Are you still changing the oil every 5,000 kilometers? A secret that hasn’t been revealed!

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If a car lubricant manufacturer recommends an engine oil change interval of 15,000 kilometers or 1 year, would you question that? The reason for this is mainly that people are highly skeptical about these 15,000 km figures and prefer to believe in some traditional explanations. And more importantly, domestic car manufacturers (especially foreign brands) recommend a replacement mileage of 5,000 kilometers in their user manuals. 　　Below is an interview with Li Jia, General Manager of Shell, discussing how often engine oil should be changed. 　　Qi: \"Friends of Cars\" Li: Li Jia Qi: From our observations, the oil change interval for vehicles in China is much shorter than that for vehicles abroad; often the oil is changed after 5,000 kilometers, while abroad it’s changed at least after 10,000 kilometers. Isn’t this a bit unreasonable? Any suggestions? 　　Li: You’re absolutely right; this is irrational consumption. Some car manufacturers require tire changes every 15,000 kilometers abroad, but for the same cars and fuels, this limit is reduced to 5,000 kilometers in China. This provides protection for the manufacturers, but it costs consumers more. But this isn’t something the manufacturers can decide. Lubricant companies have carried out a lot of consumer education efforts, but to no avail. And even after we complete the training, the manufacturer still states in the instructions that the oil should be changed every 5,000 kilometers. For example, oil labeled as “SL” is the second-highest quality oil in the world; even with poor road conditions and substandard oil in China, it is sufficient to change it every 10,000 to 15,000 kilometers. Moreover, the lubrication effect follows a certain curve: we found that oil of the SL grade performs best after 7,500 kilometers, but by that time many people have already turned it into waste oil! It’s not that it can’t be used once it turns black. The oil we use ourselves is changed only after more than 10,000 kilometers. 　　Vapor: Any suggestions on matching the oil grade to the engine? 　　Li: Cars are just like people; what 20-year-olds eat is definitely different from what 60-year-olds eat. For new cars, normal-grade engine oil is sufficient, but if the car is quite old, we recommend using a higher-grade oil. For example, at 500,000 kilometers, oil with a higher grade and greater viscosity has a stronger ability to absorb dirt. In winter, use oil with good starting properties, otherwise the starter will have to be turned over many times, which causes excessive wear on the engine. Therefore, the condition of a vehicle is highly related to its maintenance. I wonder why all cars in China break down so often? Apart from those that were damaged in collisions, there are those that were repaired. Actually, if you take good care of the car, it won’t have any problems. As soon as you fix it, there’s a problem with it. No need to change the oil every 5,000 kilometers! 　　Many car owners have new cars that are less than a year old, so they don’t mind the hassle of changing the oil frequently, nor the time and money it costs; they see it as a way to take care of their vehicles. However, a oil change interval that short seems a bit absurd. We often hear from friends who have moved abroad that in those countries, the mileage at which oil needs to be changed for the same vehicle models is usually over 15,000 kilometers... Whether it’s Japanese or European cars, most maintenance manuals produced by domestic manufacturers specify a oil change interval of 5,000 kilometers, regardless of the type of lubricant used, or whether the vehicle is driven on dusty and rough roads, urban roads, or on long distances. Is this due to \"special attention\" given to Chinese consumers? Or are they still trying to make a profit from China’s not-so-wealthy consumers? Is our driving environment that bad? 　　An explanation given by a Japanese manufacturer is that road conditions and usage environments in China are poor, which is why a most cautious oil change interval of 5,000 kilometers was set. But does this reflect the actual situation in China? This Japanese manufacturer has been in China for quite some time now; its advertising slogan, \"There is always a way to the mountain’s foot,\" has been in use for decades, showing that it has a thorough understanding of China’s conditions. The actual situation doesn’t seem to be as bad as they think. From south to north and from east to west, China experiences great variations in climate, environment, and road conditions; it has marine climates similar to those in Europe, as well as cold, dusty, and sand-covered regions in the northwest. There are highways with the longest distances in the world, as well as dirt roads in rural areas. The terrain includes hills and winding roads, as well as flat urban streets and wide plains. Is it negligent and irresponsible to set a figure of 5,000 kilometers in a general manner without considering specific circumstances? 　　In the mid-20th century, due to the low quality of lubricants used in cars, the oil change interval was usually set at 5,000 kilometers. Zhang Chunhui, the chief engineer at Great Wall Lubricants, believes that it is not appropriate to conclude simply based on the oil turning black that the lubricant is \"dirty\" and needs to be replaced; this actually indicates that the lubricant has good cleaning properties. 5,000 kilometers is the point at which the viscosity of the lubricant is at its optimal level; it would be a shame to change it at this time. President Zhang believes that a oil change interval of 5,000 kilometers represents an excessive level of safety margin; it does not align with current international trends, nor does it conform to the principles of energy conservation and environmental protection, nor is it in the interest of consumers. 　　Experts point out that for high-grade lubricants such as SN and SM, there is still at least a mileage coverage of 10,000 kilometers. Even from actual tests showing that the oil does not need to be changed after 20,000 kilometers of use, it can be seen that the degradation of the key parameters of the lubricating oil is very low; 20,000 kilometers is by no means the limit. From the perspective of full utilization of resources, lubricant can generally be used for at least 10,000 to 20,000 kilometers; is forcing premature disposal a waste of non-renewable resources? Is it environmental damage? 　　Lubricant is a product that needs to be replaced frequently throughout a car’s lifetime, and saving lubricant is just as important as saving fuel. Why do car manufacturers do the opposite in China, promoting a \"luxurious\" consumption of lubricants? There is no suspense here – the **oil change interval is 5,000 kilometers as specified, with 4 liters of oil required for each change. Based on an average annual driving distance of 20,000 kilometers, with oil changes performed 4 times a year, 16 liters of oil are required. Over a service life of 300,000 kilometers or 15 years, 60 oil changes are required, involving 240 liters of oil to be replaced. At 200 yuan per time, the total amount is approximately 12,000 yuan. 　　We can see that since consumers follow these rules, automotive after-sales service providers and OEM lubricant suppliers can earn substantial profits by shortening the oil change interval. However, if the oil change interval is doubled, consumers will make half as many purchases, and the lubricant suppliers will incur double the loss in input costs; at the same time, half as much waste oil will be generated. This contraction and extension, this increase and decrease, is a matter without any suspense. 　　If you have time, check online the oil change interval for similar models abroad; stop relying on the intervals specified in the vehicle’s maintenance manual. If your car has an automatic reminder for oil changes, definitely change it from 5,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers! End Source: Auto Friends