How mlong until Focus tells you to bring car in for service?

[Meathead]

I just crossed 9,000 miles and still running great. I am now gettting nervous that my car has not told me to bring it in for service yet. I know they make 15,000 oil now, but I wouldnt think it would be in the FRocus from the factory.

If I listened to my dealer, I would be on oil change #3 by now. But they are just out for the money.

[Sponsor]

[PratoN]

Originally Posted by Meathead

I just crossed 9,000 miles and still running great. I am now gettting nervous that my car has not told me to bring it in for service yet. I know they make 15,000 oil now, but I wouldnt think it would be in the FRocus from the factory.

If I listened to my dealer, I would be on oil change #3 by now. But they are just out for the money.

Depending on your vehicle, early builds had an issue where the oil minder light wouldn't come on. A software fix corrected this. If it doesn't come on in 6 months or 10k miles, take it to your dealer and ask about it.

[pablo94sc]

Please tell me you changed the factory oil at 1000 miles or so. Break-in oil needs to be changed out early to remove all the metal filings and other debris that break-in produces, and to get a fresh filter on there to catch any left overs. After that first change, you should then follow the oil change intervals that either the computer or owner's manual states. I believe it's 12m/10k miles for the Focus with full-synthetic.

[cbdallas]

My sister ran her brand new Lexus up to the 10,000 mi minder setting. I cringed.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by pablo94sc

Please tell me you changed the factory oil at 1000 miles or so. Break-in oil needs to be changed out early to remove all the metal filings and other debris that break-in produces, and to get a fresh filter on there to catch any left overs. After that first change, you should then follow the oil change intervals that either the computer or owner's manual states. I believe it's 12m/10k miles for the Focus with full-synthetic.

That seems a bit extreme to change the initial oil at 1000 miles. I wouldn't push the initial oil change to the full 10,000 mile interval either, but 1000 miles is less than 4 tanks of gasoline run through the car.

I know some people were freaked out enough to change the oil within the first 1000 miles (some times almost immediately and then again at 1k, then up to the 5k interval that coincides with tire rotations.) But it does seem to be wasteful and unless you're certain that the metal was actually circulating is it really doing any damage when suspended at the bottom of the pan or in the filter?

What would happen from following a normal 5000 mile interval for the first change? Would the engine suddenly disintegrate at 200,000 miles just because you didn't change the original oil at 1000 miles vs 2-5k miles?

Originally Posted by cbdallas

My sister ran her brand new Lexus up to the 10,000 mi minder setting. I cringed.

Yeah that's a bit extreme on the other end, of course if you never change the oil you'd need to prepare to replace the engine your self (i.e. you're paying for it 100% as it was owner negligence that killed it). E.X. cases of people running the factory fill for 30-40k and seizing the motor.

[craigsfocus]

Mine just came on yesterday. Almost dead on with the 10,000 mile mark.

[Meathead]

I have never changed my oil with any new car (4 cars), and nothing has happened. But now you got me all nervous, so I will probably be scheduling my oil change today. Does the oil monitor actually monitor the oil life or does it just track mileage? Obviously a convnetional oil change will yield shorter life than synthetic.

[craigsfocus]

Originally Posted by Meathead

I have never changed my oil with any new car (4 cars), and nothing has happened. But now you got me all nervous, so I will probably be scheduling my oil change today. Does the oil monitor actually monitor the oil life or does it just track mileage? Obviously a convnetional oil change will yield shorter life than synthetic.

It uses factors like mileage, RPM's, and some other stuff to figure out oil life. 10,000 miles seems to be the norm for normal service. It will come on in the little screen between the gauges.

[ibinubu12]

Mine came on at about 10,700. Changed it at 11,063.

[raptor1956]

You don't have to change the oil as frequently as the oil-change places would have you believe (3000 miles) and 10,000 miles is on the high side of what's reasonable.

I change my own oil and do it at 5000 mile intervals -- I also rotate the tires at the same time. I don't need to change the oil this frequently, particularly since I use Mobil-1 synthetic (5W-20), but I am trying to spoil her!

The car monitors some parameters about the way the car is driven and you do need to reset the "oil life monitoring system" periodically. After I change the oil I:

1. Press and hold the start/stop button without foot on brake for about 2 seconds, then

2. Push both gas and brake pedals at the same time and hold them, after a couple seconds the "Service: Oil reset in prog" will come on, then, after about 25 seconds the "Service: oil reset complete" will be displaid.

3. Release gas and brake pedals and turn ignition off.


Brian