air filter, though.

 

On my JK the first time the light came on was at 5819 miles, the second at 11608, third at 17508, 4th at 23870. It seems my jeep likes 6k oil changes as well. I also have an '09 with about 27k on it.

 

Well that is certainly news to me. Mine has never gone over 3000miles regardless of how easily I drive it.

 

+1 no matter how I drive I have never seen it go past 3000 miles.

 

Reset the light and do the oil change at 6000 like you normally do. M1 with an M1 filter will easily go 6000 miles.

 

Isn't the recommended oil service interval still 3,000miles? I have to look into my manual. I'd imagine not following the recommended mileage would cause a problem with the lifetime powertrain warranty, regardless of what the display said.

 

no way eh?

my last change it came on at 23,700 and I changed it at 17994 the time before that... thats pretty close to 6K.

not to mention that my tires are oversized and not calibrated which means my actual mileage would be closer to 10% over that, about 6300 miles. (I'm leaving it htis way cause performance isn't too bad, but my bumper to bumper warranty will last about another 8K miles)

all 3 of my changes before that were pretty close to 6k miles on the odometer also. Like I said I usually see a small mileage drop off and buy the stuff before the light comes on, then I let the light run for a couple hundred miles before I get annoyed enough to change it.

The owners manual says not to exceed 6K, and the maintenance schedule is listed at 6K intervals. Mobil1 synthetic is pretty good stuff, but any reputable brand of full synthetic is going to serve you better on engine wear than dino-juice. I've seen mobile 1 tests where after 7500 miles it still has the same wear and lubrication properties as when it goes in. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some folks are running it for 10-15K without issue. the mobil 1 filters have a claim on them that they are good to 12K. I'm not that brave with the vehicle that puts food on my table...