Does everyone just follow the Ford recommended or use an external site like Edmunds?

Ford:
First 5K miles
- rotate and check the tires
Every 10K miles (or 12 months) thereafter
- change oil and replace filter
- rotate and check the tires
- inspect (replace if needed) battery A/C filter

Edmunds:
Every 5K Miles
- rotate and check the tires
Every 10K miles
- change oil and replace filter
- rotate and check the tires
- inspect (replace if needed) battery A/C filter

I guess the big difference is that Edmunds recommends a tire rotation every 5K miles whereas ford recommends it the first 5K and then only 10K, 20K, etc.

So do you guys follow this above or do it different? Also what type of oil would you recommend being in the desert. The coldest it EVER gets here might be mid20s, most lows are 30-35 in the winter.

Being in an extreeme enviroment would you recommend earlier oil changes?

 

There was a previous discussion on tire rotation and the general consensus was that anything less than 10,000 miles was just too much work. I waited until 10K to do the first rotation on mine and will continue with that.

My personal opinion is to go with the 5w-20 recommendations regardless of location. It seems to me that modern engines will maintain a pretty constant internal temperature regardless of outside air temperature. I'm also not sure that temperature makes a big contribution to "severe" conditions. I think very dusty conditions or a lot of short trip driving would be of more concern.

 

Because I'm fortunate enough to live close by some really great hybrid mechanics, I follow their recommendations, which is oil changes and tire rotations every 10K.

On my first oil change/rotation at 10K, I was in and out in under an hour.

 

Thanks for the reply Ken. I would say Vegas is very dusty - does that constitute a 5K mileage oil change?

On a side note, how do I take air out of a tire? Will simply putting in a tire pressure gauge and pulling the stem to the side suffice?

 

Dust should only be a major factor to your air filters; it shouldn't effect the life or your oil. However, extreme temperatures (Vegas in August) and heavy duty cycles (towing or a high percentage of highway driving), would be good reasons to change oil every 5000 miles.

 

Take air out of a tire? You mean it's overinflated? In that case, yes, you just depress the center of the valve stem. Most air pressure gauges (especially pencil type) have a small pin to use to depress the valve. It's best to push it straight down to minimize bending the stem.

Keep in mind that tire pressure should be checked "cold" (before driving). Some pressure rise during driving is normal and OK.

 

Let me bump this thread I started... I am at 5K miles in the car we got in the middle of May now - which is a little more than I want to be driving, but it's right at 12K miles/year. That said, my system check shows oil live at 50%... I'm debating the oil change or not.

Money is pretty tight right now with the wife laid off, so does anyone think that there will be any damage done by waiting till 10K miles to change the oil?

 

I don't think you'll cause any damage waiting on the oil change. It's old school to do the first oil change early due to the motor breaking in and using special break in oils. The manufacturer recommends the first change at 10k miles, you should be fine waiting that long. How does the oil look? It should still look good at 5k on a new motor.

As to type of oil, as long as you have a warranty I'd use what the manufacturer recommends.

Good luck with the wife's job situation.

 

Robert, I feel your pain. My wife's been out of work since Feb.

I have done all the service (oil/tire rotation/filters) as the owners guide prescribed. I feel that if it's good enough for the bean counters in the warranty department (who hate to pay warranty claims) then it's good enough for me. Besides, with the RPM levels/variation this engine sees compared to a conventional drive train and its new technology in the engine design and controls, I just don't feel the need to do extra.

Now my old Mustang is a different matter...