i recently purchased the 15,000 mile extended mobil 1 Oil. i do my own oil changes and pretty much always use stp oil filters. my question is, would the oil filter ever have to be changed w/o the actual oil being changed? cause i know normal is 3k miles or 3 months, and this is the first time i've tried extended oil. so will the filter last as long as the oil does? or does it still have to be changed every 3k miles? thanks!

The answer to your question is no.

BITOG, an engine oil life, and filter (and air filter) life & effects forum has concluded through independent lab studies that a filter change is not required over the 15k period.

I have been using Mobil 1 since 1987, well, my family has, and we had been changing it every 10k, with 1 filter per change. Now that the 15k stuff is out we do it at 15k, again with one filter per change.

We have a 1987 Toyota 4x4 with 287,000 miles that has had mobil 1 with 10k changes its whole life, still runs like a top.

We also have a 92 lumina with the 3.1 Gm engine with 220k, again, mobil 1 with 10k changes, doesnt loose a drop over the entire 10k, still nice and powerful.

Its not so much the oil filter that is important to keep your oil life long and clean, its the Engine Air filter. The stock box and paper air filter does this best, a air intake setup with an oiled filter quickens the life of motor oil.

There is only 2 ways to dirty up the oil, combustion by product, and dirt through the air intake.

You can be sure that you can run mobil 1 for the 15k period and use 1 filter at a time. We have been forever.

Head on over to BITOG forums for more info and test results done by guys like us.

When I said a cotton guaze filter or foam filter "quickens" the life of the oil i really meant that it shortens the life of the oil, in most cases.

Many UOA test results from motor oil samples have shown products like K&N filters to have put more silicon into engine oil over the oil change interval, this is the leading indicator of oil contamination.

(As a side note, this in no way means that you are destroying your engine, you are simply ruining the oil faster)

This is why you will see on many posts that I recommend using a paper cone air filter on after market intake setups.

Now that I have given you more info then you wanted, good luck.

didnt mobil just put out a newer filter that works with their extended miles oil, i saw a pic of it and to me it looks longer than a normal one for our cars. therefore, im figuruing that it would be the best if using those extended mile oils

I just cannot bare to do that to my engine...i don't know if I'm "old fashioned" but I just have to change my oil every 5000 km. and I too use Mobil1. I don't care if it is 85 bucks to change my oil. but anyway...thats just my opinion.

thanks for all your help! man you guys seem to know everything

i know there was a independant test done , and they ran mobil 1 over 15,000 miles , and checked the oil's contenets every 3000 , and they said longer than 8000 was to far for the filter that was on the car


if your gonna go 15,000 miles , id change the filer at 7500 , then at 15,000 when you change the oil , the filters are fairly cheap

is it necessary to drain the oil in order to replace the oil filter?




Peace Out!!!

I have to agree with the 3-5k oil change pace...

It also depends on how you drive, and where you live...


Rob, Can I carefully assume you do a good bit of highway driving?

My wife's cav also runs on mobil 1, in which she does 70city/30 highway....

After about 3.5-5k, the car is ready for an oil change....I use a plain ol' Delco oil
filter....though I'm considering a better one, possibly mobil 1...

And I would consider still changing both filter and oil...just in case...

I do 100% city driving my car take a lot of short trips. I change mine every 3-4.5K. I would think that the filter would not last 15K


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"You can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all the people'
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no you dont have to drain the oil to change the fiter , but you will loose oil when you change the filter , and you will need to top the oil off after you change it