Oil Change Time

The Charger now has just under 3000 miles on it. Time for an oil change.

On April 4, 2006 I got the new 2006 Charger. It already had 450 miles on it when I got it.

The car was built in June of 2005 so perhaps the oil needed to be changed when I got it. Some folks recommend every 3000 miles or 6 months. Six months had definitely been exceeded.

Since I got the car, I have been considering using Mobile 1 in it. But first a little research was required. Having done the research, I believe that Mobile 1 provides superior engine protection but I was unable to convince myself it was worth the additional cost.

Roughly speaking, the synthetic oil was going to double the cost of the oil change.

From what I had read, the oil has an extended life, but Mobil recommends not exceeding the maximum change duration recommended by the car manufacturer. The typical schedule for my car is every 3k miles but for non severe driving conditions you can go every 6k miles. Per Mobil, I could go 6k miles between change.

(Aside: Per the description, there is really no such thing as non-harsh driving conditions. Less than 10 mile trips are considered harsh. Driving above 50 mph more than 50% of the time is considered harsh.)

While reading up on the subject, I read a story about a guy was driving 16k miles between oil changes with Mobil 1. Amazing. While my car is under warranty, I will not be trying that.

What is the decision? Nothing for now. I went ahead and used regular oil. I will continue to evaluate this decision.

Oddness

The Charger's manual says the 5.7L Hemi requires 7 quarts of oil. It only took 6 quarts to fill it back up. After letting it set for a few minutes it was still full. After 10 miles of harsh driving conditions, it is still full. Is 7 a typo? I talked to a guy at Express Oil. He said his computer says 6 quarts. Perhaps it was a typo.

Seven is definitely an odd number.