First oil change question

[Finbarqs]

If I get an oil change before my first 1000 miles, is that okay? I’m about 700 miles, and I’m planning on taking it to the track Sunday, but I want to get the oil change out of the way. I fully plan on hitting 1K when I arrive at the track or prior…

 

[seriously]

If I get an oil change before my first 1000 miles, is that okay? I’m about 700 miles, and I’m planning on taking it to the track Sunday, but I want to get the oil change out of the way. I fully plan on hitting 1K when I arrive at the track or prior…

My uneducated opinion is that you are good to go. Most of the initial engine wear happens pretty quickly. The full 1k break in my guess is for the entire drivetrain. I would probably do short higher rpm runs before the oil change for engine wear purposes. Technically you are ok to do this just not for sustained periods. In other words if you are going to redline it at the track I would want to do that before the oil change anyways. Just my opinion.

 

[Medic518]

I am planning on the first oil change only @ ~500 miles. Have had that practice with every car I have owned and they always seem to last a lot longer. Just got rid of a 2006 Miata (to make room for the Emira) with over 220K miles, and still started and ran great - never any issues..

..and the former Tribologist (Lake Speed Jr.) for Joe Gibbs Racing suggests this practice as well - although, he suggests 200-300 miles on..

After that, I'll be diligent to keep subsequent changes between 3K-5K..

 

[Six Speed Stephen]

If I get an oil change before my first 1000 miles, is that okay? I’m about 700 miles, and I’m planning on taking it to the track Sunday, but I want to get the oil change out of the way. I fully plan on hitting 1K when I arrive at the track or prior…

Make sure to hit 1,000 miles before hitting the track though.

Also get track insurance - I highly recommend OpenTrack (they're the only co that also offers liability)

 

[netsinah]

This gets into the age-old automotive debate about when to change the oil/filter for the first time. You see it with any new vehicle and moreso sport cars.

“Camp A” says the manufacturer suggested 10,000 interval is acceptable for all changes and the manufacturer knows best. Some in Camp A say some modern vehicle manufacturers run new engines before installing them, to get rid of any excess metal filings however others dispute whether that’s true. “Camp B” worries about the engine break-in causing those metal particles to circulate and create more wear, if not removed, so they suggest a change at the “run-in period” of 1,000 or even sooner (and then around 5,000 after that…or even sooner). Cynics in Camp B suggest the manufacturer selected the 10,000 mileage to combat environmental concerns and/or to “sell more cars/repairs” when their engines wear out. Camp A responds that the oil filter does its job to capture those metal particles and point to how clean that initial oil looks, when drained at less than 10,000. Camp B points to the finer metal invisible particles that don’t get caught by the filter and those who have sent oil in for analysis, point to oil analysis results that show more metal content in the initial oil change, compared to the second one.

Finally, Camp A argues a car is meant to be driven and it’s simply a waste of time/money, changing the oil/filter too frequently.

I confess I’m in Camp B: the engine is the most expensive/important component of any vehicle so I’d rather err on the side of caution and change the oil/filter too soon. I’d hesitate to run the car hard on a track with its initial oil, before changing it, plus worry about warranty issues by tracking the car before the 1,000 break-in period.

But that’s just me and since I enjoy doing my own oil/filter changes and have a 4-post lift, I’m likely in a different position than many others.

We each decide whether we’re in Camp A or B, for whatever reasons above or even different reasons. We’re fortunate this is a “first-world issue”.

 

[seriously]

I think camp A is probably fine but I too am camp B and have settled on oil changes at 5k.

 

[crestima]

Of the Emiras' break-in oil changes I've seen so far, performed at or below 1k miles, the extracted oil looks practically new, so I'm not on the extreme side of camp B, but I do think 10k miles is too much, particularly for a break-in. Personally, I'm going for 1.5k break-in, 5k for the second oil change and 10k intervals thereafter. I guess it makes me a BA camp guy.

 

[Eagle7]

I've always changed the oil and filter on a new car usually within the first 300-500 miles. All the new component wear-in has taken place by then. I waited until 1,000 miles on the Emira because that was the wear-in point Lotus specified.

No the first oil filter does NOT catch all the particulate, and most certainly not in 10,000 miles. I did the first oil change myself, and bought a brand new black oil drain pan to do it. Here's what the oil looked like after I drained it; all those tiny flecks you can see aren't gold.

This is the oil I drained before removing the oil filter, so the oil filter had not caught them. Those flecks of metal are not going to be circulating around in the engine of my $100k sports car now. In addition to the engine, I also had the oil drained and replaced in the transaxle for the same reason. I had the dealer do it when I had my car in for 2 software updates and that rubber water shield for the front, so I don't have a picture of the oil, but I don't have to see it to know what comes out of a brand new assembly that's wearing in.

For me the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is just as true for cars as it is for health. Preventative maintenance is easier and cheaper than repairs or replacement.