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2020-23 Outback Oil Change SUPERTHREAD!

Gen 6 
362K views 2K replies 251 participants last post by  Not Limited 
#1 ·
I just passed the 1000 miles mark - do I change the oil now, or wait until the recommended 6000 miles? I am reading different opinions on this.
 
#2 ·
I plan to do the first change around 1k mark as well. My thinking is, the new engine parts are settling into their design tolerances during the first couple of thousand miles and any extra metal material that is released during this is in the oil that will be removed with the change.
 
#512 ·
Here's what I found on researching the recommended oil for the 2.4L turbo. The service guy at the dealership told me 0W20, but this, from Subaru, says 5W30 for the turbo engine. In the Texas heat, I cannot understand why it wouldn't be at least a W30, if not W40. I run M1 0W40 in my other vehicles. Why wouldn't that be ideal for all turbo engines?

 
#5 · (Edited)
There's no known consensus. The Subie OM says leave it, other car manufacturers say leave it and counterbalance says take it out early to clear out the debris field.

I swapped mine at 2.5k, ran another 3.5k and then went on a schedule. My engine runs great with no consumption issues and the mileage is good. I have another car where I left it in for the full interval and once again, no issues. All backed up by UOAs.

IMO, I'd swap it out but I can't give you hard data that says it's an absolute benefit. Whatever makes you sleep better at night.

In a subject for another thread, I would shy away from the 0/20 viscosity and run a x/30 into we get a track record from the Ascents.
 
#12 ·
There's no known consensus. The Subie OM says leave it, other car manufacturers say leave it and counterbalance says take it out early to clear out the debris field.

I swapped mine at 2.5k, ran another 3.5k and then went on a schedule. My engine runs great with no consumption issues and the mileage is good. I have another car where I left it in for the full interval and once again, no issues. All backed up by UOAs.

IMO, I'd swap it out but I can't give you hard days that says it's an absolute benefit. Whatever makes you sleep better at night.

In a subject for another thread, I would shy away from the 0/20 viscosity and run a x/30 into we get a track record from the Ascents.

on this forum: @Rub is the oil guy. ?
 
#8 ·
This all sounds like a lot of paranoia to me. If the car manufactures could get more money out of justifying more oil change recommendations - esp at the start where dealers would likely get the service - I am sure they would be telling you all to do it at 1K.
I'm gonna go by what the book says.
I see a lot of people online actually saying 500 miles for the first. Just think of how much damage you are all doing for those second 500 miles with all those sharp metal shavings bouncing all over the place. ??? Better do it at 500. ??
Seriously though, I think this mentality is based on old cars. very old cars. Most here seem to be people that dont even keep their Outbacks much past the 100K mark. (my first went to 250K and current going strong at 170L without a 1K oil change). Just my opinion.

Found this opposing opinion (from over 10 years ago):
"increasingly, manufacturers are recommending AGAINST any special short-term oil changes or magic oil formulas, generally saying this prevents a complete break-in program. in any event, to insure you can't be punted around on warranty in case of an issue near the end of the warranty period, change it exactly when your manual says to.

grizzled old farts who have heard enough stories and replaced enough engines laugh until they fall down and wheeze every time somebody repeats this information. they tell you exactly what kind of metal shavings, chips, and foundry sand come out of the strained oil and out of the cut filter on the first oil change, be it at 500 miles or 5000. as their eyebrows arch and their hands cup and swoop, your blood runs cold.

the truth is in between. there will be extra crud the first few oil changes. the finest particles of this slop do circulate with the oil and contribute to scuffing the piston walls slightly. this is said to be a good thing with the tighter tolerances engines are built to, and provide a ring/cylinder surface that doesn't cake with burned scuzz and cause oil leakage as the engine wears. the car makers say they take this into account... aka, you are the final machinist of the engine, and only if you follow their break-in plan can they honor the engine warranty."
 
#15 ·
Seems like a good time to start doing them. I'm not sure I would ever pay to do an analysis for every oil change but it would be a good idea every once in a while to look for trends. I think I am going to do one soon on mine since I am going to be deciding whether or not to buy the car when the lease is up. A good or bad oil analysis might steer me in one direction or the other.
 
#18 ·
welcome all new comers to such oil threads.:)
Blackstone Labs. (and maybe one other that escapes me), but go to their site, read price choices.
Or just read such threads here from others that have coughed up the money and posted the results.
(maybe someone will link something from the Ascent board on FA24T, to give us a idea )
 
#19 ·
welcome all new comers to such oil threads.:)
Blackstone Labs. (and maybe one other that escapes me), but go to their site, read price choices.
Or just read such threads here from others that have coughed up the money and posted the results.
(maybe someone will link something from the Ascent board on FA24T, to give us a idea )
Not sure if it’s my phone or what, but I can no longer see this uoa.


In prefer to type them so they don’t disappear in 6 months. I also prefer Oil Analyzer’s Inc for the reasons mentioned in that thread. Cheaper than Blackstone and they have the ability to test for fuel dilution using Gas Chromatography instead of always estimating it. But if you want the best in the business use Dyson Analysis.

I plan to leave the factory fill in for at least 3k to help with break-in.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I do it for informational purposes. As Kevin said, the cost of an oil change is the price of an UOA. No doubt about it.

Like many people, we all spend on things that others consider folly and to some, a UOA is one. I post mine because there is no other way to take the pulse of your engine and it provides data points for others to look at and see what works well.

Not every oil posts the same result and to a degree, a UOA is finding the best minute of angle load.
 
#29 ·
That's pretty much the way I feel about them. I think it would even be worth doing one before purchasing a used car as long as the oil hadn't been changed recently or as a part of the vehicle being prepped for sale. It would also be helpful to know how many miles are on the oil and that information isn't always readily available on used cars. The odds of the analysis turning up something critical would be pretty low, but on the other hand if it did show something serious it would be worth the price of the analysis to keep you from buying a money pit. Beyond that I don't think I would be doing them very frequently.
 
#38 ·
Back when I was rebuilding engines (worked as a hydraulic mechanic through college, good pay, fun work, all sorts of mechanical stuff gets fixed on things like small-core-drill-rigs and such), I used to do the 1K thing, with good, old dino oil.
Since moving to synthetics, sometime in the mid-late 80's, I sort of moved this, to 3K, and then 5K thereafter. I've seen VERY little signs of shavings, on that 3K change even, these days, with the synthetics. They tend to not "keep shavings in suspension", like the regular old oils did, IME.

If you're "really interested in this", you can get your oil analyzed, for a "somewhat reasonable price", and see how it comes out, at any/all of the intervals.
Not sure what you'd do with the data though, that part is a bit more "complicated"...
 
#43 ·
I'm old school . Must change the oil after a 1000 miles. What do you guys do? Thereafter, do you wait the full 6000 miles between changes?
 
#44 ·
I'm planning to do a 1000 mile oil change myself, ensuring that I have Dexos 1 Gen 2, SN-Plus, 0w20 full synthetic, and a Wix 57055XP filter. Will also install fumoto valve F105N.

Thereafter, I'm not sure whether I would wait the full 6000 miles.
 
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#115 ·
Just talked with the dealer I bought the car from, "The O.E. oil is the same as the replacement oil. No "break-in oil". If it makes you feel good , we'll change the oil - we like the business. But you are gaining nothing. It's a waste of money to just change the oil filter also". I'm gonna follow his advice.
 
#49 · (Edited)
I just hit 1200 mi and plan to do an oil (only) change this week. From there on, I usually do ( synthetic ) oil changes on all my vehicles at 5000-6000 mi. ( I do them outside so it's a weather thing.) I used to do them at 3000 but with today's quality synthetics, that's overkill (and a waste of resources) . I feel this is plenty adequate for most vehicles as it's a rare case you hear of engine failures/ wearing out with today's production methods.
Anyway, I'm actually looking forward to this first oil change as it's a chance to get more familiar with the vehicle's mechanics.

As long as we are talking maintenance practices, I'll offer this.
One thing I have done on every vehicle I've owned in the last 45 years, is to keep a pocket sized , paper note book in the glove compartment. This serves as a log that gets annotated with date, mileage and action every time I do anything to the vehicle. Oil changes, wiper blades, tire rotations/replacement , filters, bulb changes, repairs, wax/detailing......... I keep a list of filter part numbers, oil SAE rating, tire pressure, wrench sizes etc on the inside cover for quick reference too. The book comes in handy to track actions, costs and intervals over the cars life. It's a nice thing to offer the next owner at trade/sales time too.
 
#54 ·
Read the bible on synthetics which was published Apr 1976 (I think). I had a copy that I kept for reference and then I got married; enough said. This was a study that covered lots of important things about synthetic oil. Convincing real data that this oil did not need to be changed that often.
Water Auto part Engine Vehicle Car


I do put at least one small but strong magnet on my oil filters with the idea it will catch some of the machining residuals along with some of the particles of wear. Not exactly proven but I am sure it is doing something good.
 
#55 ·
Read the bible on synthetics which was published Apr 1976 (I think). I had a copy that I kept for reference and then I got married; enough said. This was a study that covered lots of important things about synthetic oil. Convincing real data that this oil did not need to be changed that often.


I do put at least one small but strong magnet on my oil filters with the idea it will catch some of the machining residuals along with some of the particles of wear. Not exactly proven but I am sure it is doing something good.
I have salvage neodymium magnets from hard drives. I'll try those.
 
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#58 ·
Wow - I went researching this 1K oil change thing - because I don't know any evidence or authority promoting it. My last 3 cars have gone well over 200K miles (well the last of the 3 is now at 175 and I anticipate the new owner taking it way beyond that.) I never did a 1K oil change.
But my search about this online only led me to many more people that change their oil even more frequently.
Some people change them at 500, 1500, and 3000 (they do all three on same car)! Now consider all the cars.
So much oil being used and tossed before its useful life is over, and more hazardous waste being generated than there needs to be.

"By volume, used motor oil is one of the largest hazardous waste streams in California: Almost 115 million gallons are sold in the state each year. While about 70 percent is collected after use, it continues to be a serious environmental problem because it is insoluble and contains heavy metals and toxic chemicals. It makes its way into lakes, streams, and oceans via the storm water system and endangers fish, waterfowl, insects, and other aquatic life. In addition, one gallon of used motor oil can foul the taste of 1 million gallons of water."
 
#85 ·
Wow - I went researching this 1K oil change thing - because I don't know any evidence or authority promoting it. My last 3 cars have gone well over 200K miles (well the last of the 3 is now at 175 and I anticipate the new owner taking it way beyond that.) I never did a 1K oil change.
But my search about this online only led me to many more people that change their oil even more frequently.
Some people change them at 500, 1500, and 3000 (they do all three on same car)! Now consider all the cars.
So much oil being used and tossed before its useful life is over, and more hazardous waste being generated than there needs to be.

"By volume, used motor oil is one of the largest hazardous waste streams in California: Almost 115 million gallons are sold in the state each year. While about 70 percent is collected after use, it continues to be a serious environmental problem because it is insoluble and contains heavy metals and toxic chemicals. It makes its way into lakes, streams, and oceans via the storm water system and endangers fish, waterfowl, insects, and other aquatic life. In addition, one gallon of used motor oil can foul the taste of 1 million gallons of water."
One of the expert on here said that with turbo, might want to go every 5K between oil changes? Plus a lot of intown driving and such. I plan to go the 5k route for the time being once I get my Touring XT car. I did 5k with my '09 Accord too.
 
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