Have you ever noticed that motor oil has different recommendations in regard to how much time or how many miles the oil will last inside your engine? In the industry this time/mileage recommendation is known as the “drain interval”.
There are 2 categories of drain intervals you should know about. The first is “Normal Service” and the other is “Severe Service”. Normal service is defined as- Driving conditions that DO NOT include the following;
- Frequent trips of less than 10 minutes.
- Stop and go traffic.
- Frequent towing.
- Heavy loads.
- Offroad or dusty conditions.
- Commercial use.
- Racing.
- Vehicles with over 100,000 miles.
If one or more of these conditions exist you are officially considered a “Severe service” operator.
After 14 years in business, we have found that normal operators are extremely abnormal.
You might be wondering “Is it even possible to be a normal vehicle operator?” The short answer is yes, but very unlikely. Perhaps if you live 15 plus miles from your common destinations, and the roads between you and said destinations are all paved, and traffic remains light, sure, you can think of yourself as a normal service operator. After 14 years in business, we have found that normal operators are extremely abnormal. The vast majority of us exist squarely in the severe service category.
Now that we have determined what type of driver you are, let’s discuss what this means for you. When you purchase a motor oil, be sure to read the details on the back label. Generally, the front of the bottle will have to marketing hype, ignore it. The label on the back of the bottle is where the real numbers are. For example, the largest synthetic oil brand on the market says “up to 20,000 miles or 1 year” on the front of their bottle, however, when you read the back of the bottle it names the severe service exceptions. If any of these severe service conditions exist, you should not use 20,000 miles or 1 year as your drain interval. This specific oil manufacturer does not say what to do in severe service applications. It is up to you to then read your vehicles’ owners manual to know exactly when to change your oil.
At Rogers Mobile Lube & Tire, we use Amsoil Synthetic motor oil. Amsoil has a normal service interval or 25,000 miles or 1 year and a severe service interval of 15,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first. Since nearly every vehicle we service falls in the the severe service category, we set our software to remind us to schedule an oil change for our customers at 15,000 miles or 1 year. We will call you and let you know that your vehicle is due, and schedule the service at a time and location most convenient for you.
We hope this helps you understand a little bit more about engine oil drain interval recommendations and how they apply to you.
Call today for more information about how we can benefit your fleet maintenance.
Authored by Riley Rogers