[redazpony]

I have a 2006 Mustang V6. I change my own oil and use Mobil 1.
I notice that the oil seems to get dark very quickly compared to other cars I have owned.

I currently have almost 50K on my mustang and 3K on this oil and when I pull the dip stick it just looks dark compared to say my Jeep Wrangler in which the Mobil 1 still looks clear.

Is this a reason to be concerned?

[redazpony]

I foud this answer by googling!
The Dark Oil Myth
Dark oil does not indicate the need for an oil change. The way modern detergent motor oil works is that minute particles of soot are suspended in the oil. These minute particles pose no danger to your engine, but they cause the oil to darken. A non-detergent oil would stay clearer than a detergent oil because all the soot would be left on the internal engine parts and would create sludge. If you never changed your oil, eventually the oil would no longer be able to suspend any more particles in the oil and sludge would form. Fortunately, by following the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval, you are changing your oil long before the oil has become saturated. Remember, a good oil should get dirty as it does it's work cleaning out the engine. The dispersant should stop all the gunk from depositing in the oil pan.
The only real way to determine whether oil is truly in need of changing is to have an oil analysis performed. Since most people don't want to bother with this, it's acceptable to err heavily on the safe side and simply follow the manufacturer's recommended change interval for severe service. There are still a few cars that specify 3K intervals for severe service, but not many. If you look at countries other than the U.S., the oil recommended change interval is much higher than even the normal interval specified by vehicle manufacturers in the U.S.

[duckbubbles]

EXACTLY what he said. You are throwing away your money changing synthetic oil at 3000 miles. A street driven car can easily go 5000 or more. The recommendation on my '08 GT is 7500 miles using Motorcraft synthetic blend.

Frank

[amustangrocks]

ya, i have 53,000 on mine and change the oil every 3,000. it does get dark by 3,000. i use valvoline, but only because missouri is a dead zone for amalie oil products. ive been talkin to all the reps trying to find someone that could ship me the amalie pro high performance sny-blend 5W-30, but i`m not having much luck. my dad sold amalie oil for over 40 yrs and i used amalie pro racing oil in my 67 street rod when i was young. they still make that oil but you cant run it in a car with immision equip cause it will mess things up. they were one of the first pa. oil companys since 1903,supplied to mostly the northern states, but in the 90`s merged with some other oil companys and moved to florida where they are now. you would be awed to know how many brands of oil come from the same refinery and gets put into different brand name bottles. if anyone happens to see this oil for sale in your state, drop me a pm please so i can get a hold of the place. amalie is a proud sponsor of the IHRA, and you see their logo on the INSTAGATOR !! you can also see this logo on the hat of this good lookin mug

[avery_012]

Yea I use Royal Purple and change my oil every 7K miles. No need to change before that. The only exception I have made to that is after I drove 5600 miles in about a week from GA to AK. After that the first thing I did was a car wash. Then an oil change.

[hotshot]

I change mine every 6 months which happens to coincide with about 3-3,500 miles. I just change it twice a year. My manual says every 5,000 miles. my mother and sister have '08 escapes that say 7,500 miles on them....

But honestly, i just love to work on my baby. Also, i live in NJ and do tons of stop and go, and lots of idling especially in winter. So its more for the hours of operation (for you aviation guys its the HOBBS meter haha) rather than miles.

I use Mobil 1 and love it. I change my oil 2 weeks ago actually in my driveway in 25 degree weather

[redazpony]

Originally Posted by duckbubbles

EXACTLY what he said. You are throwing away your money changing synthetic oil at 3000 miles. A street driven car can easily go 5000 or more. The recommendation on my '08 GT is 7500 miles using Motorcraft synthetic blend.

Frank

I don't change till 5000. I just noticed that it get dark very early.
I agree thta 3000 is way to early.

[okcreferee]

Just curious,When you check your oil,is your dipstick a stainless dark color?Mine is a dark color.So I have to be in the sunlight or have good lighting to see the color of the oil.Thanks.

[A7X1031]

I have to admit I also change my oil under 3k miles and I use valvoline synthetic. Guess I'm kind of paranoid about the wear and tear and preventive maintenence of my car.

[smokeshow]

I changed mine this past weekend at 3800 miles since last year. Dumb question, but if you're only going 3k-5k a year, is it OK to just change it annually? Or should you do it more often?

I'm using Mobil 1.

[burnrubber4.0]

i change mine whenever i get a chance between 3-5k. i just like laying down cardboard under my car on a sunday morning and spending about 20min wheelin the creeper around just taking care of my one and only.