Great information guys, thanks a lot. I guess I'll be running an OEM filter with a good synthetic (still trying to figure out which one, there are a lot of choices out there) and I'll change both at 10,000 miles.

I find it interesting how a simple Google search brings up hundreds of "change the filter every 3,000 miles" or "it needs to be changed more frequently than the oil" results. Hey, changing it less frequently makes everyone else's lives easier, and since it's actually better for the car, it's a win-win for everybody.

 

Darkening of the oil does not necessarily mean the oil is dirty or used up. Some oils, Mobil 1 for instance, use an additive package which naturally darkens when exposed to heat. Put Mobil 1 in an engine, drive for a thousand miles, the oil will be very dark, but if you send it out for a UOA, it will come back with results showing the oil is still rather fresh.

 

Back when I first learned to turn a wrench (years before engineering school), my mentor was an advocate of the 3,000 mile oil change. Why? Because his daddy had taught him that, back in 1940. A great many things have changed in the last 70+ years; changing oil after only 3,000 miles is roughly akin to throwing away perfectly good oil.

 

Yeah, that seems especially true with the higher oil-temperatures in the Saab turbos.

And Mobil-1 isn't all the same either. The 0w-40 that I need seems to have a better life than even the "extended" which in turn is better than the "normal" Mobil-1. I hear stories that 0w-40 is still group-IV where the other Mobil-1 grades have been reformulated to hydrocracked group-III.

 

If I found a case of oil that was packaged in the 1940s, I certainly wouldn't use it for any of my cars for any interval at all....

 

I've heard the same thing. Back when I had some disposable income I was able to drive BMWs and the oil for them was Mobil 1 0W-40; I ended up using it in our Dodge and Chrysler 3.8 liter minivans as well. In the BMWs I'd typically go 15,000 miles per oil change, in the vans I would only push things to about 12,000 miles.

 

Sorry to ruin a discussion, but I've been deciding what oil weight to use. My car requires 5W-20 but I know the dealer is pushing 0W-20 for synthetic oil. I'd feel more comfortable sticking with 5W-20 synthetic, however I have read that 0W is better in certain conditions, and with the dealers pushing it I'm curious as to how it would perform.

Any opinions?

 

The base stocks used in 0W-20 are so very much superior to the already good base stocks used in 5W-20 that I can say, without qualification, whatever 5W-20 can do, 0W-20 can do better.

 

Hm.... you're very convincing, Shipo. I'll give 0W-20 synthetic a chance then.