Ive never used it at all. the first oil change I did was at 8500 because I got tired of waiting on it to come one. The dealer told me not to change it out until it comes on but 8500 miles on stock oil had me woried. Now I just get the 12k oil and change every 10k.

The 3 month 3k miles shit is nothing but a scm by the oil companies to make more money. Hell the owners manual on my 87 k5 blazer said to change it every 8k

 

I agree with unicknn, change it every 5000 on mine, and never had an issue. I have never waited on the indicator to tell me. Just reset it each time I change the oil. I do not know whether it actually reads or senses something the oil itself, but, I did forget to reset it once and it came on 2300 miles after I changed it, so, I figured it was not accurate anyway after that.

 

in depth read on the OLM....

Chevy Colorado & GMC Canyon • Login

 

just clicked the link and im on a DOD computer so it going to take a minute to load, but when i was doing the 3k 3 month oil changes my oil light never came on. now its been 8300 miles since my last oil change and it just came on. to me that indicates it "reads" the oil and lets you know when to change it

 

does all the 355s have this oil light? mine has NEVER came on if so....but i take mine somewhere to change the oil so they might reset it idk

 

It's a message that appears in the DIC (Driver Information Center), directly above the odometer. The manual speaks of it, and there's quite a bit of reading about it, but mine has never came on either. I ran my oil to 4300 one time to see if it would come on and said screw it and changed it.

 

had mine come on once and i just changed the oil so idk i never go off that shit i just change it every 5k :shrug:

 

Don't change it every 90 days . Some time mine goes 12,000 to 15,000 . A watch pot never boils .

 

I change my oil whenever it gets real dark, I dont change based on miles

 

what do you do check the dip stick every so often?

 

^^ dont you? i check mine just to make sure its not leaking or burning oil :shrug:

 

actually i dont. im horrible when it comes to checking tire pressure, oil, brake fuild, coolant, etc.

 

I have used the DIC to change the oil in my '06 Malibu and with 105,000 miles on it, it still runs great. I think it comes on about 7800 miles....My Colorado has, up until now, had free oil changes every 5000 miles at the dealership. I will be depending on it as even oil changes are getting expensive. I would be interested to see how it works with a full synthetic oil....As I think I may go that route on the next change. The Mailbu gets a synthetic blend that works pretty well.

 

I just cannot bring myself to trust some "oil life" gadget that is going to tell me when to change my oil. Damn, as many little things as can go wrong in an engine from not changing it regularly and keeping the internals working and lubed with good clean oil. Why in my right mind would I trust a computer to tell me to change my oil? That would be like trusting a computer to tell me a childs diaper is dirty, change it! Not happening!

 

Why in my right mind would I trust a computer to tell me to change my oil? That would be like trusting a computer to tell me a childs diaper is dirty, change it! Not happening!

But it's perfectly fine telling the anti-lock brakes to cycle, to adjust the amount of fuel going into engine, when the injectors should open, when the spark should fire and whether or not your headlights/brake lights/turn signals are going to come on and whether or not that airbag should explode?

 

GM OIL LIFE SYSTEM
Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know when to change the engine oil and filter. This is based on engine revolutions and engine temperature, and not on mileage. Based on driving conditions, the mileage at which an oil change will be indicated can vary considerably. For the oil life system to work properly, you must reset the system every time the oil is changed.

When the system has calculated that oil life has been diminished, it will indicate that an oil change is necessary. A "CHANGE OIL" message will come on. Change your oil as soon as possible within the next two times you stop for fuel. It is possible that, if you are driving under the best conditions, the oil life system may not indicate that an oil change is necessary for over a year. However, your engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year and at this time the system must be reset. It is also important to check your oil regularly and keep it at the proper level.

If the system is ever reset accidentally, you must change your oil at 3,000 miles (5 000 km) since your last oil change. Remember to reset the oil life system whenever the oil is changed.

Always reset the engine oil life to 100% after every oil change. It will not reset itself.


What gm is doing here makes more sense to me than just looking at miles since usage varies so widely. I will be using it.

 

I freaked out when the light did not come on and talked to my GM Tech friend and he said it was right on the money. I would go about 15K between changes. It all has to do with your trips and starts and RPMs.. It just seems wrong, but it is a good reminder when my Alzheimer’s kicks in!

 

What people fail to remember is that the 3000 mile recommendation was made when cars had carburetors. Modern fuel injection doesn't tend to flood the cylinders with fuel that washes down into the oil. Modern oils also don't break down the way older oil could. Many are even blends of conventional and Synthetic oils. I also agree that it should be changed at least once every year along with the filter.

Also the only time I hear the every 3000 mile number anymore is from the quick lube places that sell oil change services and ads for O'Reilly's when they're selling oil and filters..

 

I had my DIC warning come on the other day. The last 2 times I had the oil changed wasn't at the dealership so it wasn't reset. Close to 7k miles.