I have an 09 Lancer GTS with about 3500 miles on it. I have not changed the oil in it yet and should have a few weeks ago. I wondering what kind of oil i should put in it for the first oil change (Conventional or Synthetic) and how hard it would be to change it myself. I looked around and haven't found anything about this.

 

The vehicle doesn't make an oil change any harder than the last. Check your owners manual for oil types and stick with it. I understand that this is your new baby, but new or old, the oil drains from the bottom of the block and fills at the top of the head. You don't even need a manual to change the oil. The fluid can be checked in your owners manual, the filter can be checked at the parts store. If the car is too new, then stick with OEM parts until there are aftermarket parts available.
Typically, a new motor will have conventional for break in purposes and then synthetic replaces it at around 50k to 75k miles. If your motor starts off with synthetic, then you don't have to worry about changing it. My advice, don't take it to thosee 10-15 minute shops, they may forget to tighten or over tighten something.

 

I figured it wasnt hard to change to oil and im for sure not going to take it to some quick lube shop. I just wasnt sure if i should be using synthetic so soon. Im going to stick with conventional for now. Thanks for your help

 

I recommend regular oil and oil filter. Syntheticmention by Moderator.

The oil filter is under and near the radiator you have to crawl a little to see it but the filter is very easy to replace. I think they used a different oil when it was built not synthetic but something similar. Your GTS is only 3,500 the service indicatoron your car said 7,000 I will change oil at 7,000 miles or to make sure check dip stick. if it's very very black,you really need an oil change but I bet it is still clear.

I know this because I had an oil change at 7,000 miles on 2008 lancer. I check oil at 4,000 and it was still clear and clean. my car now is 28,000 no problem not a single one

 

people need to read thier owners manual.

under "severe driving" (which is what 99 percent of your cars are used under), you should have your oil and filter changed every 3750.
The oil color is USELESS in determining oil condition. Completely useless.
its true that the service interval reminder is set to 7500 by default on all lancers but the EVO, but that SHOULD be or should have been altered by the dealer when it was first delivered to reflect the correct 3750 interval.

also, synthetic is a TOTAL waste of money in this car, as it will never see the extreme temps that require it (unless you live somewhere its regularly below zero).

 

I agree with Manybrews. Stop and go driving is hard on the motor. Unless you do a lot of long stretch driving such as a highway or interstate where stop and go is mimimal, I wouldn't recommend waiting until 7k to change the oil. Conventional oil and heat don't play well together and city driving builds up a lot of heat with mimimal cool down between lights or stops. As the heat goes up, the viscosity goes down.

 

Black is Black oil. I have been changing oil since 1978 and I was 12 yrs old.

The color of the oil is important. who said that is not?

It is NOT USELESS to determine the color of the oil. Every 3,000 miles the oil should be already black.


What is the purpose of the dip stick if you ONLY Used to measure the oil.

Clear means clean Oiland Black is dirty. Just like when YOU used cooking oil for deep frying when YOUpour the cooking oil it should be clear and after cookingON ITshould be black.

After I change my oil at 7,000 miles I change my oil every 2 months and I followed the extreme maintenance schedule. I already changed my air filter at 15,000 miles and going to tune my own car at 32,000 miles.


When you get older you get wiser so listen to older people they know more than any other kids out there. Just like you listening to your parents.

 

I think he means something deeper, like if if the oil is degraded and broken down, and doesn't lubricate as well. And it doesn't tell you if there is sludge in it. Just things like that dude that the dip stick cant tell you the condition of the oil. Dirty doesn't really mean anything.

 

GOD I give up with this forum.

The kids just want to know when to change oil and one good thing to look at is the color of the oil

Black means it it's time to change oil and it's already burnt and dirty.
andit mean something as simple has that.

No chemist, no composition.

We are not working for Castrol or Valvoline. We don't have to know the brake downof the oil compostion.

We just want to change oil. peace

 

Do kids listen to their parents anymore? I know mine doesn't, lol.
I agree, what is the purpose of the dip stick? It's not accurate to measure oil at all, only to average it. The cooking oil comment is dead on, more so with older motors. As the motor builds up its sludge, it will darken the color of the oil. Newer motors will be less and not so black (unless the driving is seriously severe, but at that point, this question is mute), but the point is that the oil will be darker.
Synthetics will darken also. The variable is the amount of motor build up. Since synthetics are put into a motor at it's "halfway" point, it will pick up conventional oil buildup particles and those particles will cause the syn oil to darken even more than normal.
Anyway, no need to get technical. A daily driven car should have its oil changed every 3k miles, period.