makes you go .... hummm, oil changes Options

[messix]

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop-chang...858&msite=w

[worn]

From a chemical standpoint I think they are right on target. Many of us are interested in the wash-out aspect though. The oil could be perfectly OK as a lubricant, but if it is loaded with particles with abrasive qualities, it is best to change them out. But we really have little data about whether or not those particles are there. If they are just carbon, they probably aren't very abrasive. Then you go down the list through aluminum dust and bearing powder - both soft metals, but hmm. Then steel, but that isn't falling off by itself. Then really hard materials such as stone dust and sand. So, the jury is out I would say. I remember reading about a Model T crossing the country with oil as clean as a whistle. Never changed the oil once! They added a quart every hundred miles or so to keep up with the leaks.