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Peace of mind oil change on the 2012

3K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  FordService 
#1 ·
My other Focuses all got oil and filter service at 5000km ( 3000 miles ). Now I know that the newer oils make this frequency of change not quite necessary, but I liked doing it and it was a good chance to check the car out while up on the lift. I should note that I am a mechanic and can use the shop on my days off so the expense was minimal.

When I checked my service intervals on the 2012 I was suprised to see that the oil change reminder may not come on for up to 16000 kilometers. Plus, looking around on the forums here, the reminder seems to be a bit of an issue. Some report it never coming on, while others found it working okay.

So anyway, today I decided to change just the oil at the 5000 kilometer point. The car is 4 months old and I couldn't force myself to wait. Walmart had Mobil 1 on sale so went for it. It felt weird to leave the filter on, but I think that skipping 2 oil changes is not good enough. With a timing chain instead of a belt, it seems worth doing. I don't want any problems with worn guides and jumping chain.



The oil change reminder seems not to take oil condition into account based on these forums, so the reminder will still come on ( maybe ) when it knows best.
 
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#2 ·
"Reminders" on newer cars need to be reset after an oil change so they can start their calculations over, otherwise it just keeps counting from new (or the last reset).

They seem to do a good job, taking multiple factors into account such as total time, mileage, idle time, drive cycles etc..

"Severe Duty" as once defined in the manuals would result in a short interval, while average use stretches it out a bit. If you did mostly highway, and a lot of that in a short time, the miles B4 reminder would get scary to anyone used to short mileage changes.

Overall, now that the cars have the "brain power" to take more than just mileage into account, it's probably a GOOD feature. The original "reminders" that only considered mileage were better than nothing, however they were mostly ignored as well...

I know MINE get done more often than mileage alone would suggest, but overall time - short trips - and intermittent use play into my calculations, and like you I'd rather do it sooner than wait TOO long....
 
#3 ·
When I was buying my Focus, I asked my sales rep at the dealer how the oil change notification system works, since I was asking about doing my own and what effect that might have on the warranty (never owned a new car before). He told me that it actually senses the viscosity of the oil, and when it reaches a certain point of degradation, the system indicates the need for a change. I don't know if this is just a marketing fib meant to make it sound impressive, but if it's true, that's pretty slick.

He also encouraged me to just rely on the notification, but said that if it put my mind at ease to do changes at a certain interval that I prefer, to go for it. Obviously, it's my car, so I can as I please, but he seemed to have a lot of faith in the system. I know it's his job to make the sale, but he impressed me with how he worked through the deal with me, so I put a decent amount of stock into his suggestions.
 
#4 ·
I'm still looking for a reference as to the Focus' actual system, viscosity sensor info. I've found is a mixed bag (Old oil is generally THICKER due to soot contamination for example).

So far I haven't found an automotive application that uses that new tech alone to determine oil life....
 
#5 ·
Always take a non technical sales rep (most) info with a grain of salt. The oil change minder message is reset electronically and can actually be reset at any time by anyone.....the Owner's Manual states to reset it only at the time of an oil change. Viscosity sensor, I think not.
 
#6 ·
Always take a non technical sales rep (most) info with a grain of salt.
Huge boulder of salt.

Viscosity sensor, I think not.
X2. Car salesman are an interesting bunch. They should try reading their own sales literature some time.

From Ford:

"Intelligent Oil Life Monitor (IOLM)

What the IOLM measures to determine when an oil change is needed

Several key factors that affect oil life include:

Driving habits (such as towing and workload)
Hours in operation and at idle
Oil and coolant temperature
Engine speed and torque
Diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning cycles

How the IOLM works

The IOLM does not use oil quality sensors – it is entirely software-based and uses actual engine operating conditions to calculate the oil change interval by using an algorithm. This means the system must be reset after an oil change. Not doing so will result in a premature OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message."
 
#7 ·
Perfect! The EXACT info.!

From what I've read on the sensors avail., you'd need a whole suite of them (enough to do an oil analysis) to get a better estimate than that algorithm does....

It WAS interesting to see that a viscosity sensor HAD been invented, and even that it had been tried on one new vehicle (for a different purpose). Most applications I found were for process control or Industrial sized engines with a "Scotty" to take care of them...
 
#9 ·
...The oil change reminder seems not to take oil condition into account based on these forums, so the reminder will still come on ( maybe ) when it knows best.
Hi canadianlarry,

Your friends on the forums have offered up great information about the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor system below. If you have any additional questions, you can always reach out to your dealership or to me. The fastest way to get my attention is to reach out via PM.

"Reminders" on newer cars need to be reset after an oil change so they can start their calculations over, otherwise it just keeps counting from new (or the last reset).

They seem to do a good job, taking multiple factors into account such as total time, mileage, idle time, drive cycles etc..

"Severe Duty" as once defined in the manuals would result in a short interval, while average use stretches it out a bit. If you did mostly highway, and a lot of that in a short time, the miles B4 reminder would get scary to anyone used to short mileage changes...
When I was buying my Focus, I asked my sales rep at the dealer how the oil change notification system works, since I was asking about doing my own and what effect that might have on the warranty (never owned a new car before). He told me that it actually senses the viscosity of the oil, and when it reaches a certain point of degradation, the system indicates the need for a change...
...From Ford:

"Intelligent Oil Life Monitor (IOLM)

What the IOLM measures to determine when an oil change is needed

Several key factors that affect oil life include:

Driving habits (such as towing and workload)
Hours in operation and at idle
Oil and coolant temperature
Engine speed and torque
Diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning cycles

How the IOLM works

The IOLM does not use oil quality sensors – it is entirely software-based and uses actual engine operating conditions to calculate the oil change interval by using an algorithm. This means the system must be reset after an oil change. Not doing so will result in a premature OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message."
Awesome information, everyone. I'm sure canadianlarry appreciates it.

If you ever need anything from me, I'm just a PM away.

Thanks again,
Crystal
 
#10 ·
I appreciate all the input and information. My plan is to let the dealership do the oil changes that the car asks for in order to maintain a presence for warranty, and to do the extra ones myself. I will post when the reminder comes on. Since I did not reset it, and I don't think you can unless it is on, it is still keeping track from day one. Stay tuned.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, I am really leary of letting it go that long. How does the system know the quality of the oil going in. A lot of the 15 minute oil change places use bulk recycled or partially recycled oil. Does the system assume a minimum oil quality? If I am going to let it go 10K+ I would use synthetic just for the piece of mind, quality wise. I haven't done an oil change yet (only 1k so far on the car) but I won't let it go longer than 10K at any time and will use synthetic every time with a filter every time.
 
#16 ·
Yes, the IOLMs are expecting a minimum quality of oil. That quality can change from one model year to another, as new oil specifications are released for the new engines, and between different models (based on engine types and/or oil types). Your Owner's Manual should provide a minimum oil quality specification. Or you could PM Crystal to see if she knows what you should use for your model & year. The Motorcraft 5W-20 syn blend meets pretty generic specs of GF-5 & API SN, so even if bulk or recycled oil meets those minimum specs, your IOLM should still return appropriate results.

And you can always up-spec the oil to something of better quality, like Mobil 1 or Amsoil's PAO/Group IV full syn. Then it becomes a little harder to tell when the oil is ready to be changed. Obviously, you can go longer than you would with an oil meeting only the minimum specs, but for how much longer? Since none of my cars have IOLMs, I send my oil out to a lab for Used Oil Analysis (UOA) to determine how long I can go. Since each car has a different engine & a different driver (meaning a different driving style), each car gets a different OCI based on its UOA results. My wife's 2002 2.0L 4 cyl turbo Saab (130k mi) gets an oil change every 5k mi with Mobil 1 5W-40. My 1990 2.0L 4 cyl n/a Saab (273k mi) gets an oil change every 20k mi with Mobil 1 10W-40 High Mileage. And my daughter's 2002 Zetec Focus Wagon (157k mi) has had only one oil change so far, after 16k mi with Mobil1 0W-40. But that was after 2 yrs, so I felt I should probably change it anyway.

I also discovered that you can change just the oil filter & see a noticeable improvement in oil quality (based on UOA results). On my wife's 1999 turbo, I was able to easily extend the OCI from 5k mi to 10k mi by only changing the filter. But if you don't have an IOLM, I'd still recommend having UOA done.
 
#17 ·
The only way to tell is to have independent Used Oil Analysis (UOA) run on your oil. I have H.O. Penn's S.O.S. labs run mine. But I was willing to trust that the oil I was using (Mobil 1) wouldn't let me down while I was sweating out the long OCIs. And I was also willing to run multiple UOAs over several years worth of driving so that I could establish a valid trend for each engine. You have to keep in mind that a single UOA is not enough data to establish a valid trend history, so I'd suggest a minimum of three UOAs. The more, the better.

Of course, my general recommendation is to only do what you feel comfortable doing. You have to be able to sleep at night.
 
#18 ·
Eiron answered the "trust" question quite well!

To paraphrase for chuckles, If you "cheat" the system (by using cheap oil), it'll "cheat" you! (by not telling to change it when you should).

Factory spec. oil or better, no worries....
 
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