I was reading the Helm manual and noticed that under normal conditions the maintenance schedule requires an oil change at 7,500 miles but an oil filter change every other oil change or 15,000 miles. Is anybody following this schedule? I am following the severe schedule, but I was just curious if anybody trusts the OEM oil filter to last 15,000 miles.

Also, is anybody else having trouble with the rear portion of the perforated vinyl/leather piece on the center console lifting up. Is there any simple solution rather than a trip to the dealer?

 

I actually had a question about this, too. This past weekend I was reading the owner's manual that came with my car and noticed it says to change your oil filter every other oil change as well. I've always changed my oil filter every time I've changed my oil, so I'm wondering if changing the filter every other time is really a smart thing to do.

 

Driving in New Jersey is severe by definition. I change my oil every 3750 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. I also change my filter with every oil change. I've always done that and I believe it to be correct.

The manual aside, it seems pointless to change the oil and not the filter. And, its not much more effort or expense.

 

Historically many autos have recommended a filter change every other oil change, but it seems ludicrous to me to change the oil and not swap out the filter at the same time. It's trivial to do and the cost is minimal, so it seems like a no-brainer to me...

 

For approx. $5, I'll change the filter every single time. Seems stupid not too.

 

ScottH,

I would definitely change the filter at every oil change and would go with the severe conditions in Arizona. I change the oil/filter every 3,500 miles due to our heat/dust conditions.

There is a TSB on the leather center console and the dealer will take care of it. I still need to find time to correct this also.

Any other questions let me know.

Rick

 

They say 7500 to oil change, but does anyone really change it over 3-4000? I would think that it would be a good thing to change the oil every 3000 or 3 months, whichever comes first since the motor has race characteristics and is running very hard the way a lot of people drive.

 

ScottH, I just had my center console replaced under warranty, I took it off myself so I could replace the crappy vinyl shift boot with Ricks black leather boot w/blue stitching. Looking much better now!!

 

New oil and dirty filter? I think the new oil will not last as long because of the filter. If you want to be scientific about it. You can send an oil sample to a lab to get analyzed. If you leave it in for 15K you can extract a small sample every 2.5-3K. Let us know what you find if you or anyone decides to try this. Sounds tedious? Yes, but it is probably one of the only ways to see when oil actually begins to degrade. Colour tells us a little, but not very accurate IMO. Personally I would change the filter twice IF I were using a longer interval (7.5K). I change my oil every 3K with Redline synthetic and do an overnight drain. Even if you use synthetic I would wait no longer than 4-5K. But don't listen to me. I change diff and tranny fluids every 5K. Could be obsessive-compulsive behaviour, but the car seems happier with new fluid.

 

Werd.

I spent $30k on this car so $5 here and there aint gonna break the bank.