Oil change followed by low oil life warning

[Buckinghorse]

Got my oil changed at the dealership mid December. Went on a skiing road trip and on the way home last nigh, got the low oil life, get an oil change soon message. Did the tech just forget to reset something or is something else going on? Not sure how the oil life warning works.

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[Brian_B]

Yeah there is a reset on the dash. You have to be at a stop, but if you flip to where it shows the oil life remaining, it also says "Hold OK to reset".

 

[CarGuy]

My dealer did the same thing. Easy to reset, but not for Ford.

 

[toymaster]

How it works.

There is an algorithm where the variables are from the various sensor inputs available to the PCM and the assumption is you are using the factory recommended oil. It does not actually test the oil itself or the oil level. (side note: some luxury cars do monitor levels, but not any Ford) Obviously, they cannot know when the oil is changed so that is a manual reset. The tech just forgot to do it in your case.

Not all OLM's are the same, like everything else, mostly they have improved model year over model year, and each manufacturer does their own thing. A secret souce as it were, a secret that really should not be a secret. IMHO it is better than the old school way of a one size fits all, however on the otherhand it is still a blackbox (due to the secrecy). The problem I have is the factor of marketing affecting the algorithm in use; advertised maintenance costs are lowered by longer service intervals and, political pressure from those that care more about the perceived environment than your personal expenses. IMO changing the oil more often and getting more use (miles/years) from an existing vehicle is better for the environment than buying a new car every 3-5 years. But each to his/her own and in the end you are the one paying the bill for your stuff.

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