Today I did the unthinkable...

"Wagon Guy drives a Boostang" (gimmeboost) 08/04/2017 at 19:54 • Filed to: boostang, dealerships, maintenance

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So, I’m doing oil changes on a 5000 mile schedule. This is pretty normal for our cars. While Ford says we can go 10,000, I can’t bring myself to do that on a turbo car. The oil is the lifeblood of both the engine and the turbo and there is no way I want to take any chances with it. I drive my car hard, so despite the oil monitor in the car indicating more than 60% oil life left I did an oil change today.

So far so good.

Here’s the shocking part. I took it to a Ford dealer to have them do the job.

With an upcoming track day later this month as well as an autocross next weekend, I wanted to have the tires rotated along with the oil change and general check over, and while I like to do most of my own wrenching I really hate doing oil changes.

It was interesting watching them do the work.

The tech first tried to drive my car up on one of the drive on lifts, but the manager waved him off when he realized that there was no way that a lowered Mustang was going up on it. He then drove around to the two post lifts to get it in the air, passing by another tech who was moving a Mustang GT and engaging in a little “rev off” on the way to the lift. I’m guessing my car won, because he did a couple of celebratory throttle blips after the V8 car idled out of the way. I think he was enjoying the exhaust and DV+ sound.

Once on the lift the shop manager had to go over and take a look at the car before the tech even got it in the air. He seemed shocked that I have 275/35 tires all the way around. The tech himself really enjoyed opening the hood and not having to grab the stupid prop rod, as well as the look of the polished intake pipes. I’m sure they don’t get a lot of modified cars in, but they certainly seemed open to the experience.

The job itself was straight forward, as an oil change should be, and of course they found nothing wrong with an 8700 mile car, despite all of my changes and “sporting driving”.

Yes, I did the first change at only 3800 miles, as the oil was really dark. This change was only 100 miles short of 5000 since the first one. Now it’s good until 13700, which will certainly be next year.

cluelessk > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/04/2017 at 20:23

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Dark oil is common in turbo cars.

Urambo Tauro > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/04/2017 at 20:30

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I took my Mustang to a shop to get the rusty oil pan replaced (I decided that it was too big of a job for me to handle in my garage). Anyway, I wanted to look at it while it was open, so that I could check it out and see if the oil pick-up screen was collecting anything, y’know, stuff like that. So I stopped by, and the technician was noting the mods I had already done (big brakes, frame connectors, etc.), and made some recommendations. Namely, coilovers and a tubular K-member, which would have made the oil pan job easier for him haha.

There’s also a tire shop in town where I get my alignment regularly checked. When I first started taking it there, they were greatly relieved to see that it had caster/camber plates installed (it’s lowered by about an inch). There was one time that I went in for a checkup, and I just happened to look over as the guy was pulling it up onto the rack. He stalled it, and I heard one of his buddies call out HAHA YOU CAN’T DRIVE STICK . (To be fair, I do have an aftermarket clutch kit on there, which likely contributed to the old clutch cable snapping just a few months later.)

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > cluelessk 08/04/2017 at 20:36

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Very true, it is. To me that’s all the more reason to change it regularly.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > Urambo Tauro 08/04/2017 at 20:39

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From talking to shop guys, they really like working on well modified cars. Though they dread having one roll in where the owner didn’t know what they were doing and has a bunch of random issues.

Urambo Tauro > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/04/2017 at 20:50

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Yeah, I’d be the same way if I was in their shoes. Nice to get a break from the usual boring commuter cars, neglected deathtraps, and poorly modified moneypits.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/04/2017 at 21:07

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My ST has an interval of somewhere around a year or 10K miles. Which I find crazy, my Mach 1 I wouldn’t let go unchanged for over six months or 3K miles. The ST’s manual doesn’t even show anything about a break in oil change. Though I’m probably going to change it around a thousand miles anyway because this is my first turbo car and I have no idea what to expect. My dad is even letting me use the leftover Amsoil he uses for his Mustang. Hopefully making me feel more confident in the longer interval changes.

My Ford dealership recently installed a new service bay where you can see the cars being worked on. It’s both a relief and scary sight all at once. I can be a little bit... Meticulous how I treat my cars so anything weird and I get a little upset. Then again, it’s nice to see my car not being driven off somewhere abused while I wait. That was a huge fear of mine with the Mustang.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/04/2017 at 21:09

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I change my miatas oil every 3500 miles so dont feel bad. My dad still does every 3000 on all his vehicles

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Wagon Guy drives a Boostang 08/05/2017 at 11:49

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I did the first oil change on the F-150 at around 3,600 miles, and UOA from Blackstone came back showing what I expected on a new motor. I too decided that 10,000 miles felt like a really long interval on a turbo motor. I’m going to keep changes around 4-5k until reports show the motor is worn-in. Only at that point will I consider running oil longer.