In the 'old' days before synthetic oil, you had to change oil and filter due to the oil getting dirty and contaminated with acids and impurities that caused the oil to breakdown and loose it lubricating & pressure properties.
When synthetics came out, synthetic oil has the capability to mix with anything. If you take a cup of synthetic oil and a cup of water in a glass jar, put a lid on it and shake it, it may settle out in time. With ordinary oil, as soon as you finish shaking it and put it down, the oil is on top of the water... separated in the jar.


When you think about synthetic oil, any impurities in the oil is suspended and it is up to the filter to 'catch' it. The oil itself, if always 'cleaned' never looses that suspension quality that may cause it to breakdown.


Keep in mind that I myself have only used Mobil 1 since it came out for commercial use in the 70's. 0w20 was so thin that engines seeped the oil out through there cork gaskets. Silicone gaskets have solved that problem. I have over the years noticed that the other manufactures of synthetic oils are always changing there formulas to accommodate or upgrade for the various inefficiencies (turbo's, high RPM, etc.) that there oil doesn't meet... so... new container... new formula.


My advise to anyone using Mobil 1 is change the filter only when the oil looks dirty, top up the oil that is lost from the filter change and drive. Be very cautious if you use a quick lube place and always remind them that "ONLY THE FILTER"... not the drain plug.


On my 2008 Aspen, I have an 'Oil minder' that has not come on yet and I don't wait for it to come on... I look at the dipstick.


Happy motoring!
Merry Christmas

 

Most manufacturers are "upgrading" their labels for marketing purposes. Slap the name Titanium, Gold, Ultra, etc. etc. onto the bottle and watch the sales take off. Everyone is always tinkering with their formulas... some to make a better product and some to make a higher profit margin.

Your M1 of today is not what you were buying in the 70's. M1 EP is close, but most of the M1 on the shelf is not.
Just because someone is the largest marketer of product X, it does not mean that they have the best X out there...

Price is not always the proper gauge in which to judge a product.

Your choices have obviously worked well for you for many decades, so that in itself says a lot. However, I'm curious if you have ever done any oil analysis on your engine oil over the years.

While your oil change regime may not be everyone's cup of tea, I totally agree with you that most people are changing their oil (not the filter, but the oil) far too often. That mindset is hard to change.

 

Thundercraft is right on...oils today are far superior to those from decades ago when the 3k oil change interval was promoted. Can you go forever on synthetic by just topping up? NO! But extending to 7.5k-10k is probaby ok. For DIY backyard mechanics that plan to own their vehicle for a long time, peace of mind is knowing that fresh oil is in there. And be sure to recycle the oil no matter what!

 

I have used Shaeffers 9000 5w20 since purchasing it without any issues.
Does use any other weights screw up the MDS?

 

Anything other than 5w20 has the potential to create issues with the MDS. From the manual:

NOTE: Vehicles equipped with a 5.7L engine must use
SAE 5W-20 oil. Failure to do so may result in improper
operation of the Multiple Displacement System (MDS).
Refer to “Multi Displacement System” under “Starting
and Operating” in Section 5.

 

07 Aspen 200k
oil change every 10 to 12k since25k no engine problems whatsoever. Full synthetic oil whatever brand is on sale.