Synthetic Oil Change

smart says every 10,000 mi, but many do it more frequently

JCat251986 said:

I've just purchased my first Smart Car Fortwo and I'm super excited about it! The only question I have is about oil changes. As it uses synthetic oil, do I need to change the oil less frequently?

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It's quite a heady topic. There is a LOT of information on-line about oil change intervals, so you can do some mouse-research. The big problem is everybody's driving styles, and conditions are different, so the only way to REALLY know is to have your used oil tested. If you plan on keeping you car indefinitely then frequent oil changes certainly won't hurt the engine. IMO, 10K is a little long unless you have really good conditions and tend to put on a lot of highway miles. 7500 is probably OK, and there was someone who posted good results when they had the used oil tested, but there isn't any way to compare his driving conditions with yours. I do it at 5K myself, mostly since I know that is a conservative interval AND I can remember it odometer-wise (5k, 10k, 15k, 20k etc). 5K is pretty conservative -- you likely won't need to change it any more frequently than that [using synthetic oil].

Two of the technical stickies may be of use:
fluid analysis
http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f183/fluid-analysis-lab-results-smart-vehicles-35530/

the DIY...

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f183/how-change-your-smarts-oil-filter-35232/

Oil Change Interval:

smart recommends that you change your oil every 10k miles using Mobil 1 0w-40 weight synthetic oil. Many including myself change our oil every 5k miles along with the filter.

Mobil 1 is now claiming there oil is good for 15000 miles. Fram makes the XG6607 oil filter for 10000 miles. Wal-Mart carries it for under $9.00. Picked up Mobil 1 0W-40 on sale for $5.40 at O'Riley Auto Parts today, normally $8.37. Good luck with your smart.

FWIW, I've changed oil and filter every 5K for the last 3 3/4 years. No problems, but then, the car is less than 4 years old!

I been doing mine, at 7k now. The very first time was at 10K. Any thing less is a waste of money, using synthetic oil. My car going on 4 years old. Never had any issues with the car.

Thanks for the input everyone!

I use Shell Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic. My car is one of the higher mileage smarts here at almost 110,000 miles. I change at 10k, my car uses about 1/4 quart in 7500 miles and has always gotten better oil mileage than with the Mobil 1 which usually needed topping at about 5000 miles. I changed to Rotella T6 at 50,000 miles. Changing at less than the manufacturers interval is a waste of energy resources and money unless you only drive 10,000 miles a year. My brother in laws Mercedes C63AMG only gets changed at 10,000 also and it has 385 horses.

MPrice2984 said:

I use Shell Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic. My car is one of the higher mileage smarts here at almost 110,000 miles..

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I'm also using Rotella T6 but I have 1/10th your mileage. I have had excellent results with Rotella in our motorhome which is why we switched.

Regards,

Dan

IIRC from the threads where oil analysis was posted, 7500 was generally found to be a good interval. I'm going 6000 myself, but I work my engine pretty hard.

oil change interval

I use a vibration hour meter and keep track of how many hours the engine is run, not the miles covered. Better metric.

10,000 miles divided by 50 mph, my best guess of your average road speed, equals 200 hours.

As my average speed is more like 40, oil change will happen at around 6-7000 miles.

Using Castrol Edge 5w-30, (gold bottle) runs great.

5K Club

I'm with the guys in the 5k club for changing oil, 10k is a little long between oil changes and doesn't fit within my comfort zone.
Comon, 3.5qts of oil is no big deal, my beer tab is more than that....lol
JMO, your mileage may vary.
Rich

I use Royal Purple 5w30 and their filters and change the oil about 7-8k miles.

where do you place the hour meter?

Where does everyone recommend getting the oil changed?

Ask around and find a local shop with a good reputation for honest work and fair prices. They can do an oil change with no problems.

Dawn Marie said:

Where does everyone recommend getting the oil changed?

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I am fond of my own garage....don't really trust the "Quickie" oil change places.