GM Oil Life Monitor - learned something about it today

[uchi]

my truck came with regular oil and when i changed it at 3000 miles it said i still had about 60% life in it, switched to synthetic it doesnt seem to notice a difference. as stated above its all based on throttle position vs speed and such, the harder you drive it and the more you tow with it the faster itll run down.

[Doug_Scott]

my truck came with regular oil and when i changed it at 3000 miles it said i still had about 60% life in it, switched to synthetic it doesnt seem to notice a difference. as stated above its all based on throttle position vs speed and such, the harder you drive it and the more you tow with it the faster itll run down.

 

 

It uses a very intensive algorithm to determine the life remaining. Since this is a factory item, and GM tells you to base your oil change interval on the OLM, and since GM is also providing a warranty on this concept, I would think the OLM will be on the conservative side.

Back in the day, the service schedule had a normal and severe interval. I would expect that we will soon be seeing what schedule you should be following based on the driving patterns the computer is seeing.

[kook]

I have been told that the OLM is based on synthetic oil. If you use conventional oil you should change it well before you reach 0%.

 

Who told you that? Because it's completely wrong.

 

 

I was told that at my last oil change. He basically said that the oil looked really bad and conventional oil shouldn't be pushed that far. I realize that the shop has an interest in getting me in there more frequently, but I also don't want to push it.

[tanked_darren]

I have been told that the OLM is based on synthetic oil. If you use conventional oil you should change it well before you reach 0%.

 

Who told you that? Because it's completely wrong.

 

 

I was told that at my last oil change. He basically said that the oil looked really bad and conventional oil shouldn't be pushed that far. I realize that the shop has an interest in getting me in there more frequently, but I also don't want to push it.

 

Hello, first I used to be ignorant on that if oil was black it was bad, but that is not the case, look at diesel engine oil. That being said I change my car oil 5000km (conventional) regardless, and my truck 10,000km (synthetic). Im like that I like even numbers. Ok, lots of people do this but it is overkill. FYI there are many of GMC and chevy motor that go far more than this at my work and they function great, the way oil looks is by no means how it is. If in doubt a oil sample test will silence your doubt.

[tanked_darren]

Never hit 0 on the OLM with synthetic, 10,000km

[txab]

I was told that at my last oil change. He basically said that the oil looked really bad and conventional oil shouldn't be pushed that far. I realize that the shop has an interest in getting me in there more frequently, but I also don't want to push it.

 

 

Have a sample tested sometime. You'll probably be surprised by the results. Dealerships or oil change places do have a vested interest in you coming in every 3k or 3 mos.

[Doug_Scott]

I have been told that the OLM is based on synthetic oil. If you use conventional oil you should change it well before you reach 0%.

 

Who told you that? Because it's completely wrong.

 

 

I was told that at my last oil change. He basically said that the oil looked really bad and conventional oil shouldn't be pushed that far. I realize that the shop has an interest in getting me in there more frequently, but I also don't want to push it.

 

Hello, first I used to be ignorant on that if oil was black it was bad, but that is not the case, look at diesel engine oil. That being said I change my car oil 5000km (conventional) regardless, and my truck 10,000km (synthetic). Im like that I like even numbers. Ok, lots of people do this but it is overkill. FYI there are many of GMC and chevy motor that go far more than this at my work and they function great, the way oil looks is by no means how it is. If in doubt a oil sample test will silence your doubt.

 

 

I was taught that one of the main functions of oil is to suspend impurities, basically surround the impurity to reduce any damage. Clean looking oil is simply not doing its job properly.

Same thing for air filters, can't tell you how many times I would hear customers complain that they don't like the brand of air filter we were selling, they got dirty too fast.

[Dale_K]

I'm finding that now my oil change intervals are being determined by the "once a year minimum" requirement more than the OLM reading. Too bad they don't have a date setting on the clock to track stuff like the annual change. They could do daylight saving time for me automatically too if they only kept track of the date.

[Wolfmanjohn]

I'm finding that now my oil change intervals are being determined by the "once a year minimum" requirement more than the OLM reading. Too bad they don't have a date setting on the clock to track stuff like the annual change. They could do daylight saving time for me automatically too if they only kept track of the date.

 

 

Welcome to the "once a year" club! Usin' that calendar's a real bear, ain't it?

[dataspng]

I'm finding that now my oil change intervals are being determined by the "once a year minimum" requirement more than the OLM reading. Too bad they don't have a date setting on the clock to track stuff like the annual change. They could do daylight saving time for me automatically too if they only kept track of the date.

 

 

Welcome to the "once a year" club! Usin' that calendar's a real bear, ain't it?

 

 

Wow... dont have a clue what the once a year club is... I have 43K on 2011! My OLM goes off every other month!

[00Silverado4x4]

That used to be me when I lived in Alaska. 45miles one way to work everyday adds up quick. Truck had 50k miles on it before it was even two years old. Now 90% city driving & only 10k miles a year. I use the OLM system & change oil when between 10%-25% remaining. That's usually about every 4k miles for me.

[alvocado]

Test your oil samples with Blackstone Labs and end the debate.

[brainpause]

Test your oil samples with Blackstone Labs and end the debate.

 

 

I'm doing that just to watch for coolant, in case I'm unlucky enough to have Castech heads. So far, so good.

[cs300823]

So the fact I have been changing my oil every 3000-5000 miles on just dealer oil was overkill ???? Also my 07 6.0 is getting ready to turn 85k would it be a bad idea to start using synthetic oil now or stay with the dealer oil ?

[markw8]

name='cs300823' timestamp='1337267335' post='1264062']

So the fact I have been changing my oil every 3000-5000 miles on just dealer oil was overkill ???? Also my 07 6.0 is getting ready to turn 85k would it be a bad idea to start using synthetic oil now or stay with the dealer oil ?

[/b]

 

No reason you can't change.

 

Mark