I apoligize if I sound like a newbie here but does this thing really work?? Like is it just set on a timer to go off every 3000 or 3500 miles or does it actually have a sensor that tells when the oil is ready to be changed???

 

In the owners manual they talk about how it works.

 

Neither, there's a calculation that the PCM does based on operating conditions - temp, rpm, etc. and it counts down the remaining life of the oil. It's based on research, there's no sensor to tell whether your particular car's oil is faring better or worse than expected. It also doesn't know whether the oil is synthetic or not, the factory synthetic oiled Corvettes have a different algorithm for longer life (maximum 15000 miles IIRC).

GM press release
Corvette details

 

The oil life monitor just calculates when the oil needs to be changed based on driving conditions, as previously stated.

Some GM vehicles actually tell you how much oil life was remaining when you reset it. My mom has an '03 Montana and the last time I changed it for her and reset it, the computer showed that 65% of oil life remained. The F-Body's computer probably does the same thing, but it just doesn't show it as a readout.

 

Sounds cool..

however my next question is, do you all trust it????

 

It's probably somewhat accurate. I've found that it comes on every 9,000 - 10,000 kms, but for warranty purposes, I've been required to do oil changes on 5,000 km intervals, so the "Change Oil" light is a complete waste IMO if I can't follow that schedule.

 

I trust it as far as I can throw my car LOL

I just change my oil w/ Mobil 1 ever 3 k miles in that range and don't worray

 

I change my Mobil 1 every 4,000 or 4mo.

 

Not really. I change my oil when it gets dirty, which is always between 2,000 and 2,500 miles. I just don't like having dirty oil in my engine. I've done this with my previous car and never had any engine trouble.

Just because there's something built in to a car that tells you when to do something or does something for you, doesn't mean that its judgement is better than yours. Take the automatic headlights for example. I think they're a nice feature, but sometimes they don't come on when they really need to, like going through thick fog or a downpour.

With that said, don't rely on the oil life monitor, just check the cleanliness of your oil with a paper towel and the dipstick every week. That's what I do.

 

Oh I dont plan on changing my oil change schedule... 3k miles and a new filling of Mobil 1 for me... I was just wondering what everyone thought of it... cool idea however completely useless to me...

 

My car is driven in such a varying condtions that there is no way the alogarythm could compensate. I mean, I autocross the car... so thats like 15 miles of WOT in 4 events... then I drive it home trying to get 30mpg + idling out of toll booths and such. I just change the oil every 3k in all my rides, and ignore the gizmos and gadgetry.
Not to mention its a PITA to reset the light... it resets the trip odo, which i use to calculate the gas mileage.... grrr

 

I change my Mobil1 every 3000-3500 miles. I have not reset the computer the last 3 times I have done it just to see what it would do. It has not come on yet. It’s been like 7500 miles since I reset it. And there is about 60-70 auto x runs in there. So no I would not trust it one bit.


Adam