Should I get an Oil Change??

[mis3]

Because of Covid, I have only driven 3.6K miles since January; mostly short trips.
Although MM now says 50%, I am changing mine next week.

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[letsgoMINAJE]

I've done my first oil change after 7k miles or so using Pennzoil Platinum 0w-20, new filter as well. It SEEMS like my mpgs have gone down a tad. Is this normal?

 

[IronFusion]

So my mom got her car back in December and only drives it five miles to work and back. No joke, she hasn't even traveled 3,000 miles.

I told her to keep the original oil in the car till she hits 15% or so, but should she consider otherwise in this case? Just curious. I think she's still at 60% or so.

She ought to drive it at highway speeds for 20min, or further than 20mi, once a week.
The MM takes into account short interval drives and also how long the oil has been in. If it's the factory fill, I say keep it in there, and just go for some Sunday drives.

If the oil is changed early, if it were me, I'd add LiquiMoly to the oil. It's choked full of molybdenum, which is the predominate thing 'special' about factory fills.

If the oil stays in, and she doesn't modify her driving routine, sending some of the oil away for analysis when it is changed can be informative. If there is a high water content or acidity to the drained oil she should definitely do those Sunday drives. If the analysis comes back A-okay, not much of a need to change driving behavior.

 

[IronFusion]

I've done my first oil change after 7k miles or so using Pennzoil Platinum 0w-20, new filter as well. It SEEMS like my mpgs have gone down a tad. Is this normal?

I use PUP. Didn't notice a decrease in fuel economy. It could be you had some dilution and now there is relatively thicker oil. If that's the case, it is a good thing. Better for wear.

 

[MuffinMcFluffin]

She ought to drive it at highway speeds for 20min, or further than 20mi, once a week.
The MM takes into account short interval drives and also how long the oil has been in. If it's the factory fill, I say keep it in there, and just go for some Sunday drives.

If the oil is changed early, if it were me, I'd add LiquiMoly to the oil. It's choked full of molybdenum, which is the predominate thing 'special' about factory fills.

If the oil stays in, and she doesn't modify her driving routine, sending some of the oil away for analysis when it is changed can be informative. If there is a high water content or acidity to the drained oil she should definitely do those Sunday drives. If the analysis comes back A-okay, not much of a need to change driving behavior.

Thanks.

So I can't find a full synthetic 0w20 oil from them. If you're speaking additives only, I'm not sure which product among theirs would be appropriate.

 

[IronFusion]

Thanks.

So I can't find a full synthetic 0w20 oil from them. If you're speaking additives only, I'm not sure which product among theirs would be appropriate.

Sorry about that.
Yeah, it's an additive: the MOS2 anti-friction additive.

IIRC their special tec aa oil comes in 0w-20, but doesn't actually have that much MOS2 in it.

Molybdenum is really good for easing friction where there are irregularities on metal to metal contacts. Factory fills usually have a helping of molybdenum so the piston rings and cylinder bore experience a nice wear-in and can developer a good seal.

 

[MuffinMcFluffin]

Sorry about that.
Yeah, it's an additive: the MOS2 anti-friction additive.

IIRC their special tec aa oil comes in 0w-20, but doesn't actually have that much MOS2 in it.

Molybdenum is really good for easing friction where there are irregularities on metal to metal contacts. Factory fills usually have a helping of molybdenum so the piston rings and cylinder bore experience a nice wear-in and can developer a good seal.

Thanks, I found it!

So would I ask the service place to add this in with the oil change, or do you throw this into the oil refill part of the engine after they perform the oil change?

 

[IronFusion]

Thanks, I found it!

So would I ask the service place to add this in with the oil change, or do you throw this into the oil refill part of the engine after they perform the oil change?

I would just add afterward. I think 1/2 to 3/4 for the volume of oil in the engine. Dealership may question you or not add it and make a fuss. Owners manual says the car doesn't need anything so it is technically not advised. Don't worry though- this will not harm the engine whatsoever. If she's got the 1.5L, it's good for the turbo too.

Don't wear nice clothes when opening the bottle. .. It's got a pull-tabbed seal in the opening that takes some force to pull out, and contents hanging onto the seal may fly onto you. MOS2 is VERY dark, and very staining. Because it's dark, the next time the oil is drained, the tech may make a comment about how it was really dirty... Just the molybdenum; no need to worry.

 

[saiko21]

I would just add afterward. I think 1/2 to 3/4 for the volume of oil in the engine. Dealership may question you or not add it and make a fuss. Owners manual says the car doesn't need anything so it is technically not advised. Don't worry though- this will not harm the engine whatsoever. If she's got the 1.5L, it's good for the turbo too.

Don't wear nice clothes when opening the bottle. .. It's got a pull-tabbed seal in the opening that takes some force to pull out, and contents hanging onto the seal may fly onto you. MOS2 is VERY dark, and very staining. Because it's dark, the next time the oil is drained, the tech may make a comment about how it was really dirty... Just the molybdenum; no need to worry.

I wouldn't recommend additives to this engine as 0W20 oil is thin oil and additives can change the viscosity a little. Just go with good oil like Pennzoil or mobil or Amsoil but stay away from additives as fully synthetic oil is more than enough

 

[MuffinMcFluffin]

I wouldn't recommend additives to this engine as 0W20 oil is thin oil and additives can change the viscosity a little. Just go with good oil like Pennzoil or mobil or Amsoil but stay away from additives as fully synthetic oil is more than enough

But you know my mother's particular situation, right? Her oil has been in her car too long (eight months) taking only short trips, yet she hasn't even hit 50% on her factory oil with the molybdenum.

What's worse? Not letting the factory oil do its job because of a premature change (per the MM), or trying to continue the job after said premature change with an additive that might alter the viscosity?

 

[IronFusion]

I wouldn't recommend additives to this engine as 0W20 oil is thin oil and additives can change the viscosity a little. Just go with good oil like Pennzoil or mobil or Amsoil but stay away from additives as fully synthetic oil is more than enough

Seems you missed the context. The factory fill hasn't been in the car for many miles and the owner is considering changing it based on time, without the miles. Factory fills have higher molybdenum. My recommendation for an additive was to continue the specific benefit of the factory fill as the owner slowly accrues miles.

 

[IronFusion]

But you know my mother's particular situation, right? Her oil has been in her car too long (eight months) taking only short trips, yet she hasn't even hit 50% on her factory oil with the molybdenum.

What's worse? Not letting the factory oil do its job because of a premature change (per the MM), or trying to continue the job after said premature change with an additive that might alter the viscosity?

Concern over visocity w/r to MOS2 additive is moot- it's a non-issue. The prescribed dosing is 5% of the total oil volume in the car. The Mos2 is suspended in mineral oil. I personally use it every fill (unless I use a different additive). A sample size of 1 is worthless, so I won't claim safety or efficacy, but my point is that I've used the product multiple times. It flows. It's not gunky or chalky.
On my old car I used STP Oil Additive, and that stuff is thicker than honey. But that was an old car, that consumed a little bit of oil. That's generally what old cars do: They consume oil because the continual wear reduces tolerances over time. If it gets to a point, you may end up using leak-saver, stop-smoke, and compression increasing additives in an older engine to combat a problem that has already occurred. My approach is to reduce wear on my (once) new vehicle over its use to prolong the span of over which you go from preventing to dealing with wear. It's a personal choice. I don't like the idea of decreased fuel economy and increased resource consumption and emissions.
The best time to prevent wear is when the car is breaking in. Soft metals and even sealants continue to wear off for the first 10-15k miles. At least in my car they did. I had elevated copper levels in my oil through 15k.
Technically, a nominal increase in viscosity may occur with MOS2. However, a car being driven short distance in small intervals of time is not spending long at operating temperatures that vaporize off condensation and unburnt fuel.
Oil in short trip uses takes on water and fuel, which dilutes the oil and lowers visocity. I'm not saying put higher viscosity oil in the car, just saying the operating conditions are reducing viscosity anyway, negating the already nominal increase in visocity. I've sent my oil for analysis every change and the testing shows this: Each time the viscosity measurements at 100C (cST) and 210F (SUS) have been on the lower end of the desirable or "should be" range. I use Pennzoil UP. I don't believe the additive is directly impacting where the visocity is on that range whatsoever. It has been laboratory tested, however, and shown to reduce friction on contact surfaces up to 30%. Friction increases heat and wear. Higher heat is the biggest contributor to the reduction of viscosity. So, an additive that reduces friction effectively preserves the viscosity of an oil.

You could definitely simply change the oil. It's not like the engine is going to fail at 40k miles because "regular" oil was put in at 3000mi. I'm a nerd and want my car to operate the best it can for my uses for as long as I may keep it. My opinion is that changing oil every 3000-6000mi is wasteful, time consuming, and expensive. A can of MOS2 additive is ~$8. With it, you are just extending the presence of extra Moly that the factory fill introduces.

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