Last Call: Jaaaaag Edition

IMG_2882
Twelve cylinders, four speeds, two seats, one open roof, zero problems.
Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day.  It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
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  1. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    Half the cylinders,one quarter the problems.
    Meanwhile, My car’s got towed, though the city somehow didn’t manage to let the neighborhood know that they were going to repave the street. So pissed…

  2. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    Zero problems? Maybe one problem, depending on your opinion of Federal bumpers.

    1. dead_elvis, inc. Avatar
      dead_elvis, inc.

      They’re terrible & everyone should aspire to drive vehicles with sexy bumpers.

  3. BigRedCaveTroll Avatar
    BigRedCaveTroll

    I made an oopsie today that I thought would end catastrophically, but everything turned out fine.
    Between visiting an elementary school and a college orientation I had about a two-hour time-frame where I figured I could change my oil and rotate my tires at the JBLM Auto Hobby Shop (by the way, the Air Force side of the base is super nice). I got there, put the truck in the air, drained the oil and filter, rotated the tires, put the drain plug back in, and then realized I had left the filter and oil in the cab, so I dropped it back down since I can put the filter on from the top of the engine. I grabbed the new filter and found two quarts of oil, and then I started to look for the partially full five-quart container I thought I put in the truck. Turns out I completely forgot it. It was about 1:45 PM and I still needed to find and put in three more quarts of oil, sweep, mop, and get checked out. I had to be at the orientation at 2:30 and the school was 15 minutes away. I ended up putting the two quarts in and rushing over to the tool counter to ask if they had any oil. No , they didn’t, but the guy suggested that I’d probably be okay running it on two quarts until I got to the Exchange just up the road. I hurriedly cleaned up, now anxious that my truck was going to eat itself because of the lack of oil and I’d be late to the orientation. Once I got done cleaning up it was 2:00 PM and I still had to get the oil, so I gently eased my truck to the BX and got my oil, rushed out, topped it off, and then rushed over to the school where I got to the room at exactly 2:30.
    My truck didn’t get damaged, and my oil light never came on. Furthermore, the oil I drained out of the engine, despite being changed at 5500 miles instead of the recommended 3750, was still very clean and clear. This got my wondering if oil quantity and frequency of change intervals is most likely overdone, so I texted my brother who’s an aeronautical engineer and frequently does oil analysis on aircraft along with crash investigations, analysis of repairs, etc. He referenced an ExxonMobil chemical engineer who said most oils today can easily go 20k miles with a good oil filter, and that most gear oils can go 5000 hours before needing to be changed (the equivalent of 200k miles in a car). I’m tempted to push my truck to longer oil intervals now, although still with the required five quarts of oil. What do you think?

    1. jeepjeff Avatar
      jeepjeff

      Blackstone Labs can test your oil and help you figure out the right change interval. Specifically with an eye on longer change intervals.
      Edit to add: I have definitely heard similar to what your brother had to say.

      1. BigRedCaveTroll Avatar
        BigRedCaveTroll

        I’ve considered that. I’m assuming I’d have to use a consistent oil type (weight, synthesized vs. non, etc.), wouldn’t I? Do you know if they can say “In this engine this oil will last X miles longer?,” or is it more of a “You can run this engine/oil combination longer (or should change it more often)?” I’ve looked at their sample reports and website before, but I can’t recall. They’re in my hometown too (Fort Wayne, IN), which is pretty cool.

        1. dead_elvis, inc. Avatar
          dead_elvis, inc.

          I don’t know what you drive, but going with the manufacturer-recommended weight & spec should do it. And from Blackstone: “Ah, the million dollar question. We are an independent lab, so we don’t make recommendations. It has been our experience that oil is oil, and either petroleum or synthetic-based oil will work well for just about any engine.”

        2. jeepjeff Avatar
          jeepjeff

          If you pump out a sample before you change the oil, their form has some check boxes to note that and request a test for if the oil is still good. So they won’t recommend specific oils or give a blanket interval recommendation, they will give specific ones after testing. With the caveat that if you put a rod through the block by taking their advice, on you head be it.

          1. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            Either way, 3750 miles bw oil changes sounds like a very busy schedule. Is this city driving/lots of towing? I’m supposed to shift oil every 5000km in my Honda “if driven hard”, according to the manual. It looks and feels just fine after 15000km, even though my ambition is closer to 10000km intervalls.

          2. BigRedCaveTroll Avatar
            BigRedCaveTroll

            Nope, according to my maintenance manual that’s the regular interval. There is additional maintenance beyond that for heavy duty use. I did do about 3500 miles of continuous towing (much of it in hills and mountains towing my wife’s Honda Fit) on the oil I just changed, but it still looked pretty clean. The newer Frontiers with the same drivetrain have the interval pushed out to 5000 miles.

          3. Ayreonaut Avatar
            Ayreonaut

            I change at every 3000 on my jeep, and I drive about 20000 a year

          4. JayP Avatar
            JayP

            My app alerts me at 3k miles which I figure as a worst case is another week of driving before I can get to change the oil. So far, so good.

          5. Manic_King Avatar
            Manic_King

            I checked couple of high qual. oil brands sites last week to find out what they suggest for the Alfa. All, except 1 says 30000 km interval for change and 3000 for checking the level (which in my case flashes on screen every time I start car). So to me 5000 km interval seems strange and extremely cautious.

          6. Sjalabais Avatar
            Sjalabais

            30000km sounds very long to me again, what year was the car made? Thin, synthetic oil, I guess? You know, whenever I feel like I have understood the basics of motor oil, something like a 30k km intervall pops up and I feel I return back to scratch, haha.

          7. Manic_King Avatar
            Manic_King

            2008 and yes synt oil, 5W40. Bought Shell Helix Ultra in the end, paid too much for it probably, something like 7,7 eur/L. Still, if it really lasts about 20000……

    2. Maymar Avatar
      Maymar

      Assuming a 200k lifetime for a vehicle, and $40 per oil change, you save $1200 over the course of owning a vehicle. That’s not nothing, but over 10-15 years, it’s not of serious enough consequence to feel comfortable pushing the limits of what’s possible.

  4. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    After 21 years, this Audi 100 CD was found at the bottom of a drinking water lake. It was dumped when 12 years old. The insurance guys were surprised to find it in rather good shape: Shiny, non-rusting paint, most everything intact, wheels turning.
    https://www.nrk.no/sorlandet/avdekket-21-ar-gammel-forsvinningssak-1.13124166
    https://s14.postimg.org/u681e39ld/Audi100_CD.jpg

    1. Rust-MyEnemy Avatar

      Ran when parked?

      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        The owner did…

  5. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    They’ve ground the pavement, so the topping should maintain current height, and the manhole covers should be safe enough.
    They did a nearby intersection a week ago, also without notice. Redoing some pedestrian crossings, handicapped ramps and adding a tapered bump out. To minimize inconvenience, the sidewalk was cast with quick drying concrete, and people were walking on it within three hours of its being broomed. I doubt it will last twenty years.

  6. outback_ute Avatar
    outback_ute

    The other option is just repave around manholes, so after a couple of repaves the manhole cover is now 2″ below road level!