Redd

Myron-
Lately all the car magazines, the consumer groups, the published "car guys" who aren't just doing blogs, have been saying that oil is not what it used to be. It really does not need to be changed as often as it did 30 years ago.
If you want an objective standard, search for Blackstone Labs, buy an oil sample kit for about $25, and send out a sample. They can tell you objectively if the additives in the oil are still working. If the oil viscosity is still at rating. If there are contaminants of any kind that would call for a change.
I found out about Mobil1 when it was the brand new kid on the market, and ran with it for nearly 30 years. Changing it according to Mobil, not the carmaker. Funny thing...it worked, and the samples confirmed it was still good when I changed it out.
Yes, turbines put a great demand on oil. But the approved modern synthetics? Are built to handle it, in normal use. If you're using the car three shifts a day, as a taxi and race car, you might need to change it more often.(G)

Winter Cabriolet

Yes, I think that an oil sample is in order. I will give Blackstone a try.

ex-quattro PETE

Mobil doesnt tell u how often to change oil, at least not anymore. They tell u to follow your owners manual.

Its not just the turbo. These new DI engines are just tough on oil in general. They end up dumping a lot of fuel into the oil which dilutes it and results in lower viscosity.

rdA4WtQ5

10k or 1 year is best for almost everyone and your owners manual says so. Too frequent oil changes will do damage to your engine. Read why below.

changing your oil too often will harm your engine | Passenger Car Motor Oil (PCMO) - Gasoline Cars/Pickups/Vans/SUVs | Bob Is The Oil Guy

Redd

rdA4WtQ5-
I suspect the oil volatility tests you posted reference to (and then deleted?) are somehow totally misleading. I used Moiblk1 for nearly 30 years, and according to the viscosity information on Amsoil's site, I should have lost almost a pint of oil between annual changes. Reality? I was never down any perceptible amount on the dipstick, the oil just didn't evaporate away that way. The viscosity also did not change, as it would have if volatiles were being driven off.

I suspect their argument about volatility is someone's idea of how to undo all the waste caused by unneeded oil changes. I know some folks who throw out their milk when it reaches the "sell by" date, because they are certain it will be bad and poison them, too.

None of which surprises me. A major burger chain in the US tried to sell "1/3 pound" burgers at the same price as the usual 1/4-pounders the competition sells. At the same price. And the campaign was a total failure. Exit interviews showed that customers didn't want the 1/3 pound burgers because they knew 3 was less than 4 so a 1/3 pound burger had to be getting them LESS for their money.

These people are allowed to buy, drive, own, and maintain cars, too. They are the majority, and that's a good thing if you are selling oil!

- B -

Forced Induction engines will be harder on oil than Naturally Aspirated engines, and thus require more frequent oil changes in general, but with all the modern advancements in current oil formulas that are currently on the market, vehicles are able to get signicantly longer intervals between oil changes. Mobil1 synthetic is excellent oil though and it is far superior to its non synthetic counterparts. However, a vehicle's driving conditions dictate how often its oil should be changed. Sure an owner can follow the manual, but if the vehicle has been driven harder or has endured more stop and go city driving, then the owner should consider changing the oil more frequently to prevent additional wear on the internal components, plain and simple. There is no set in stone number which should be the interval, instead it is more like a window which will yield the best results. That window is determined through a number of factors; driving conditions, environment, type of oil(synthetic vs standard), engine type, engine mileage, age, and viscosity. All of these factors will ultimately determine your best window. Audi has provided the best "general" guidelines, but it is really up to every owner to determine their own best estimate themselves.

Can changing your oil too frequently hurt your engine? Yes, over time the constant changing can lead to premature failure of gaskets, but just monitor your vehicle's oil use, and other factors I listed above. If your Q5 has been driven harder, has some miles on it, and is turbo'd or supercharged then changing the oil a few thousand miles earily should be fine, but I wouldn't change it every 5k, when Audi suggests 10k, unless your racing the vehicle. I would say 7500-10k is a healthy window for most engines that are currently in the Q5.


Don't forget these people vote as well, and everyone in America wonders why the United States is falling behind. However, that company's marketing department is somewhat to blame and they should have used different stats for the dumb folks out there...1/3 vs 1/4 might confuse those people, but 33.3% vs 25% would have been better to illustrate their product.

Redd

B-
Good idea but since no one sells a "25% of a pound" burger, they were targeting the "quarterpounder" and mixing in percents probably would not have helped. It isn't so crazy to rashly assume that most of the folks who can buy their own lunch, have at least a sixth grade education. Well...

When it comes to voting, remember that only 20% of American citizens initially had the right to vote. Washington, Adams, Franklin...they set it up that way on purpose. White male land owners could vote, everyone else couldn't. Their idea was that if someone was stable enough to own property, successful enough to own property, they probably should have some voice in how the property around them was run. I'd certainly argue about the way they chose "who" but I'll concede that they didn't have fancy tools, they picked a simple way to give the vote to folks who might be able to use it.
On the other end of the scale is Australia, where I'm told that eligible voters MUST vote and if they do not, they get a summons in the mail and have to pay a fine. I don't quite understand that logic, I'd figure some folks are smart enough to know they should not vote. Who's to argue?(G)

Q5 Bob

This discussion about the humble oil change is getting heavy and deep.

jeff968

Every 7,500 miles. I do it myself (easy). My Q5 2.0T burns a quart every 2,000 miles so it gets a new quart then as well.