Oil Change for a 2001 Buick Century

I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every 3000
miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
there.

Thank you

jarl wrote:
>
> I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
> I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
> which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every 3000
> miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
> opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
> there.

The experts at GM aren't good enough for you?

I suggest you read:

http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/ima...Mar04e.html#st...
or
http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/ima...May03e.html#st...
or
http://service.gm.com/gmtechlink/arcv_pdf/3_00_e.pdf

You'll get a lot of advice on this subject from the various
experts that haunt the internet. You could just do a Google
Groups search and see the arguments for and against 3000
mile oil changes. I think in the end it comes down to:

For: It's cheap insurance
Against: You are wasting money based on 1950's thinking.

My advise -> follow the oil life monitor recommendation but
be sure to use good quality API certified oil of the correct
grade and viscosity. If you want to be extra careful, use
Mobil 1 of the porper viscosity.

Ed

On 15 Feb 2005 09:08:37 -0800, "jarl" > wrote:

>I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
>I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
>which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every 3000
>miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
>opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
>there.
>
>Thank you

It won't ever go 10k miles. The most I have ever seen is about 5k
that was 90% hiway driving and the least was about 3500 that was all
city driving.

I trust the oil life monitor on mine and have had three with this
function since my '90 Olds. All three are still running with no
engine issues.

Steve B.

These lights take a guess based on the sort of driving you've been
doing, and how much of it -- they don't actually measure chemical
properties of the oil. But the manufacturers think enough of the guess
to stand behind it for warranty purposes, so I suppose it's alright.
It's certainly got to be a better guess than "three thousand for severe
service, five [or six or whatever] otherwise."

As I understand it, if the computer decides your usage has qualified as
severe, the light will come on somewhere not too far beyond the
proverbial three thou anyway. At the opposite extreme, if you've been
doing mostly easy driving under good conditions, getting things good
and warmed up but not really overly hot and so forth, it'll save you
some time and money by allowing an extended drain interval.

Anybody know what fleet managers think of these things nowadays? Do
they just yank the car into the garage at intervals regardless of how
it's been used, or wait for the user to squawk about the light, or
what?

As for Dallas (or wherever), I wouldn't flatly state that that's either
better or worse from a car maintenance standpoint. It depends a lot
on whether you get tied up in rush-hour stop-and-go traffic or have a
free-flowing reverse commute or what.

I would certainly consider changing the air filter a bit more often
than strictly necessary, since city air is often pretty grim in ways
that are hard to see with the naked eye. This isn't as big a deal in
modern cars -- they actually measure how much air is flowing downstream
of the filter, and/or how much oxygen is in the exhaust, as part of the
engine control loop, and thus automatically compensate for less air
making it through the filter. (Pre-computer cars just took a guess
and as the filter got dirtier the mixture would get richer.) But
you're still losing performance if the thing is dirty.

For city drivign, mind your brake wear as well. And if your vehicle
calls for a transmisson-fluid change interval, consider whether you've
done a lot of stop-and-go driving there too.

Cheers,
--Joe

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
> These lights take a guess based on the sort of driving you've been
> doing, and how much of it -- they don't actually measure chemical
> properties of the oil. But the manufacturers think enough of the
guess
> to stand behind it for warranty purposes, so I suppose it's alright.
> It's certainly got to be a better guess than "three thousand for
severe
> service, five [or six or whatever] otherwise."
>
> As I understand it, if the computer decides your usage has qualified
as
> severe, the light will come on somewhere not too far beyond the
> proverbial three thou anyway. At the opposite extreme, if you've
been
> doing mostly easy driving under good conditions, getting things good
> and warmed up but not really overly hot and so forth, it'll save you
> some time and money by allowing an extended drain interval.
>
> Anybody know what fleet managers think of these things nowadays? Do
> they just yank the car into the garage at intervals regardless of how
> it's been used, or wait for the user to squawk about the light, or
> what?
>
> As for Dallas (or wherever), I wouldn't flatly state that that's
either
> better or worse from a car maintenance standpoint. It depends a
lot
> on whether you get tied up in rush-hour stop-and-go traffic or have a
> free-flowing reverse commute or what.
>
> I would certainly consider changing the air filter a bit more often
> than strictly necessary, since city air is often pretty grim in ways
> that are hard to see with the naked eye. This isn't as big a deal
in
> modern cars -- they actually measure how much air is flowing
downstream
> of the filter, and/or how much oxygen is in the exhaust, as part of
the
> engine control loop, and thus automatically compensate for less air
> making it through the filter. (Pre-computer cars just took a guess
> and as the filter got dirtier the mixture would get richer.) But
> you're still losing performance if the thing is dirty.
>
> For city drivign, mind your brake wear as well. And if your vehicle
> calls for a transmisson-fluid change interval, consider whether
you've
> done a lot of stop-and-go driving there too.
>
> Cheers,
> --Joe

I change oil in my 01 century every 5000 miles
just because it is easy to rember. The oil change
light has never come on.
Ernie

You should use an engine lube that can do the job for 10,000 miles - if
its lable claims to give you that, prove it by an oil analysis.

IMO the GM oil life monitor is a pretty good system.

If you want a little more safety margin, upgrade your oil from the basic
stuff to a full synthetic or even a good synthetic blend.

If you want to talk oils, check out www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/


"jarl" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
> I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
> which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every 3000
> miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
> opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
> there.
>
> Thank you
>

Changed oil & filter myself for the first time in my 2001 and
tried my damndest to reset the change oil indicator. Followed
the book to the letter. Never happened! Far as I know that is
THE ONLY thing that isnt operable in this car, and I don't have
a clue where to start looking for a cause!

imho4(at)lycos.com








"John Horner" > wrote in news:A9cUd.18345$uc.11645
@trnddc09:

> IMO the GM oil life monitor is a pretty good system.
>
> If you want a little more safety margin, upgrade your oil from the
basic
> stuff to a full synthetic or even a good synthetic blend.
>
> If you want to talk oils, check out www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/
>
>
> "jarl" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
>> I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
>> which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every
3000
>> miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
>> opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
>> there.
>>
>> Thank you
>>
>
>

Key on not running depress gas pedal 3 times to the floor, let pedal up lite
should flash 3x and reset.
"The Juice" > wrote in message
...
> Changed oil & filter myself for the first time in my 2001 and
> tried my damndest to reset the change oil indicator. Followed
> the book to the letter. Never happened! Far as I know that is
> THE ONLY thing that isnt operable in this car, and I don't have
> a clue where to start looking for a cause!
>
> imho4(at)lycos.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "John Horner" > wrote in news:A9cUd.18345$uc.11645
> @trnddc09:
>
>> IMO the GM oil life monitor is a pretty good system.
>>
>> If you want a little more safety margin, upgrade your oil from the
> basic
>> stuff to a full synthetic or even a good synthetic blend.
>>
>> If you want to talk oils, check out www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/
>>
>>
>> "jarl" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>>I just purchased a 2001 Buick Century and it states in the manual that
>>> I do not need to change the oil until the 'Change Oil Light" comes on
>>> which could be up to 10,000 miles. Is OK or should I change every
> 3000
>>> miles? I live Dallas, Texas which not too dusty but I wanted to get
>>> opinion on how often I should change the oil from some experts out
>>> there.
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>
>>
>



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>> Changed oil & filter myself for the first time in my 2001 and
> tried my damndest to reset the change oil indicator. Followed
> the book to the letter. Never happened! Far as I know that is
> THE ONLY thing that isnt operable in this car, and I don't have
> a clue where to start looking for a cause!

Is this one where you push the pedal to the floor? If so then a bad
or misadjusted throttle position sensor can stop the light from being
reset.

Steve B.