Can You Skip Oil Filter Changes with Extended Life Filters?

[CaptainDan]

I've been looking at extended life oil filters and I see that some promise to function for 20,000 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first. I'm wondering if this is true. Can these oil filters really last this long? Don't they fall apart? What if they get clogged? What happens then?

 

[Newman]

I've heard all sides of this argument. Some say that you need to change the oil filter every single time you change your oil. My question is, what if you decide to change your oil at 3,000 miles once and then at 10,000 miles the next time? What then? No one seems to come back with any answer for that one. The funniest I've seen is this: "Well, if you use regular motor oil, then you have to change that oil more frequently and you need to change the filter too. If you use fully synthetic motor oil, then you can run the car for many more miles before changing the oil. Change your filter when you change the oil." Well, that's sort of like what I just wrote above! It's there some sort of guide to dictate these things? No one seems to know what they're talking about.

I've read some people say that you should even change your oil filter between oil changes. That's pretty crazy. In my view, being able to extend the duration of oil filter changes hinges on two factors - the size of the filter and the quality of the components contained therein. If you've got an enormous oil filter, then you certainly won't clog it, meaning you can run it longer. So any extended life oil filter you buy should be quite a bit larger than a more standard filter. Also, the components contained within the filter can't degrade to the point of breaking or wearing away. If you've got top of the line components, then you should be able to skip a filter change, especially if it's within a year's time. If you think about it, you may have only driven your car 10 miles in a given year, but your oil may have eaten away at the plastic and rubber components inside of the filter if the car sits too long. In this case, yes, you need to change the filter. If you're doing oil changes every month though, you may be able to skip some filter changes.

Another point to consider is that when you change the oil and not the filter, the filter is storing some oil that you're not able to remove. That's dirty oil and you really aren't doing a thorough job. Overall, I think you should go out and buy regular oil filters and just change it out every time you change the oil. Don't overthink it. Grab a cheap oil filter and go with it. It's the paper inside that really matters anyway and that doesn't last very long.

 

[CampFireJack]

Is Walmart Super Tech Motor Oil Any Good?​

I just bought some full synthetic Walmart 5w-30 motor oil for just over $15 per 5-quart jug. I read some reviews on this brand of oil before I bought it, but I wanted to get some opinions here. Is this oil any good? Does anyone know who makes it? Are there any actually decent review on it...meaning, is there anyone who has done any testing on the viscosity of the oil after it's been used in an engine? I think it's okay because it meets all of the standards that my sister's 2020 Honda Civic calls for, but I wouldn't mind some real world examples.

 

[Newman]

There is an endless amount of forum posts and YouTube videos about this oil. Most everyone who reads and watches them come in with the question: Is this stuff too good to be true? At just over $3 per quart, I'll tell you right now, it's not too good to be true. Walmart Super Tech full synthetic (and every other type of oil) is perfectly fine to use in any car that calls for synthetic oil. Just be sure to properly match the viscosity for your area. You wouldn't want it to be too thick or too thin. You should be fine with 5w-30 - that's what many cars call for today.

As for who makes it - back in 2014, Walmart oil was bottled by Citgo, but today, you'll find a "WPP" on the bottom of each bottle. That stands for Warren Performance Packaging. This company bottles motor oil for many different brands. Check out their products page:

https://www.warrenoil.com/us/products/

Keyboard warrior the world over love to talk about whether this is good oil or not. The fact of the matter is, they have no idea. Virtually everyone on the internet is basing their information off of what someone else has said on some website. The fact of the matter is, Walmart Super Tech oil meets or exceeds all car manufacturer specifications. I'm pretty sure it's also the same exact oil found in many other brands' bottles. Let's be real here. A lot of engine oil is the same as a lot of other engine oil. I've read so many stories about performance and oil burning (usage) that offer little to no supporting evidence. If you're interested in reading further, this is a decent article:

https://mechanicbase.com/reviews/supertech-engine-oil-review/

 

[Cameron]

2014 Nissan Frontier Oil Change​

A buddy of mine came over to change the oil in his 2014 Nissan Frontier pickup truck yesterday. It was his first time changing oil, so I agreed to stand watch while he did what he had to do. It's not a tough job, but it's best to have someone who's got experience nearby.

We didn't need to jack the truck up to change the oil. It's high enough to crawl under there to get to both the oil filter as well as the drain bolt. And since he drove the truck over to my house, he didn't need to run it for a few minutes first to loosen up the oil. There are actually some stellar oil change instructions for this truck available here:

https://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Nissan-Frontier-VQ40DE-V6-Engine-Oil-Change-Guide/

A few things struck me yesterday. First, I learned that Mobile 1 makes an extended life oil filter, where you can skip the filter change every other oil change. It's available for around $10 at Walmart. I thought that was very cool. I wonder what the consensus on this is out there in the auto world. Can you really skip the filter change? I'd love to know. By the way, the Mobile oil filter part number for this truck is M1-110a. Second, I learned that Walmart sells Pro Tech fully synthetic 5w-30 motor oil for just under $15 for five quarts. That's an awesome price. I am totally going to use that oil from now on in my own cars. And third, I learned that it's sort of a pain in the ass to get to the oil filter on this truck. You need to remove a small panel right behind the front bumper to access it. I think the bolts for the plate are 10mm. Okay, one more - I learned that a 64mm 14 flute oil filter wrench is necessary to remove this oil filter. You know the kind. The ones that attach to a socket wrench.

I've got some photos for you from yesterday's change. I love to capture moments like these.



Here are a few photos of the Mobile 1 extended life oil filter. The first image is of my friend applying some used motor oil to the rubber gasket and the second image shows the oil filter next to the wrench we used. It's a great little wrench. I bought it on Amazon a while ago for $9 to remove the oil filter on my Polaris Sportsman ATV. Now I'm wondering if I can use this filter on the quad.