Oil change places hate them, dealerships love them, and yet the same people ignore them that used to ignore the sticker on their windshield that said an oil change was due at some future odometer reading or date. I’m talking about the oil life indicator or oil change indicator on the dash of newer vehicles. From what I understand, the computer in the vehicle takes into account the throttle position, load, temps, tow/haul mode, average speeds, etc to decide on an optimum number of miles that you should run your vehicle between oil changes. In theory, the person who drives 50 miles each way to work on the freeway at an average speed of 65 mph will have a much longer oil change interval than the person who drives that same vehicle 50 miles each way at 75 while in tow haul mode fully loaded. Which makes sense when you think about it logically.

But with synthetic oil, testing, higher quality machining, and other technology advancements in engine management systems, oil change intervals have gone from the old 3,000 mile recommendation to 5,000, 7,500, and even 10,000 miles if you believe the label on some new oils. Again, oil change places hate it, which is why the prices are so much higher now, but dealers that are now offering “free” maintenance as part of a new car purchase kind of dig it. And they really love the oil change interval light because if you ignore that thing for 4 months and then blow your junk up, they have proof you didn’t do what you were supposed to and can argue with you on warranty claims. But that’s a story for another blog item.

So how accurate are the oil change lights? Are they really doing complex analysis? Or is it pretty random?

Our favorite oil expert, Lake Speed Jr. is going to tell us in the video below. Lake is a certifiable, and certified, bad ass when it comes to oil and engine lubrication, so I trust whatever he says to be the Gospel. Check it out below and let us know what you think.

Video Description:

Ever wondered if your car’s oil life indicator is more of a guess than a guarantee? Discover how accurate oil life indicators really are as we compare used oil analysis results to what the GM Oil Life Indicator predicted. They don’t actually test the oil, so how close to correct are they? These test results provide the proof of just how accurate these indicators are. We’ve got the answers, backed by a detailed used oil analysis test you won’t want to miss!

It is worth noting, this engine was already broken-in, so these results do not apply to a brand new engine. For more information on that, check out this video on oil change intervals for new engines:    • AVOID the ONE MISTAKE Almost EVERYONE…