I wake up early everyday to warm up my wifes ride. She knows one thing important. Fill up with fuel when needed.

Peanut oil. Never occurred to me. Next time I service her car, I might consider it and dump in a bottle of Slick 50 so her MPG will increase 100%.

Just read the manual, it's all in there. Follow it and you'll be just fine. Why is this subject appearing so many times? Read the manual folks.

 

I don't think so.

 

I don't fall in that category.

 

Page 42 in my 2008 book. You make a good point that it depends on your driving conditions, but I think your over applying the special use categories. In my book it reads:

"If you only occasionally operate your vehicle under these conditions, it is not necessary to perform the additional maintenance."

Special Operating Conditions are listed as:

• Towing a trailer or using a camper or car-top carrier
• Extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances as in heavy commercial use such as delivery, taxi, patrol car or livery
• Operating in dusty conditions such as unpaved or dust roads
• Off-road operation
• Use of E85 50% of the time or greater

Ignoring cold starts for the sake of discussion, the max miles OCI is directly related to the engine rpm vs distance traveled. There is a direct relationship between the OCI and the distance traveled per engine revolution. For example, if your using the truck as a rural route mail carrier, your spending a majority of your miles traveled in first and second gear with the engine reved. As you go from mailbox to mailbox your engine is putting on hours and many revolutions, but not many miles.

On the other extreme is someone who decides to travel for six months around country. Lets say they travel 14,000 miles. One of the intervals listed Under Special Operating Conditions is "200 hours of engine operation." If you applied this hourly OCI interval to a vehicle which spends most of it's day driving 70 mph in OD you would have to drive 14,000 miles to hit that 200 hour OCI. 70 x 200 = 14,000. This engine is putting on miles, but not many hours, and not many revolutions.

Most drive a mix of these conditions. 7500 miles is a nice average OCI for an average mix of driving conditions that will work for close to everyone of us.

 

From the manual:

Normal Schedule: 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first.
Special Operating Conditions: 5,000 miles, 6 months, or 200 hours of engine operation, whichever occurs first.

Scheduled maint. is based on mileage or time. How many of us put on 7500 miles in 6 months? Either way, prefer not to go to the maximum oci on semi-synthetic oils. What is Fords' response to "Occasionally"?

Would like to know how many of us go by the Maintenance required reminder and when does it normally go off for you? And, does it work like a GM OLM?

 

What does anyone think about putting on a new filter about half way through the oil change interval and adding a quart?

 

4500 miles in 2 1/2 months. I'm doing the 7500 mile interval. I do mostly highway driving.

 

It refreshes the oil and it will last longer. Even toping off the oil to keep it at the full mark will reresh the additives some.