Road Rage

I wouldn't - first, modern oils have a balanced additive package, and I am not convinced more is necessarily better. You could add MOA at the mid-point of an extended drain interval, when a filter is changed, as part of the make-up oil. It will replenish additives that may have been used - thing is, the TBN would tell the story, so adding MOA when you use, say, a 10K interval with oil analysis that shows satisfactory TBN might be a waste of $.

sluallstar

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Road Rage

TR-S2K

My wife's 2000 Mercedes E430 has oil capacity of 8.5 quarts, it has an oil sensor and a microprocessor to monitor the quality of the oil. It was reset to 10 k miles after oil change, depending on driving conditions, this counter counts down to zero faster or slower than actual mileage, for the last 45k miles, it counts about 0.8 times the miles driven, i.e., it's counted from 10k to 0 miles, while the car was driven for about 12k miles.

Road Rage

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sluallstar

sluallstar

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Road Rage

Bret

I think that all of this discussion misses a major point. Even if you are able to use the best oil to keep engine wear to a minimum, there are other factors that can kill an engine. Take gaskets for example. Who's to say that the quality, quantity, or change interval of oil that you use has anything to do with how long the gaskets in the engine will last? I'd be willing to bet that design, gasket material quality, and proper assembly have more of an effect on gasket life than anything to do with oil changes. I'd also be willing to bet that more people have been told by their mechanic that a gasket went bad and therefore the engine needs to be repaired than have been told that their engine has worn so much that there is no longer enough compression.

Back when I had my '93 240SX I religiously changed the oil every 3k miles. At 90k miles the engine began to leak oil (I think the mechanic called it the front crank seal). I asked the mechanic why it had begun to leak since I had done such a good job with my maintenance. He said that gasket leaks such as this one were just random bad luck and had nothing to do with how well I had maintained the car. (He also went on about how he could tell that the car was very well maintained and how most people with 240SX's and Altimas really neglect their cars. He even said that when I decide to sell it, he wants an opportunity to make an offer.)

BTW, my Altima has a 2.4 liter engine and holds 2 3/4 quarts of oil to the full line. As you know, the S2000 holds 5+ quarts of oil for just a 2 liter engine. My Altima's oil looks dirtier in 1000 miles than my S2000's oil did when I changed it at 3,750 miles.

Legal Bill

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sluallstar

Road Rage

Sluall: I give up - you said THE major factor, now it is A major factor. Big diff. You cannot take one position, change it, and they say "see, you're wrong". It is a flaw of logic.

In none of the threads about Mercedes' woes or BMW long life standards does the size of the sump come up - it was always about the oil.

I surrender - you win.

P.S. What do you think of the theory of tribomutation?

sluallstar

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Road Rage
Sluall: I give up - you said THE major factor, now it is A major factor. Big diff. You cannot take one position, change it, and they say "see, you're wrong". It is a flaw of logic.

Road Rage

I did misread your comment and I agree it is a factor. Nowhere in the many posts about Mercedes and BMW long-life is the sump quantity mentioned, and one would think that it would be mentioned as a covering defense that would withstand the challenge of the class action's defense attorneys. And the S2K 2.0L holds 5 quarts, yet has a max drain rec of 7500 miles, while the German mfr's have engines much larger without (in most cases) a proportionally larger sump capacity. There are a number of factors at work here - you posted one, I posted several others. Let's agree that this represents common ground. OK?