Type of Oil Synthetic or Regular?

[ponder3]

Does the 2012 come with Fords synthedic blend or normal oil? I'm @ over 10k and it still says I have oil life. Will conventional oil hold up to this kind of mileage.

[ladybird4]

I think the book says to change at one year or 10,000 miles. I change mine at

5,000 miles or 6 months. Oil changes are cheap engins are not. I'm old school

when it comes to this.

[wlepse]

Ford uses a semi synthetic but I am like ladybird. Too many manufacturers are pushing their OCI's out to look more environmentally friendly and decreased cost of ownership. But I have owned two vehicles that others have had major problems with based on the manufacturers recommendations. I change the oil in the Edge every 5k, to me it is cheap insurance and since I plan to keep the vehicle long past the powertrain warranty it will be me left paying the big repair bill later.

[Feirstein]

If you were a reader of "bobistheoilguy.com" you would understand why, under most circumstances, 5,000 mile oil changes are a total waste of money and natural resources. 7,500 miles on conventional oil and a bit longer, up to a year on something like Mobil 1 EP, is consistant with long engine life.

[wlepse]

I have been to that site and posted there as well. But what they are most concerned about is the additive packages being sufficient for the long haul. It is true that most oils now are quite stable and can resist breakdown better than ever but these same tests they are doing don't tell the whole story. There are other things that have to be factored in. A perfect example is my last ride. I did my oil changes between 3500-5000 miles but still after about 110k I started having warning signs of low oil pressure. The dealer did indicate there was some sludge on the banjo bolt filters but that everything was OK now and just suggested OCI's of 3k...I think Subaru recommended 7500. A few oil changes later I sent samples off to Blackstone and they came back perfect...did another right after that and according to them the engine was in perfect health and oil had plenty of life left at 3k. Bu at about 120k I started to get a slight rod knock. This continued to get worse until I decided I had to let it go.

 

So my point is, just because a manufacturer calculates a certain OCI doesn't mean it is right. As mentioned above the OCI was 7500, mine never went over 5k and I still got sludge and my oil analysis was perfect. Another good example of a manufacturer being wrong was Audi with the 1.8T...they recommended 10K on dino oil, we always did 5k on M1 and it is still running at over 200k but many others had theirs bit the dust around 100k. Now you may be right that under most circumstances you can follow their recommendations and still have a healthy engine past 200k but if they were wrong you are SOL. For the extra $600 bucks it might cost over 200k (about 10yrs) I would rather be conservative.

[Feirstein]

Mobil 1 Extended Performance (EP) oil is a great example of an oil that can be used for extended change cycles (15,000 miles or 1 year) and meet every expectation of engine protection. (But not if you only take very short drives that do not worm up the oil in cold weather to drive off the water in the oil).

 

I have used it in several vehicles with 1 year oil changes and have had no wear or sludge issues and have over 150,000 miles on these vehicles. My BMW Z3 3L uses Mobil 1 0W-40 European Formula and BMW's oil change program indicates a 2 year change cycle for this vehicle that does not get any use over the winter months and less that 5000 miles during the milder seasons. No evidence of sludge and the Blackstone test came back after its first 2 year cycle with Like new oil results.

 

Be sure to use oil with at least an SL, SM or the latest SN specifacation and the proper viscosity for your location. Your manual will tell you if SM or SN is mandated in your motor. It is a complex subject, but 3,500 mile changes are likely way to frequent to justify under most if any circumstances except for the user who never drives long enough to truly heat up the motor; that is the true oil killer.

Edited August 5, 2012 by Feirstein

[wlepse]

Again I agree that in most cases OCI's of 5k are overkill. But the problem is engineers make mistakes and you likely won't know until you already have a problem and are well out of warranty. When the sludge issues started cropping up on the forums there were a few people that had Blackstone UOA and they showed nothing of concern. Luckily for those people Audi stepped up and covered repairs but that is not something I would count on. So since I have seen several people get burned by following the manufacturers recommendations I am a bit gun shy and would rather be conservative. As Ladybird mentioned oil is cheap compared to an engine.

[ladybird4]

Thanks for your support. I still will continue to have my oil and filter changed every 5000 miles. Besides my edge i own a

1987 custom ford van with 215.000 miles on it. Vehicle runs great and does not burn or leak oil. Have always had the oil

changed as stated above on this vehicle and will continue to do it to my edge as well as my wifes new 2013 titanium escape.

[wlepse]

One thing I didn't mention that should also be considered. Dealers do not seem to subscribe to the OCI per dash display. This can be an issue later if you have problems since they are your first line of support to get something warrantied. The other problem is they do not record anywhere on your service records what % oil life was left. So I think it may be difficult later to prove you do everything by the book so to speak. The only thing that might save your a$$ is if Ford logs the alarm somewhere if you go over.

[Feirstein]

When Audi and Toyota had sludge issues (related to too much cooling in parts of the motor), they strongly recommended that users switch to Mobil 1.

[wlepse]

When Audi and Toyota had sludge issues (related to too much cooling in parts of the motor), they strongly recommended that users switch to Mobil 1.

Again I am not discounting that M1 0W40 is quality lubricant. What I am stating is that manufacturers do make mistakes. Audi did with the 1.8T and even in their revised recommendations that basically require M1 use they also dropped the OCI to 5k. There were people using M1 on the original 10k OCI that had sludge. So what I am saying is that quality lube alone is not enough. If there are issues with the design of the engine it greatly affects the oil and this does not always show in an UOA. Often this is only seen after it is too late. Changing the oil more frequently doesn't damage the engine so I would rather spend and extra $40 a year and not have to worry about sludge at all.

[Feirstein]

Mobil 1 EP can be used in those rare sluge prone motors for an extended period without producing sluge. It is always important to match the type of oil to the application. My sluge prone RAV4 motor is always fed Mobil 1 EP 10W-30 and I only change it once a year and it has no evidence of any sluge buildup; none.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Feirstein

[wlepse]

Mobil 1 EP can be used in those rare sluge prone motors for an extended period without producing sluge. It is always important to match the type of oil to the application. My sluge prone RAV4 motor is always fed Mobil 1 EP 10W-30 and I only change it once a year and it has no evidence of any sluge buildup; none.

And what is your benchmark for sludge? Have you torn the engine down? As mentioned above there were people using M1 in the 1.8T and still got sludge in <100k. Oil alone isn't the only determining factor; you have to have a quality filter and a well designed system. The problem as I have stated before is you don't know about these issues until you already have a problem. To the OP's original question...I can't believe you or anyone on BITOG forums would suggest pushing the stock oil and filter (not know to be among the best) beyond the 10k....that just makes no sense at all. Now if someone wanted to do that with higher end oil and filters and did some UOA to confirm it was OK that is one thing. But I still think you are rolling the dice.

[Feirstein]

Mobil 1 EP is specifically formulated to extended drain schedules such that sludge will not form under an extended drain schedule. Mobil guarantees the motor if 15,000 mile changes (or less) are utilized. Yes I have specific experience and training to support my opinion on this matter. As I say, if you have a motor that tends to for sluge, use a good synthetic, it you also want to use an extended change cycle, use an oil formulated for that use; such as Mobil 1 EP. Sludge usually is attributed to short drives in cool/cold damp weather or to motors that have areas that remain too cool to burn off the water. It is water + contaminates that are not driven off or nutralized that result in sludge formation. The quality of the filter has no role in this process.

[RJG]

Does the 2012 come with Fords synthedic blend or normal oil? I'm @ over 10k and it still says I have oil life. Will conventional oil hold up to this kind of mileage.

 

I don't know what all the discussion about Toyota's and sludge (and M 1) has to do with this question.

 

Ford's 5W30 semi synthetic factory fill for 2.0 EB is more than adequate, as is their recommended viscosity. You can go by the OCI on the dash, in the owners manual, or what common sense tells you if your driving is a little different from the norm....short trips in cold weather, towing in hot weather, driving on dusty roads, etc. But generally oil change intervals are increasing in modern vehicles. How the vehicle is used over time to me dictates OCI. Also.....I like to rotate my tires a little sooner than I need an oil change. I may have to re think that a little, because I think 7500 miles, or about 9 months, is a reasonable oil change interval for the way my vehicles are used.

Edited August 18, 2012 by RJG