Oil life

[harshadt]

I just took my C8 out after having been stored since late October. It has 2238kms. Prior to storing, the oil life was around 90%. Now it says 53%. The transmission fluid was 93% and is still 93%. Does the oil really degrade that fast? I checked the level and it’s fine, and the colour looked fine as well.

 

[OL Yeller]

I just took my C8 out after having been stored since late October. It has 2238kms. Prior to storing, the oil life was around 90%. Now it says 53%. The transmission fluid was 93% and is still 93%. Does the oil really degrade that fast? I checked the level and it’s fine, and the colour looked fine as well.

I would change the oil at least yearly anyway. Your owners manual should tell you the intervals of change as well as the absolute maximum change time.

 

[Murray20c8]

I just took my C8 out after having been stored since late October. It has 2238kms. Prior to storing, the oil life was around 90%. Now it says 53%. The transmission fluid was 93% and is still 93%. Does the oil really degrade that fast? I checked the level and it’s fine, and the colour looked fine as well.

It goes by date as well.
You might as well do the first change now (soon), but the second one can last 2 years with low mileage cars.
If you don't trust me get your oil tested. It's cheap and easy to do.

 

[harshadt]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting an oil change soon- would be the first one.

 

[Driver_WT]

I change the oil every year in late fall in all of my cars that are put away for the winter (regardless of mileage - some of the vehicles only travel 2000 to 3000 km's per year). It is better for the car if it is not sitting idle for many months with used/contaminated oil. Cheap insurance for longer engine life. Engine oil should be changed at least once per year.

 

[Murray20c8]

I change the oil every year in late fall in all of my cars that are put away for the winter (regardless of mileage - some of the vehicles only travel 2000 to 3000 km's per year). It is better for the car if it is not sitting idle for many months with used/contaminated oil. Cheap insurance for longer engine life. Engine oil should be changed at least once per year.

Oil tests will prove you wrong. The difference is negligible. However, it's your money to do with what you want.
Just make sure you drive the car and get it hot enough to evaporate any moisture in the oil.

 

[Sparro]

You only get two free oil changes in the first two years so you might as well take advantage of it. Mine has 3500 kms now and I'll be going in over the next couple of weeks and get it changed.

 

[Zedaholic]

I just took my C8 out after having been stored since late October. It has 2238kms. Prior to storing, the oil life was around 90%. Now it says 53%. The transmission fluid was 93% and is still 93%. Does the oil really degrade that fast? I checked the level and it’s fine, and the colour looked fine as well.

I disconnect the batteries in all my cars during storage. When I reconnect in the spring, the oil life reading is the same as it was in the fall when put away for the winter. Disconnecting the battery in the C8 is a bit more work than on the C6 or C7, but still worth it all things considered.

 

[Murray20c8]

You only get two free oil changes in the first two years so you might as well take advantage of it. Mine has 3500 kms now and I'll be going in over the next couple of weeks and get it changed.

I'm at 50% oil life now and I'll likely get it changed the next time the DCT update comes to me. That's when I'll take it to the dealer to show him it fail.
Do you know if it's 2 oil changes any time in 2 years or 1 per year?

 

[Maximus74]

I change the oil every year in late fall in all of my cars that are put away for the winter (regardless of mileage - some of the vehicles only travel 2000 to 3000 km's per year). It is better for the car if it is not sitting idle for many months with used/contaminated oil. Cheap insurance for longer engine life. Engine oil should be changed at least once per year.

I use to do the same thing with my Camaro SS...

 

[YFCvii]

The oil life monitor value has been a topic for me since first having to it in my 1998 Grand Prix. I can’t remember if it was in an earlier car I had. I remember it started out as something kinda cool in my car. Over the decades the choice has leaned to the side similar to buying extended warranty and in the category of it mainly being for peace of mind. I change oil no later than once a year and any sooner comes out of convenience. I always change it more frequently during the initial factory warranty period. It has become inclusive in the purchase price of buying a new vehicle so why not do it during that time? Documented maintenance does no harm to resale and trade-in because it can perhaps bring proof of owner vehicle care to it’s value. It’s too easy to do and like going to the Dentist for an xray and cleaning and changing the batteries in the smoke detectors ... hate that it always comes up as yet another thing of frequency on the to-do list. Oil renews was a topic in past c-gen sections - so finding that history does repeat itself and hoping that the discussion once again resolves in a gentleman's agreement of to each their own. It does make for a topic that keeps CCF interaction alive ... unless it gets to a level where it might get closed. As life is more random than on a schedule, I now have to check to see if oil changes are to be added to my Seasonal to-do lists more frequently than actually doing them. That’s another topic though ... LOL Cheers

 

[Murray20c8]

Oil renews was a topic in past c-gen sections - so finding that history does repeat itself and hoping that the discussion once again resolves in a gentleman's agreement of to each their own. It does make for a topic that keeps CCF interaction alive ... unless it gets to a level where it might get closed.

Arguments happen when nobody has proof and it's all opinion. An oil test tells everything there is to know about the oils life. There are web sites that show you everything there is to know about oil, it's quality new and it's quality old. I have a friend who is an oil guru. He has a vette and he always tests his oil. Not only that but he tests brands of oil. I don't bother testing the oil myself, but I do take his advice about the brand, type and viscosity etc.
Mobil1 has been a partner with GM for 50 years now. That doesn't mean that Mobil1 is the best oil. It may mean that GM wants to help Mobil1 sell oil.
Having said all that, an argument is useless without proof and I have none either and I couldn't be bothered to get any when I already have a guru to advise me. Yes, I'm also too lazy. lol

 

[YFCvii]

Arguments happen when nobody has proof and it's all opinion. An oil test tells everything there is to know about the oils life. There are web sites that show you everything there is to know about oil, it's quality new and it's quality old. I have a friend who is an oil guru. He has a vette and he always tests his oil. Not only that but he tests brands of oil. I don't bother testing the oil myself, but I do take his advice about the brand, type and viscosity etc.
Mobil1 has been a partner with GM for 50 years now. That doesn't mean that Mobil1 is the best oil. It may mean that GM wants to help Mobil1 sell oil.
Having said all that, an argument is useless without proof and I have none either and I couldn't be bothered to get any when I already have a guru to advise me. Yes, I'm also too lazy. lol

Trust that I am mainly finding history repeating and not arguing toward anyone’s side at all. I am good with the awareness and differences between others doing their own thing and me doing mine - having moved along with the topic a whole c-gen ago. Always living by the fact that if something involves purchasing of a new tool, I will most often be doing that too.

 

[tvr]

I had the same oil life indicator experience a year ago. I bought a C7 Grand Sport in early November 2019 and the GM dealer did an oil change when I bought the car. It immediately went into the garage until April. When I took the car out in the spring the oil life indicator was down to 54%, despite only 50 km driven before putting away for the winter. The oil life indicator appears to work on combination of both elapsed time and actual engine usage and is clearly heavily weighted towards elapsed time, unless you drive a lot of miles. The time function suggests the oil life indicator will go down to close to zero in 12 months if the vehicle is not driven. My conclusion was to ignore the indicator and rely on the old fashioned method of keeping an eye on oil quality. I was down to 8% on the oil life indicator after the summer, even though the oil still looks good, and will change the oil when the car goes back on the road next month because I think once a year is good for a low mileage car.

 

[Sparro]

I'm at 50% oil life now and I'll likely get it changed the next time the DCT update comes to me. That's when I'll take it to the dealer to show him it fail.
Do you know if it's 2 oil changes any time in 2 years or 1 per year?

I was told its two, one per year.

 

[Jeffer2013]

I had the same oil life indicator experience a year ago. I bought a C7 Grand Sport in early November 2019 and the GM dealer did an oil change when I bought the car. It immediately went into the garage until April. When I took the car out in the spring the oil life indicator was down to 54%, despite only 50 km driven before putting away for the winter. The oil life indicator appears to work on combination of both elapsed time and actual engine usage and is clearly heavily weighted towards elapsed time, unless you drive a lot of miles. The time function suggests the oil life indicator will go down to close to zero in 12 months if the vehicle is not driven. My conclusion was to ignore the indicator and rely on the old fashioned method of keeping an eye on oil quality. I was down to 8% on the oil life indicator after the summer, even though the oil still looks good, and will change the oil when the car goes back on the road next month because I think once a year is good for a low mileage car.

usually I get a oil change later in the fall and drive 125 kms home and park it

however, in the spring just reset the oil life monitor and away you go

 

[Rruuff Day]

usually I get a oil change later in the fall and drive 125 kms home and park it

however, in the spring just reset the oil life monitor and away you go

I do that as well Jeff but you'd be surprised how many people have no idea how to reset oil life...amongst other things...CCF members excluded of course..

 

[Driver_WT]

It is also good to be within the manufacturers service schedule (even after warranty). We got a new short block last year in our Subaru due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was well out of the warranty period, but Subaru was offering new short block if engine used more than a liter in 6000 km's. They did want to know about the oil change interval used for the vehicle.

 

[Murray20c8]

It is also good to be within the manufacturers service schedule (even after warranty). We got a new short block last year in our Subaru due to excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was well out of the warranty period, but Subaru was offering new short block if engine used more than a liter in 6000 km's. They did want to know about the oil change interval used for the vehicle.

Great point. That is certainly a consideration. Any warranty issues and service records are involved for sure. Too easy to claim abuser by the owner. In my Beretta I took it in for spark plug change and one was cross threaded. They must have done that at one point, because I never changed the spark plugs (remember I'm lazy) and they were the only ones that ever touched my car. They finally did pay for the Helicoiling required, but it took a long argument and the fist full of service records.

 

[Duntov7]

I just took my C8 out after having been stored since late October. It has 2238kms. Prior to storing, the oil life was around 90%. Now it says 53%. The transmission fluid was 93% and is still 93%. Does the oil really degrade that fast? I checked the level and it’s fine, and the colour looked fine as well.

Its just the time and little old Algorithms doing their invisible jobs ! Happened last winter (again).....in fall 2019, was 100%.....then hardly any miles in Covid...8 months later 59%.