Oil changes

[826joey]

I understand the use of synthetic motor oils, 5k, 10k between changes, great. How long does it take to get to those mileages, I am talking about motor homes. For me, I live in 4 seasons country and I use mine 6 months out of the year. Sure, the oil might hold up, how about the rest of it. How about that coolant, brake hose that is rubbing up against something, battery cable to starter, or anywhere rubbing. Loose hold down bolts, grey, black tanks. Something touching exhaust. How about doing a visual on brake pads, do you wait for brake noise before you look. Sure you might get 20k-30k out of a set of pads, what if a caliper hangs up on a mounting, 5k miles plus rotor. My shop did maintenance on fedex trucks for 12 yrs, I understand the need for preventive maintanence. The least you should do once a year is get under that MH, take 20 min and do a close inspection. Do it now then you wont have to pay me later.

 

[Isaac-1]

I can't give you a good answer on that, other than to say that we only put about 150 miles on our coach in 2020, due to Covid, plus being hit by 2 major hurricanes with the eye of one going directly over our town with 130+ mph winds. The first drive I took it on in 2022 was to go get new tires, on the way back to the storage shed from the tire shop I had a brake caliper seize up.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I use the Ford filters on the motor home.

For filters used to be made by Purolator, I suspect they still are. If you cut the filter open and find a string hand tied around the element in the middle of it, that is the clear indication of a Purolator.

NAPA filters are made by Wix, which is now owned by MANN+HUMMEL and are excellent filters. I use the Platinum version on everything.

Cummins who has been manufacturing their own filters since the late '50's has recently spun off the filter manufacturing as a separate corporation, Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc.. They are offering current Cummins stock holders an opportunity to exchange Cummins stock for Atmus stock at better than par as Cummins is exiting the filter business entirely.

Cummins Launches Exchange Offer for Separation of Atmus Filtration Technologies Inc.

The exchange offer is expected to permit Cummins shareholders to exchange all or a portion of their shares of Cummins common stock for shares of Atmus common stock at a 7% discount, subject to an upper limit of 13.3965 shares of Atmus common stock for each share of Cummins common stock tendered and accepted in the exchange offer. If the upper limit is not in effect, tendering shareholders are expected to receive approximately $107.53 of Atmus common stock for every $100 of Cummins common stock tendered.

Charles

 

[Isaac-1]

On the topic of oil filters there is a new high performance filter material that is now used on some of the premium filters out there, this material was just introduced a few years ago.

 

[ButchW]

On the topic of oil filters there is a new high performance filter material that is now used on some of the premium filters out there, this material was just introduced a few years ago.

What is the advantage of this new material?... Finer filtering?... Longer life?... Not doubting, just curious why it's better and how... Also, which brands are using it?
Butch

 

[Isaac-1]

ButchW, yes finer filtering, tear resistant filter media, the new premium standard is 99% down to 20 microns using synthetic microfibers. See this short video for a visual reference

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Most of the major filter brands offer both low-price and premium grades. The premium grade(s) generally offer finer (lower micron) filtration, a higher percentage of particle capture, and longer useful life without clogging. Many offer an internal bypass to keep the oil flow rate high if needed. For example, NAPA (Wix) filters are available in Gold (standard) and Platinum (premium) versions. If you are stretching oil change intervals, you ought to be using premium grade filters.

 

[Onyrlef]

As a retired auto shop owner I have seen many a vehicle in for repair that had been at a "quick Lube" for oil change. That is all they did was change oil and filter. The point is preventive maintenance. You want somebody to look over front to back for potential issues that you dont want to repair out on the road. If you are only under the front you are not getting the whole picture

The family owned repair shop we used for years did honest work, without the schmoozing and hustling that has become the new business model. They folded about two years ago. The shop down the road, which has a number of other locations in the N. Dallas area schmoozes and hustles, their parking area is full and they’re going like an eight day clock.

 

[Isaac-1]

Our local Wal-Mart Lube and Tire shop has been known to do things like forgetting put oil in cars or reinstall drain plugs, about 20 years ago, a guy that had just had new tires installed at Wal-Mart on his Nissan Pickup Truck a mile away, landed in my front driveway after making an uncontrolled left turn when his left rear wheel fell off, he missed the corner of my porch by about 6 feet. We found 3 of his lug nuts in the street within the 75 feet. Someone apparently forgot to tighten them past finger tight. Thankfully the only real damage was to the sheet metal caliper brake shield.