This is only my second new car, and after searching the Internet I want to make sure I don't screw it up. I've been having the wife drive mostly on regular roads at varying speeds and now she is coming up on 1000 miles which is where I had always been told the first oil change should happen.

I picked up a new filter and was going to fill it with Mobil 1 as I had in previous cars with very good luck. Several sources have told me that changing the oil too soon is a bad idea, and some have said that Fiat doesn't recommend synthetic oil. I can't see either of these being right but it's been a while since I've dealt with a new car or a foreign car and don't want to screw anything up.

I would let the dealer service it the first time, for warranty purposes. YMMV

I don't think that changing the oil "too soon" would be a problem other than for your wallet. Some cars are supposed to be broken in on non-synthetic oil, but it should state that in the owners manual.

Most newer cars have much longer oil change intervals so if you are using the correct spec oil you might not need the oil change at 1000 miles, but I also can't see it do much harm. I was tempted to do a 1000 mile oil change on the Evo, but the oil was still so clean at that mileage that I decided to skip the oil change. Mind you, that car has official 3000 mile oil change intervals anyway.

RTFM?

For my TDI, the first oil change was at 5K miles, every 10K afterwards.

The ex-g/f's MINI was similar, following the computer's service intervals - ~5K for the first and ~12K or so afterwards.

Both run full synthetics.

I was under the impression "modern engines" are basically broken-in at the factory.

I would just follow the normal schedule unless you are doing something mean to the car like Auto-X or Track work.

Do what the owner's manual says.

They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing to synthetic too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

GameboyRMH wrote: They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing *to synthetic* too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

Why does this persist? There are numerous cars that come straight from the factory with full synthetic.

In fact, the 5.0 in the new Mustangs will come with different oil depending on what packages you order. The Track Packs get 5w-50 full syn, where as the regular cars get 5w-30 semi-syn or organic.

Not to mention, if it's broken-in, what is left to wear in?

Yes that's true if the car comes fully broken in from the factory, I don't know if that's the case for this particular model. Check what the manual has to say, if it says there's no break-in to do then just change it on a normal schedule to synthetic if you wish.

We had the dealer change the oil on my wife's 500c after 5000 miles and paid the extra for synthetic. Both our new ones are right at 5000 miles and will do the same with them.

New 500's come with and recommend 5w-30 synthetic. (The first year did not, IIRC)

I'd have the dealer do them until the warranty wears out and then do them yourself from then on.

-Rob

It is not necessary for the dealer to do your oil changes to get warranty protection. Any oil change place can do them. Or you can do them yourself. However you must prove you /they used the proper oil and filter for your model so keep all receipts.

Having said that, talk to the service people at the dealership and get the real skinny on the proper oil type, weight, and service interval.

spitfirebill wrote: Do what the owner's manual says.

^This.

Jerry From LA wrote: Having said that, talk to the service people at the dealership and get the real skinny on the proper oil type, weight, and service interval.

I wouldn't count on getting the right info there. It could be correct, but I'd read the owners manual for the bottom line. Use the correct oil, and I'd buy the filter from the dealer. Keep your receipts for warranty situations.

What does the owners manual say about oil change intervals, the first oil change, and types of oil? For example, the manual for our Fit clearly states to only service it per the computer's instructions, and even specifically notes to not perform the first oil change early. If the Fiat has a computer controlled oil change indicator, I actually see no reason not to follow it. I have never heard of a modern car having a problem switching to full synthetic oil at the first scheduled change.

Don't feel any obligation to have the dealer do the oil changes during the warranty period. If they don't overcharge and you can trust the people who work there, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise just make sure the car has documented services performed per the owners manual by someone you can trust. Unfortunately, for my cars that always seems to be me. There are plenty of dealerships that simply don't even know (care) what the factory service recommendations are, and continue to push outdated and/or blatantly incorrect information on the unsuspecting public. I wish it was a surprise, but just because they are a dealership does not inherently make their service center any better or worse than any other maintenance facility...Including your own garage as the case may be.

spitfirebill wrote: Do what the owner's manual says.

This. My wife's TSX had an oil additive that they wanted you to leave in the car for a certain number of miles before the first change, and then change at that point to remove the additive. Look at break-in procedures in the OM and do what it says.

spitfirebill wrote: Do what the owner's manual says.

This x 100000000000000000000000000000000000

Another vote for following the manual. The requirements in there were created by the same clever engineers who designed your new car.

z31maniac wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing *to synthetic* too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

Why does this persist? There are numerous cars that come straight from the factory with full synthetic. In fact, the 5.0 in the new Mustangs will come with different oil depending on what packages you order. The Track Packs get 5w-50 full syn, where as the regular cars get 5w-30 semi-syn or organic. Not to mention, if it's broken-in, what is left to wear in?

It's actually 5W-50 fully synthetic on the track packs and 5W-20 synthetic blend on all other vehicles.

FYI, the Ford Focus also comes with 5W-20 synthetic blend from the factory.

Jerry From LA wrote: It is not necessary for the dealer to do your oil changes to get warranty protection. Any oil change place can do them. Or you can do them yourself. However you must prove you /they used the proper oil and filter for your model so keep all receipts. Having said that, talk to the service people at the dealership and get the real skinny on the proper oil type, weight, and service interval.

This is very true.

Still- many new car offers have one or two free oil changes included. It's free.

Did I mention free?

With how little my wife drives, we end up changing oil once during a 2 year lease. And even then, the miles are way too soon.

alfadriver wrote: Still- many new car offers have one or two free oil changes included. It's free. Did I mention free?

But sometimes free ain't worth it when scheduling service with a dealer is a PITA and it's easier/faster to DIY.

Sky_Render wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing *to synthetic* too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

Why does this persist? There are numerous cars that come straight from the factory with full synthetic. In fact, the 5.0 in the new Mustangs will come with different oil depending on what packages you order. The Track Packs get 5w-50 full syn, where as the regular cars get 5w-30 semi-syn or organic. Not to mention, if it's broken-in, what is left to wear in?

It's actually 5W-50 fully synthetic on the track packs and 5W-20 synthetic blend on all other vehicles. FYI, the Ford Focus also comes with 5W-20 synthetic blend from the factory.

You must have read this earlier before I corrected it, check out what you quoted.

Just fat fingered the number pad. I know it's 5w-50, I had a track pack car.

z31maniac wrote:

Sky_Render wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing *to synthetic* too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

Why does this persist? There are numerous cars that come straight from the factory with full synthetic. In fact, the 5.0 in the new Mustangs will come with different oil depending on what packages you order. The Track Packs get 5w-50 full syn, where as the regular cars get 5w-30 semi-syn or organic. Not to mention, if it's broken-in, what is left to wear in?

It's actually 5W-50 fully synthetic on the track packs and 5W-20 synthetic blend on all other vehicles. FYI, the Ford Focus also comes with 5W-20 synthetic blend from the factory.

You must have read this earlier before I corrected it, check out what you quoted. Just fat fingered the number pad. I know it's 5w-50, I had a track pack car.

Check out what I quoted. You said 5W-30. It's 5W-20.

hashtag #imajerk

Sky_Render wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

Sky_Render wrote:

z31maniac wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: They're supposed to be broken in from the factory...the problem is not with changing too soon, but with changing *to synthetic* too soon. It can prevent things from being worn in that are supposed to be worn in. I'd run organic for maybe the first 5k miles just to be safe.

Why does this persist? There are numerous cars that come straight from the factory with full synthetic. In fact, the 5.0 in the new Mustangs will come with different oil depending on what packages you order. The Track Packs get 5w-50 full syn, where as the regular cars get 5w-30 semi-syn or organic. Not to mention, if it's broken-in, what is left to wear in?

It's actually 5W-50 fully synthetic on the track packs and 5W-20 synthetic blend on all other vehicles. FYI, the Ford Focus also comes with 5W-20 synthetic blend from the factory.

You must have read this earlier before I corrected it, check out what you quoted. Just fat fingered the number pad. I know it's 5w-50, I had a track pack car.

Check out what I quoted. You said 5W-30. It's 5W-20. #hashtag #imajerk

Haha! That's what I screwed up!

Initially I had 5w-30 on both, fixed the -50 for the Track Pack, but not the -20 for the regular cars.

Doh!

The owners manual was fairly vague, wait for the light to come on, use 5w-30. No hint at a mileage or anything about what type of oil beyond weight and not to use a non-detergent oil. My biggest concern was that I had read on a couple different sites that people were told by their dealers not to use synthetic. I've had very good luck with synthetic and planned to use it and couldn't find a reason why people were told not to. I had heard that VW and BMW had some kind of special rating for some of their oils so I didn't want to use the wrong type and have a problem.

I'd rather not take it back to the dealer as the nearest one is about 2 hours away.

VW is definitely specific about their oil, due to the sludge problems they had. It sounds like Fiat wants you to use regular dino oil. I wouldn't rush the first oil change, but would probably do it at 3,000 miles. Does the service light come on at specific intervals, or does it account for driving habits, length of trips, temp, etc?