A mechanic who’s recently had a series of videos go viral on TikTok is clapping back at viewers who are skeptical of the advice he’s been giving out about oil changes.
Rich (@fordbossme) is a manufacturer-trained mechanic who used to work at dealerships. He now runs his own business and uses his social media platform to give out free tips to customers and viewers.
In one of his most recent videos, covered by the Daily Dot, Rich advises car-owners to get their oil changed “every 4-5,000 miles,” instead of the manufacturer’s recommended interval of every 10,000 miles. Rich’s reasoning is that waiting so long causes oil to wear out, resulting in build up inside the engine.
He also claims that car manufacturers know about this phenomenon, and, in fact, they plan for it.
“It’s called planned obsolesce,” he says. “They know what they’re doing. The government’s in on it; the manufacturers are in on it; it benefits both of them.”
The TikTok post received over 400 comments, with some viewers expressing their doubt at Rich’s assertion.
One viewer wrote, “Not true. I ran my f150 with 10k mile oil interval for 150k miles and it still ran like brand-new. OEMs would take too big of a [hit] if their advice was grenading engines.” The viewer suggests that following the manufacturer’s recommendation would not degrade the engine, as Rich says it would.
However, Rich responded with a follow-up video in which he says the commenter’s argument does not make sense.
In the clip, Rich reads off the comment, and then adds his own response.
“What … are you talking about?” he says in an exasperated tone.
“Anything past 60,000 miles—they’re off the hook for it anyway, 36,000 miles bumper-to-bumper. 60,000 miles powertrain,” Rich says, referring to common manufacturer warranty periods.
He addresses the commenter, saying, “After 60,000 miles or five years, they’re not responsible for anything so your whole theory here falls apart completely.”
Rich then provides a colorful analogy to what the viewer is suggesting people do. He says, “Let me stick my pecker in a blender, and I can get away with it. And let me try to do that a couple more times, and then, because I was able to do it, you can do it, too. Let’s see how that plays out, because that’s your logic.”
The mechanic’s post received 14,300 views, with many viewers agreeing with his suggestion to get a car’s oil changed every 4,000 to 5,000 miles.
“I use full synthetic Pennzoil Ultra Platinum & change it every 5k miles regardless of what the car/oil manufacturer says. I don’t like going longer than 5k miles, it’s cheap insurance,” wrote one person.
“If I did 10k between oil changes in my f150 there wouldn’t be a drop of oil left in it,” said another.
@fordbossme Replying to @kenclashaus ♬ original sound – Rich
But some argued that there were many factors that affected when a person should change their car’s oil.
“It all depends on your engine…if your engine is prone to sludge then change it at lower miles. But if not synthetic oil is capable of lasting,” one person said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rich via TikTok comment for more information.
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