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Oil life Monitor - oil change intervals

107K views 200 replies 92 participants last post by  62dodge 
#1 ·
Oil change/Tire rotation...FYI

I was told today, that since this car is so new, that only one place in town (Boise) was found that carried the oil filter needed for the Dart. Has anybody else had their oil changed yet? And I had no idea that the tires got rotated at the same time! Fabulous!
 
#2 ·
did your oil change indicator light up? what mileage?

from FSM:
At Every Oil Change Interval As Indicated By Oil Change Indicator System:
Change oil and filter
Rotate the tires. Rotate at the first sign of irregular wear, even if it occurs before the oil indicator system turns on.
Inspect battery and clean and tighten terminals as required
Inspect brake pads, shoes, rotors, drums, hoses and park brake
Inspect engine cooling system protection and hoses
Inspect exhaust system
Inspect engine air cleaner if using in dusty or off-road conditions
 
#3 ·
Yep it did at around 3500 miles. I already had the service appointment scheduled for today so actual mileage when oil was changed was around 3627. The rattle I had that was going to be looked at hasn't been a problem...it's either gone away or I'm just not hearing it anymore...so theyre going to wait until my windshield comes in to check for that noise.
 
#5 ·
Whaaat?? Oil changes due at 3000 miles ; my next one is due at 6627 according to my sticker.
 
#7 ·
Engines are made differently than in the past and this car uses all synthetic oil. It is possible Theoretically to not change the car until nearly 10,000 miles as say above this post. If you have ANY car post 2000's and you change the lol at 3k, you are basically wasting your money...
 
#6 ·
hate to say it, but... RTFM

from owner's manual:

MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic oil change indicator system. The oil change indicator system will remind you that it is time to take your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance.

Based on engine operation conditions, the oil change indicator message will illuminate. This means that service is required for your vehicle. Operating conditions such as frequent short-trips, trailer tow, extremely hot or cold ambient temperatures, and E85 fuel usage will influence when the “Change Oil” message is displayed. Severe Operating Conditions can cause the change oil message to illuminate as early as 3,500 miles (5,600 km) since last reset. Have your vehicle serviced as soon as possible, within the next 500 miles (805 km).

Note: Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km) or twelve months, whichever comes first.
 
#8 ·
One of my cars is a 2007 that uses conventional oil. I change it and the filter every 3,000 miles. My wife's 2003 GT Cruiser is a turbo and uses synthetic. I change it in hers every 5,000 miles. I'll probably keep the same maintenance schedule when she gets her 1.4L Dart, no matter what this oil change reminder light says.
 
#11 · (Edited)
According to what I read in the manual, I did what it states to do, then. I live in a small town, frequent stops and I can assure you I don't have a heavy shoe. According t o the manual, my light came on exactly when it was supposed to, so I'm not really understanding what it is you're implying. If anything, I drive her like a gramma!
Wait....I AM a gramma!
 
#17 · (Edited)
yeah, those short trips/frequent stops will definitely decrease the intervals. sorry, didn't mean to offend. especially not a gramma. :)
I had the oil change message come up at 3800 miles. In my opinion it is a waste of my time and money to do it more than what is recommended, 10,000 miles. So once I hit 10,000 miles I will take it in to be done. I did this for my wife's car and have had no problems. Also, yes, tire rotation is part of regular maintenance.
proper maintenance is never a waste of money. 10,000 miles is the limit, not the recommendation. the oil change indicator is your recommendation.

Will this void the warranty? Seems to me that the message center would override the manual.
message center definitely overrides the limit posted in the manual.

TheShiebs said:
No it doesn't void the warranty.
good luck getting oil related engine failure covered if they find neglect as the cause.
 
#12 ·
I had the oil change message come up at 3800 miles. In my opinion it is a waste of my time and money to do it more than what is recommended, 10,000 miles. So once I hit 10,000 miles I will take it in to be done. I did this for my wife's car and have had no problems. Also, yes, tire rotation is part of regular maintenance.
 
#19 ·
Well with how religious I am about regulat interval maintenance. I doubt I will ever have an oil related issue. New engines can have the miles between oil changes be greater because of the materials used and also how engine oil is made these days. I.e with all the different cleaners and protectants used in it these days.
 
#20 ·
The first time the notice came on in our van was pretty shortly after we picked it up, but the next one was longer, and then the one after that was even longer-13,000km (the limit for our 3.6) it included a trip to Florida even.
 
#24 ·
Ok so if I do the oil change when I am told to by the car, when ever that is. My warrenty is covered? If the dealership tries to tell me other wise I can tell them where to go? They just sent me a letter saying my first recommended maintenance of 5000km.

:beerchug:
 
#31 ·
From what I've read here in other threads there were a number of people reporting the oil change notification light was coming on around 3800 miles so I wouldn't worry about 3500. I'm at 3100 miles right now. I contacted my auto parts store about ordering the filter kit for the 1.4L a month ago but haven't gone back to see if they did actually do it. I ran synthetic in my last couple vehicles and would typically change it ~10k but I'd check it and if it looked dirty I'd do it sooner. Make sure you're putting full synthetic in too, there are a lot that aren't. Just follow the owners manual and you'll be fine, only actual harm in changing it more often than needed is all the extra waste but if it ends up recycled then at least there's that.
 
#36 ·
The old schedule of oil change and tire rotation was 3k/6k. With the advances in oil and engine tech the intervals have been extended although most dealers still try to preach the 3/6k because it keeps you in the service dept more often. Its funny everybody saying that they dont trust the computer to tell them when to change the oil but you trust the rest of the computers that allow you to drive the car on a daily basis..... A manufacturer is not going to implement a system that doesnt work, talk about warranty nightmares.... I am also sure the PCM stores when the oil change light comes on as well so the dealer will know if you neglected to bring the car in for the oil change if something happens.
 
#37 ·
Its funny everybody saying that they dont trust the computer to tell them when to change the oil but you trust the rest of the computers that allow you to drive the car on a daily basis.....
You don't have a choice now days. Computers run the car. There is no distributor with points to set or manual choke on the carb. Its all computerized. You also have to rely on computers in the shop to fix the problems too.

But I don't need a message to pop up to tell me my license plate light is out. I don't need a change oil light. Or tire pressure monitoring sensor. These are things that have made people lazy. Check your tires. When getting gas pop the hood and check the oil level. Turn your own freakin wipers on or off. Learn how to parallel park your own car, manually. It makes me sad to think people take so much pride in modifying there ride, but rely so much on the car to do things that the driver should. I treat my Dart just like my Torino. And they are 43 years apart.
 
#38 ·
When you change your own oil and want to reset the notification:

Engine Oil Change Indicator System


Oil Change Required
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change indicator system. The “Oil Change Required” message will flash in the EVIC display for approximately 10 seconds after a single chime has sounded, to indicate the next scheduled oil change interval. The engine oil change indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the engine oil change interval may fluctuate, dependent upon your personal driving style.

Unless reset, this message will continue to display each time you turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position or cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position if equipped with Keyless Enter-N-Go™ . To turn off the message temporarily, press and release the MENU button. To reset the oil change indicator system (after performing the scheduled maintenance) refer to the following procedure.

Vehicles Equipped With Keyless Enter-N-Go™
1. Without pressing the brake pedal, press the ENGINE START/STOP button and cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position (Do not start the engine.)
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal, slowly, three times within 10 seconds.
3. Without pressing the brake pedal, press the ENGINE START/STOP button once to return the ignition to the OFF/LOCK position.
Vehicles Not Equipped With Keyless Enter-N-Go™
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position (Do not start the engine.)
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal, slowly, three times within 10 seconds.
3. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF/LOCK position.
Note: If the indicator message illuminates when you start the vehicle, the oil change indicator system did not reset. If necessary, repeat this procedure.
 
#39 ·
Once my free oil changes are up, I will be going by what the computer tells me to do / how dirty the oil looks when I check it. Doing an oil change on the 1.4 with synthetic every 3,000 miles is a waste of money unless you are dogging the car everywhere you go.

Technology has helped develop better oils and more tolerant engines that do not wear the oil as fast. Someone spent a lot of money programming the algorithms that calculate when to change the oil, so use it (with an understanding that it isn't law).
 
#45 ·
Had my dart limited for 2 months. Had it in for service three times.Called dodge to complain gave me free oil changes for up to 96000 miles and every other oil change tire rotation.Going to get oil changed every 3 months can not beat that. Remember does not hurt to complain.
 
#48 ·
Agreed.

They don't know there are problems unless people respectfully let them know of the problem. The Dart is a high-profile launch for Chrysler, I hope that they are jumping on any issues that come up.
 
#46 ·
So the manuel says:
Change Engine Oil
The oil change indicator system will remind you that it is
time to take your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
NOTE: Under no circumstances should oil change
intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km) or twelve
months, whichever occurs first.

I don't see how there can be any warranty risk not following the oil change indicator recommendation unless you exceed 10,000 miles or 12 months between changes. So if the indicator comes on at 3,000 but you change it at 5,000 it should be all good. Well other than staring at that indicator for 2000 miles. Of course you COULD be doing harm if you're truly ragging your car out in bad conditions. There's definitely some subjective wording there.
 
#47 ·
I believe it should be interpreted as which ever comes first, oil change indicator, 10000 miles or 12 months. Your driving conditions, oil temperature, etc. can affect the oil change interval and if the indicator comes on earlier you should change the oil. If the indicator comes on at 1000 miles due to hard driving and you ignore it for 4000 miles to get to your 5000 mile change and damage were to result, I would bet that they will find a way to void your warranty. You can always change it sooner than any of these conditions but I would not ignore the indicator.
 
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