There is absolutely NO GOOD REASON to change the oil or filter before the DIC alerts you or at least once a year. The design of the engine and filter cartridge have been tested for 20 YEARS in development over many generations. GM has spent close to a BILLION dollars developing this system and it has been available on many models dating back to the early '90s. It has just now finally trickled down to cars like HHR and Cobalt.

Here's the thing, if continuing to needlessly change the oil or filter doesn't hurt anything, where does all that waste oil go? A lot of it is recycled, but a lot of it is also released back into the environment as hazardous waste. Not to mention the time and money WASTED on service and product. There is simply no good reason to continue changing the oil outside the recommended intervals in the owner's manual.

As for Amsoil, I can't justify spending that much on oil and I have concerns about the high levels of ZDDP, which is a hazardous pollutant on the environment and kills catalytic converters.

 

What gets greased? everything is sealed.

 

I've not heard of the ZDDP. More details? Thanks...

 

Zinc dialkyl dithio phosphate

 

It's an anti-wear additive used to prevent "micro-welding" of wear surfaces. Its use has been reduced over the years because of modern materials and hydraulic/roller lifter technology. ZDDP has been known to cause reduced life in catalytic converters and sensors that may be exposed to burned residue.

ZDDP is to the motor oil industry what lead was to the gasoline industry 30 years ago.

 

Sorry to resurrect and old thread again, but doesn't it say somewhere too you should do it every 3 months if you don't do 3,000 miles in that time?

Wouldn't you say 3 months is a little excessive?

I had been doing 3-4 months in the Lumina, only because by that time it would be low a half quart to a quart, so I'd just change it anyways. Figured it was a good thing to do since it had issues with the head gasket at the time...

 

RIGHT OUT OF MY OWNERS MANUAL. ya I use to do the 3000 mile thing too for over 40 yrs but now I go by the book.
"When to Change Engine Oil
Your vehicle has the Engine Oil Life System, a computer
system that lets you know when to change the engine
oil and filter. This is based on engine revolutions
and engine temperature, and not on mileage.
Based on driving conditions, the mileage at which
an oil change will be indicated can vary considerably.
For the oil life system to work properly, you must
reset the system every time the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated that oil life has been
diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is
necessary. A CHANGE OIL SOON message will come
on. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-48.
Change the oil as soon as possible within the next
600 miles (1 000 km). It is possible that, if you are
driving under the best conditions, the oil life system
might not indicate that an oil change is necessary
for over a year. However, the engine oil and filter must
be changed at least once a year and at this time the
system must be reset. Your dealer/retailer has trained
service people who will perform this work using genuine
parts and reset the system. It is also important to
check the oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.
If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must
change the oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since the last
oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system
whenever the oil is changed."

 

i was looking for the link on how to reset the oil life on the dic dash thingy. i don't like the way that the search eliminates a word that i'm trying to search for. i didn't reset after last change, so i am reseting when i change my filter only at 50% on the dash. i'll reset again next time to get it back right , when i change oil also. so , the computer does not analyze the oil. it analyzes engine/driving conditions.

 

I agree... I hate the search feature. It sucks.

Don't you just go to the oil life, then press and hold the arrow button? Or do you have to hold the bottom two buttons at the same time?

Someone said once it's the same as the older cars.... Turn the key to on, press the gas pedal 3 times. Turn the key off, then start the car. That's how you do it on my Lumina, and I heard supposedly you can do that still....but I haven't tried it.

Basically my post really didn't help you did it?

 

Owners Manuals really are helpful:

After changing the engine oil, the system must be reset as follows:

1. Turn the ignition to RUN, with the engine off.
2. Press the information and reset buttons on the DIC at the same time to enter the personalization menu.
3. Press the information button to scroll through the available personalization menu modes until the DIC display shows OIL-LIFE RESET.
4. Press and hold the reset button until the DIC display shows ACKNOWLEDGED. This will tell you the system has been reset.
5. Turn the key to LOCK.