I've read in various places that you should perform your first oil change on a new car at 1,000 miles or so. But the exact miles are available in the owner's manual.
The owner's manual only states to change the oil every 5,000 miles. Should I go ahead and change it at 1,000 miles, then every 5,000 miles after that? Or should I wait until 5,000 miles for my first oil change?
The 1000 mile oil change is a holdover from days of yore. It falls into the "my grandfather /father (add appropriate generation) said you should always"... Add what ever urban myth was part of the lesson. Part of the reasoning was due to the Moly-Lube that was part of the engine assembly process. The theory was that the assembly lube was thick enough to clog the oil filter as the hot oil washed it off the bearing surfaces. So after 1000 miles the filter would cease to filter the oil. The improved assembly process and improved chemistry have made this no longer necessary. If it was a concern, the dealer would require it since they warranty the engine for 60,000 or up to 100,000 miles.
Do what it says in the owner's manual.
FWIW the manual said the first oil change from new on my current car was at 18,000 miles, not 1,000. I queried that with the dealer and the reply was "yes, that's correct." Nothing bad has happened after 100,000 miles (and it still only burns half a liter of oil in the 18,000 miles between changes, just like it did from new), so I guess the dealer was right.
