LewieE Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 All, I know I've seen this basic question and apologize if I am beating the proverbial dead horse, but not being a gear head, I have question on the first oil change. I have less than 500 miles on my 2014 GT500. Even though I took delivery in early May, it was delivered to the dealer in December 2013. As such, the car has more than the 6 months recommended between oil changes. I've also heard that the oil in the car when delivered from the factory has more protectants in it and should be left in as long as possible. So the question...when should I do the first oil change. I will probably put less than 200 miles a month on the car and living in the southern New Hampshire, I will garage it around the end of October, give or take. I appreciate any advice and again apologize if this has been addressed before or elsewhere! Lewie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre500 Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Mine just hit 1600 miles and the the PCM sends you a msg change oil soon. Guess its time to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billross Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I follow the owner's manual recommendations, every 6 months or whenever the "change oil soon" light lights up. I took delivery of my 2014 over the winter and didn't drive it until April. I changed the oil last week with 1,200 miles on it. I'll change it again in October right before I store it. So I'll probably change each July and October regardless of the mileage. I changed it myself. It uses 8.5 quarts of oil that costs $9+/quart at the dealer. The owner's manual says you must use Motorcraft 5w-50 to keep the warranty intact. It costs about $125 to have the dealer change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngotSilverSnake Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 I follow the owner's manual recommendations, every 6 months or whenever the "change oil soon" light lights up. I took delivery of my 2014 over the winter and didn't drive it until April. I changed the oil last week with 1,200 miles on it. I'll change it again in October right before I store it. So I'll probably change each July and October regardless of the mileage. +1. Time is a critical factor in oil changes as well as mileage. Motor oil degrades even if the car is not in use. I would NEVER let a car go more than 6 months without changing the oil even with infrequent use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Mine just hit 1600 miles and the the PCM sends you a msg change oil soon. Guess its time to change it. Mine has just over 2k miles and I haven't got any message yet, probably going to change soon for good measure. If we were all going by the 6 month rule wouldn't the oil need to be changed the moment you get the car? Considering it could be built 6-12 months before you buy it? Mine was manufactured a year ago, but I've owned it around 3 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 +1. Time is a critical factor in oil changes as well as mileage. Motor oil degrades even if the car is not in use. I would NEVER let a car go more than 6 months without changing the oil even with infrequent use. It seems like synthetic oil would be different, since it's engineered you would think shelf life would be considered in the design. Does it go bad in the bottle or just in our engines? I have looked in to this some in the past and what I gather is that this used to be the case with conventional oil but not synthetic. Seems like if time was a factor that the oil life monitoring would reflect a time limit along with something based on mileage and oil quality. But do what makes you feel good , it won't hurt it to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torched10 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 I wanted to get all the metal flakes out of the oil/filter so changed them at 600 miles.then I change annually. Only put 1500 a year.Buy oil and filter from kman and bring it to my oil change place so I can See what they're doing they charge 20 bucks and love the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billross Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 When I changed my oil for the first time at 1,200 miles, it was surprisingly dirty. I thought it would still be mostly clear and yellow with that few miles, but it was dirty. The break-in process dirtied it up fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewieE Posted July 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Everyone, thanks for your insights. I will change it before I store it for the winter...will probably have about 600-650 miles by then but will change so the break-in oil doesn't sit in the engine all winter. IngotSilver, you bring up an interesting point on the breakdown of the oil, but I wonder if I change it in Oct, put another 30-40 miles on and pull it out of storage in Apr, do I really need to change it again right away? It's only a an $125 or so, which isn't much to protect the investment. It just seems a little excessive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Everyone, thanks for your insights. I will change it before I store it for the winter...will probably have about 600-650 miles by then but will change so the break-in oil doesn't sit in the engine all winter. IngotSilver, you bring up an interesting point on the breakdown of the oil, but I wonder if I change it in Oct, put another 30-40 miles on and pull it out of storage in Apr, do I really need to change it again right away? It's only a an $125 or so, which isn't much to protect the investment. It just seems a little excessive. Personally I think that's excessive. Check this out as an alternative. http://www.blackstone-labs.com EDIT: if you want a laugh read the FAQ If you really want to know what going on with your oil have it tested when you bring it out of storage. It could save you an oil change every winter or verify that you actually need one. Additionally please take a look at this https://owner.ford.com/Storage/CommonImages/images/IOLM%20FAQ.pdf It mentions a year or up to 10,000 miles.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 I remembered hearing once that frequent oil changes are bad for your engine, I looked that up and it seems to be a legitimate argument. "Engine wear actually decreases as oil ages. This has also been substantiated in testing conducted by Ford Motor Co. and ConocoPhillips, and reported in SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119. What this means is that compulsive oil changers are actually causing more engine wear than the people who let their engine's oil get some age on it." http://www.brianschreurs.org/neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html These guys tested the oil every 1k miles and ended up going 18k miles on Mobil 1 before needing to be changed, first filter change at 12k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1968 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Sounds a little strange to me. Engine wear would probably decrease as the engine wore a bit and the parts all meshed and found their "happy" spots with regards to one another ( break-in). It's not the oil that breaks down over time or useage, it's the additives within the oil; i.e. dispersants, lubricants, anti- corrosion additives, etc.... these get used up, which is normal, during driving time. Thus the better the oil, the better quality of the additives and so the oil will last longer. So older more used oil would not have as many of these additives left and so wouldn't nessarily be able to perform it's duties as well as fresh oil. You wouldn't really notice any problems with your grocery getter SUV, but when you're running high hp engines you want the absolute best protection and I would think relatively new oil. All it takes is one second where you lose full film protection and you've created a sore spot on a bearing or somewhere that will only get worse. I believe in serious overkill with my toys and change oil rediculously often ( usually when it just starts getting a little dirty). It costs more, but these are expensive cars and well worth the extra money in maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy49 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 Can someone show me an easily readable date code or sale by date on a Motorcraft 5-50 oil container? I have looked and can't find one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torched10 Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 They dont age unless in an open container. Moisture gets in the oil when opened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngotSilverSnake Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 IngotSilver, you bring up an interesting point on the breakdown of the oil, but I wonder if I change it in Oct, put another 30-40 miles on and pull it out of storage in Apr, do I really need to change it again right away? It's only a an $125 or so, which isn't much to protect the investment. It just seems a little excessive. Lewie: How often and when you change your oil is a judgment that each of us makes based on personal experience, research, and the advice of those we trust. There is an article I wanted to quote in my previous post but the link I had was bad and I am still trying to find a new link. The article title is "Chemical Reactions Occur in Motor Oil, Even When Not in Use" by Dan Peterson, VP Technical Development at Amsoil. Basically the article states that the contaminates that are introduced to the oil in the engine (by products of combustion, water, fuel dilution, etc.) begin the process of breaking down the oil and that process continues even when the car is not used. Better additive packages will make oil last longer but it will still break down over time. I always error on the side of caution when it comes to my vehicles especially the Shelby. I have sent an e-mail to Amsoil asking for a new link to the article. I will post when I get it. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewieE Posted July 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Dave it makes a lot of sense. This is my first HP car and always baby my cars anyway. I just want to make sure I'm doing the best I can and appreciate the advice I've received (and read from the shadows) on this and other boards. I doubt I will ever take this to the track, but that doesn't mean that I won't baby it any less. I just crossed over the 500 mile mark today, so at least I can start driving it a bit more aggressively. Again, to all on this thread, thanks for your advice and insights! Lewie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 I follow the owner's manual recommendations, every 6 months or whenever the "change oil soon" light lights up. I took delivery of my 2014 over the winter and didn't drive it until April. I changed the oil last week with 1,200 miles on it. I'll change it again in October right before I store it. So I'll probably change each July and October regardless of the mileage. I changed it myself. It uses 8.5 quarts of oil that costs $9+/quart at the dealer. The owner's manual says you must use Motorcraft 5w-50 to keep the warranty intact. It costs about $125 to have the dealer change it. I was curious about what the manual says exactly so I got mine out to check. There is no mention of a 6 months time limit on oil in mine....unless I missed it somewhere and that's entirely possible lol. Did you find this somewhere in your manual or supplement manual? I may just have refrigerator blindness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngotSilverSnake Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 I was curious about what the manual says exactly so I got mine out to check. There is no mention of a 6 months time limit on oil in mine....unless I missed it somewhere and that's entirely possible lol. Did you find this somewhere in your manual or supplement manual? I may just have refrigerator blindness. Check page 52 of your Shelby Supplement - 7,500 miles or 6 months whichever comes first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gt50014 Posted July 18, 2014 Report Share Posted July 18, 2014 Check page 52 of your Shelby Supplement - 7,500 miles or 6 months whichever comes first. Thanks! I knew it had to be in there somewhere, I was looking in the wrong place. Realizing that I was also able to find it in the standard manual too (page 436), where I learned something else. Our cars do not have the intelligent oil life monitor, I didn't know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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