Mobil 1 Full Synthetic How Long Between Oil Changes?

[Kern66]

Just had a the dealer put in Mobil 1 Full Synthetic at 3,300 miles. I have read where people recommend 10,000 to 15,000 miles between oil changes when using a full synthetic motor oil. Anyone let it go up beyond 10,000 miles?

 

[mldavis2]

I would honor the 6,000 mile factory interval for two reasons.

First, that's what they say you need to do to maintain your warranty.

Second, the recommended oil is for a GF-4 or better. GF-4 and GF-5 oils (Mobil 1 is GF-5) are full synthetics. Forget the extended oil change claims by oil companies because they aren't including turbocharged engines in that extended claim. Turbos are red-hot at the turbo shaft and only full synthetic oils can withstand that much direct heat and not congeal on the turbo shaft and bearing which is the main cause of turbo failure. The turbos are included in your 10 year / 100,000 power train warranty so I'd respect the 6,000 mile factory mandate.

I plan on keeping my GT2 for a long time, so I'm shooting for 4,000 mile intervals which I rarely make, so going over a bit won't be a big deal.

 

[brandon.mol]

I plan on following the schedule, but replacing just the oil half way through.

I bought a vacuum fluid extractor so I can just suck the oil out via the dipstick tube.

 

[robz32]

Like [MENTION=456]mldavis2[/MENTION] said. I will try to honor and follow the 6k mile intervals suggested by the manufacturer, but I would rarely let it go above 4k between intervals.
Recently did mine and replaced it with this.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-1-Extended-Performance-High-Mileage-Formula-5W30-5-qt/111569385

It meets the GF-5 and ACEA requirements by the manufacturer.

 

[brandon.mol]

Just as an aside for those who are not aware, an ACEA A3/B4 oil is substantially better at resisting shear in the punishing world of turbo bearing lubrication than an A5/B5 and is considered 'better'. Larger number is not an upgrade in that case. A5/B5 oils are thin and shear easily by design for fuel efficiency. I would always put an A3/B4 oil in turbo cars if possible. It's required virtually all German cars.

The only mobile 1 oil that meets that spec is the 0w40. Castrol has several (0w30, 0w40, and 5w40) and Shell/Pennzoil/QuakerState have a couple but they tend to be in 1 ltre bottles only and expensive.

Castrol 0w40 and 5w40 meet and exceed all of the specs for the 3.3T and the 0w40 Belgian/German stuff in particular is one of the best oils money can buy.

Just a suggestion.

It's what I'm running in mine and will be providing the dealer with on scheduled services. I'll be doing used oil analysis on samples throughout the life of the car.

 

[Kern66]

Thanks for the responses. I plan on following the schedule too but how would Kia know that you are following the schedule? Technically one could always go to lube center and Kia wouldn't have a record of it.

 

[mldavis2]

That question comes up from time to time. I would guess that under normal circumstances, they would never check. But especially with a turbocharged engine, if warrant required a tear-down and they found turbo shaft bearings gummed up or caked with broken-down oil residue, they "could" request proof of oil changes before taking responsibility for the repair. They would also probably require a record of the type of oil used, and if someone did not follow the GF-4 or GF-5 guidelines and used a cheap non-synthetic oil they could refuse warranty repairs. I think you'll notice that your dealer (and most oil-change shops) will specify the oil used for the change.

In my ten years as a service manager, I never asked anyone for proof of service. But then we seldom if ever had an engine failure of any kind during warranty -- in fact I can't recall a single one.