So I got my new 09 SES oil changed for the first time at 7600 miles. Just like the manual says. (5000 for hard driving, 7500 for good). I do highway so I don't stop and start hard.

Anyway, I took it to the dealer since I get free oil changes for life there. They replaced the oil and filter and then tagged my car with the sticker that said next oil change for 10600! What gives? Its the Ford Dealer, you would think they would give me another 5000 to 7500 miles on it. Not 3000 which is an old wives tale. I feel like I need to call and ask what gives. Anyone else have this problem? I should check the invoice and see if they gave me synthetic.

makemore money if its every 3k (customer paying)

i ran normal oil in my old zx3 anf went 7500 miles before i changed mine.
nothing happened.

we had a lady come in and she went 30k miles without changing oil.
she just would pour oil in every time the check oil light came on.

it was like hardened brownie when they took the valve cover off.

If you get it for free and have the time, why not?? I do mine every 5000K, but I do my own using mobile 1 syn.

But they don't make more money.. it's free

My dealer does the free thing too, I just pay for filter its $7 something + tax

I went in for my first at 3000, well 2958 to be exact.. they put the sticker on and the guy put 6000, I went in at 5981, the clown that wrote my next sticker put 8981 [scratch][?|] I got upset about that.. lol I ended up going in at around 9050 or so
But this time, they upped my interval to 5k. Sticker says 14050 now

Maybe that's what they're doing to you

I doubt they're giving you a full-synthetic oil. I personally wouldn't wait till 7500miles if the dealer is filling it with Motorcraft semi-syn...5000miles tops.

if its free then 3k should be a good thing...i tend to stick with the wise tale...full syn. every 3k.

I go every 3k miles, i actually do it myself most the time. I usually go with mobil one

oh and also, if you don't like waiting that long or short, just go in when ever you want, just be reasonable and not show up like every day [hihi]

If you get it for free and have the time, why not?? I do mine every 5000K, but I do my own using mobile 1 syn.

^^X2 on everything.... I do mostly highway, but i beat the piss out of it. My oil still comes out damn near as clean as the new stuff going in though.

My dealer was doing it for free until they closed, I went every 3000. Now I'll put full synthetic and maybe do it every 4 to 5000 miles.

they probably are using recycled oil, thats why every 3k is best for that cheap oil

OK checked my invoice and they put in the Motorcraft synth blend 5W20 I think. Which is EXACTLY what the manual calls for and they cite the 5000 to 7500 miles. So it is Ford all the way. And it doesn't matter if it is full synth or not (per the manual). If anything bad happens I can point right to the manual. I am going to call to see what they say though.

This whole "free" oil change is good only for the free part. Considering they are only open M-F 8 til 5pm. Its certainly not convenient. I can't always get there in that time frame. That's why the Jiffy Lubes come in so handy! I put so many miles on my car I would be visiting the dealer once every two months. This 5 to 7k bit is much more friendly.

Ok called the dealer.. Their excuse???? These guys have been changing oil for a long time, the 3000 mile rule is just entrenched in their heads. Really? Ford mechanics working for Ford? Update your heads buddy. I'm sticking with 6 to 7000 mile oil changes! Thanks for the feedback.

I buy my oil at Wal-Mart (Motorcraft Synthetic Blend 5W-20) and an oil filter (Again, Motorcraft FL-910) and I end up saving around $5 if I get it changed at Ford. When I go visit my girlfriend's parents' house, I take the Focus to her dad's work (he's a service manager for Gary Matthews Chrysler-Dodge in Jackson, TN) and I get my oil changed for free. I tell you, Ford tries to rip you off in every little way. Last time I was there I couldn't believe the crap they were feeding me about my car. I'm about to stop going there because I can't deal with their incompetence and petty schemes anymore.

Whats the big deal? Its not like your car isn't going to like the new oil and filter... If they want to do it every 3k, let em and get over it. Jeez...

I run Royal Purple 10w-30 (goes well with boost) with mobil one oil filter and I change mine every 5-6k miles. No issues so far.

I agree with jetrinka though, if it's free, then F it, let 'em do it for free. It can't hurt. Even the non-fully-synthetic oil will actually hold up fine til 9-10k miles, it's just that the oil usually begins to break down and not lubricate as well around 3k miles (on average), doesn't mean the oil doesn't still do its job just fine.

I used to run mobil one 15w-30 and I changed the oil at 3k miles and it wasn't even pitch black yet... still looked pretty solid (in a liquidic way).

i change mine every 3500 miles with syn... 7500 mi, never... i like my cars and trucks to last 150000, 200000 miles

Change my truck oil every 6-7k. it has 185,000 on it.

Change my focus oil every 7k. it has 75000.

Both vehicles are verrrrrry low maintance.

End results... i save money while every1 else changes their oil every 3000.

There is no need to change your oil that early specially with full syn... If you beat the piss out of your car, stop and go traffic.. harsh conditions like that, 3500 is understandable. Ofcourse, every1 has been brought up differently having their own opinion on this topic but no1 can convince me to change my oil b4 5000.

^^ I agree completely. The 3,000 mile oil change is a scam put on by oil change places and oil companies. Even if you are getting your oil changes for free from the dealership, oil is being used.

It's pretty simple. Gas and oil come from the same place. Changing your oil more often means that more oil is used. That means demand is up, so prices can go up. There's also the environmental angle... I rarely go there, but we DO only have a finite supply of oil on this planet....

Follow the manual. I've always followed the manual (usually 5,000 mile interval for my circumstances), and I've never had a problem.

Don't buy into the scam.

But you guys are missing the point. Yes it would be un-needed if HE was paying for it. In this situation the dealer is doing it for FREE every 3k.. Let em do it if they want to. It certainly isn't going to hurt anything..

both my car and my truck are forced induction... i drive in city like conditions, 3000 mi especially if its free, 3500-4000. on the truck(syn)

Alls I keep hearing is it lubricates.
Oil does way more than simple lubrication. It also suspends dirt and metal particles, transfers heat, and many other things.
The 3k rule wasn't dreamt up to sell the stuff, it actually at one time had a purpose.
Oils today are better engineered and the addatives last longer than they did 15 years ago, also engine materials and break in are another factor with the newer cars.
Todays engines are designed and sealed better than before, they also run cooler. All this helps with the longer oil change periods since oils don't lose there properties as soon as they did years ago.
Do a little research on oils and youl be amazed.
Do you actually think when oil is produced it's multi weight? You'd be wrong. When it's produced it is a straight weit which is then cut with indexers to produce a multi weight. After that different chemicals are added as detergents and such.
Oil itself won't break down, but the indexers and additived do thanks to heat cycling.

But you guys are missing the point. Yes it would be un-needed if HE was paying for it. In this situation the dealer is doing it for FREE every 3k.. Let em do it if they want to. It certainly isn't going to hurt anything..

I didn't miss the point. Because it's un-needed, I'm paying for it (because using more oil -- as in unnecessary changes -- increases demand and drives up prices).

Oh please... For every one person that changes their oil "too often" there are 20 others which change it twice a year.. Gimme a break. If the dealer is willing to do it "for free" every 3k I sure as hell am gonna let em.

^^someones stuck back in economics on the supply & demand chapter...I see his point but exactly like Jetrinka said...for everyone that changes there oil at 3k there are 10 times the amount of people that never think twice about changing there oil.

Am I the only stuck back in the dark ages who thinks 7,600 miles is a long time to drive before doing the first oil change on a new engine?? That seems like a really, really, long time to wait. Then again, my work van (that does not belong to me, so maintenance is low on my list of priorities) gets extremely infrequent oil changes and so far it has about 77,000 miles in less than three years and does not use an abnormal amount of oil. [dunno]

Royal purple 10k every change here and 140k miles on original engine.... 163whp.... That 3000 stuff is for people that idk have rocks in the oil pan.... i dont see the point

On a newly rebuilt engine I run no more than 800 miles to allow for the wearing in of parts and such. Dino oil for 3-4k after that before switching to full synthetic which gets changed at about 5,500 miles regularly.
Also, it's not so much about the oil as the type of filter run with it. A premium filter will allow for longer oil changes while the walmart cheapy will require more frequency in the changes.

Well, It really all depends on what your driving habits are like and what kind of driving you do... If you drive hard and do a lot of inner city driving, changing it every 3k miles is great, but if you do a lot of highway driving and drive sencibly, then there's no need to change it every 3k miles. 5k is a safe, middle bet.........

But I'm kinda a hippocrite.... considering I change mine every 2500 miles..... hehehe...... Mobil 1 Full Synth. FTW!!!

So I got my new 09 SES oil changed for the first time at 7600 miles. Just like the manual says. (5000 for hard driving, 7500 for good). I do highway so I don't stop and start hard.

Anyway, I took it to the dealer since I get free oil changes for life there. They replaced the oil and filter and then tagged my car with the sticker that said next oil change for 10600! What gives? Its the Ford Dealer, you would think they would give me another 5000 to 7500 miles on it. Not 3000 which is an old wives tale. I feel like I need to call and ask what gives. Anyone else have this problem? I should check the invoice and see if they gave me synthetic.

The Dealerships always "Strongly" recommend 3k intervals. Fluid Changes is where their service departments make the most profit, and you'd also be surprised at how many mechanics believe that old wives tale to be gospel. In truth you can go 5k on regular oil with no issues most of the time, especially with mostly highway driving.

I run 5w-20 Mobile Full syn in my 03 spi. The car has 115K on it and 95 percent is easy highway miles. I chnage the oil every 6 to 7 k with a NAPA Gold filter. No problems here. I see some 0w-20 showing up on the shelves. Going with that next change.

Whats everyone paying for 5W-20 Mobil 1 full syn? It's $6.27 a quart here in Maine right now.

Wow I have opened up a can of worms with this post. I understand that everyone has their own routines and practices with their cars and oil changes. Cars are our babies after all.

However, no one has touch on this, and it needs to be driven in deeper... that the 09 Focus Manual recommends a minimum of 5000 miles and a maximum of 7500 miles. All with their synth blend 5w-20. So you can do better than that, or worse than that, but the fact is that this is what was recommended so it should be considered the middle of the road.

Great comments on the fact that engines and oils have improved dramatically over time and my favorite comment was about the environment and wasting oil. I understand that I am getting it for FREE so whats the big deal but I said before, its such a pain in the arce to get to the dealer for this! So I am doing my part and saving my time, money, the environment, and wasted oil and going with the 6-7k the manual recommends. How can Ford say this if it weren't so!!?!

It's always better to error on the conservative side. What's the worst that can happen, clean oil, less engine wear. Besides all the oil is recycled. It's a win - win.

i go 5k with mobil 1 n motorcraft filter, i could go 7500 as most of my driving is highway n i dont beat on my car that much

Alls I keep hearing is it lubricates.
Oil does way more than simple lubrication. It also suspends dirt and metal particles, transfers heat, and many other things.
The 3k rule wasn't dreamt up to sell the stuff, it actually at one time had a purpose.
Oils today are better engineered and the addatives last longer than they did 15 years ago, also engine materials and break in are another factor with the newer cars.
Todays engines are designed and sealed better than before, they also run cooler. All this helps with the longer oil change periods since oils don't lose there properties as soon as they did years ago.
Do a little research on oils and youl be amazed.
Do you actually think when oil is produced it's multi weight? You'd be wrong. When it's produced it is a straight weit which is then cut with indexers to produce a multi weight. After that different chemicals are added as detergents and such.
Oil itself won't break down, but the indexers and additived do thanks to heat cycling.

You would think so and we have grown accustomed to evolutionary improvements but sadly ... oils were better 15 years ago. Changes in additive formulations to preserve catalyics have given rise to accelerated engine wear and allowance by the agency overseeing advertisement claims to allow highly refined crude to be called synthetic has severely degraded the quality of today's oils.

However, in keeping with the same theme, our gasolines have degenerated as well.

Doug