The $350 Oil Change

Yep, you read that correctly.

The dealer where I bought my RV stated the engine had been serviced before purchase but honestly, I don't trust them. Nor do I trust they used quality components. With a rebuilt engine costing $15k or more, I think I'll do it myself for peace of mind. 

To start, the oil filter is $33.

Then there are two fuel filters at $42 and $19 each. The expensive one has a water sensor in it. I would bet that even if they changed the oil, they didn't change the fuel filters. 

The crankcase ventilation filter is $40. With a service interval of 60k miles, I would bet it has never been changed so I'll do it as well. 

Coolant additive to keep the coolant from eating the engine liners? $20. I bought a test kit and I'll test it first but I bet it's low. 

The main engine belt is $51. You can save yourself $5 if you buy the YQABLE belt from Amazon but I think I'll stick with Gates. Yes, an oil change doesn't require belts but who knows when the last time it was changed. Since it spins the coolant pump that keeps that $15k engine from overheating, it's getting replaced. While I'm in there I might as well do the AC belt too. $15. 

Oil. Cummins recommends plain old Dino juice so I'll run Rotella T4. Lucky for me, it's cheap and comes in a 5-gallon pail from Wallyworld, because it takes 7 gallons of the stuff. That's another $126. 

You could also add the $60 worth of lumber I'm going to need to build a set of ramps to get it off the ground far enough for me to get under it safely. That brings the total up to $410.

Compare that to the $50 oil change for the 460 in my old Tiffin.

It does drive a lot better and it sure is more comfortable but that does come at a price. 

Fleetguard coolant test strips? Man I don't miss those. Former employer did all of the Fleetguard testing. Coolants suck. I don't miss those at all. 

In the aviation world, it's called the hundred dollar hamburger.

Yep, that's heavy duty truck engines. That's the difference between an engine designed to go 200k miles before replacement, and one that's designed to be rebuilt in-frame at 500k miles or more, which could be as often a every 10 years or so in a commercial truck, and then doing it again, and again...

7 gallons of oil?!? Holy hell.

In reply to kevinatfms :

Some of the detroit DD-series engines would hold 10-15 gallons for OTR trucks.

In reply to kevinatfms :

The 6.7, which is essentially the same architecture as his ISL9, takes 3 gallons. A typical 12 or 15L tractor trailer engine takes about 12 to 14 gallons. Fleets expect their trucks to go 20,000+ miles on an oil change, and one way to get there is big capacity. Nowadays they're pushing more like 40 to 50,000 miles. 

In reply to maschinenbau :

That was something we did a lot of, monitoring OTR trucks on extended drains. That and watching the new CK and FA oils. I can tell you the FA was not looking great a few years ago for extended drains. I know they were still tweaking the formula for them and I hope they figured it out. 

In reply to bobzilla :

It's a tricky problem. Some of the same properties that make the new oils more fuel efficient also make it flow more easily past piston rings to get consumed, which then shortens oil change interval. None of this is a problem for Mr. Toyman since he will practically be pampering this engine compared to what it was designed for.