What triggers this oil change required warning? Is it simply time/mileage since the last oil change, or does it have some kind of sensor that can measure the oil quality?
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change. 
Ori said:
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change.
I guess you didn’t read the text of my question.
Ori said:
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change.
I guess you didn’t read the text of my question.
Twas a joke, my dude.
Ori said:
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change.
I guess you didn’t read the text of my question.
Read the text, it’s when you need an oil change.
Ori said:
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change.
Big if true.
Ori said:
It’s triggered by when your car needs an oil change.
Big if true.
Luckily the alert doesn’t say anything about the filter. Can probably just keep using the same one until the indicator to change the filter pops up. Same reason I never did sway bar links on my Fusion.
@Dru
What? Please tell me you are joking.
Filters are to be changed every oil change. There is no separate reminder just for the oil filter.
Your car should have a sort of timer/percentage menu of “oil life.” You reset it every oil change, and when it gets low, it tells you it’s time to change it. However, I’d recommend taking its suggestions lightly and checking yourself.
It is triggered by the passage of time even if you don’t drive the car very much. I rarely drive, and I have to reset this timer from time to time. But check your oil to make sure.
Davin said:
It is triggered by the passage of time even if you don’t drive the car very much. I rarely drive, and I have to reset this timer from time to time. But check your oil to make sure.
Mine seems to be triggered by mileage? I no longer do a lot of driving like I used to. I haven’t seen that in years. Maybe it’s different because it’s an Energi?
Miles if it is not that smart; miles, number of cold starts, total time, and that kind of stuff if it is a bit smarter.
On my older Fusion, with my style of usage, it looks like the “target” is around 8,000 miles, while I usually do it at about 4,000 or every six months, whatever comes first.
It only counts miles from the last time it was reset. There’s no complications or sophistication to it. It does not count the condition of anything, cold starts, or time. It’s only triggered by going the set amount of miles. It’s typically set for something like 7,500 miles, which is not correct for everyone. The actual amount of miles you should go between oil changes should completely depend on the specific type of oil you use and the typical driving conditions. For example, if you have a 2.5L and use conventional oil, then you absolutely should never go that long between oil changes. Some synthetic oil can go to 5k or 7.5k, but you also have to use the appropriate filter to last that long as well.
It uses an algorithm. In that algorithm, there’s time, mileage, and other stuff like engine runtime and RPM. It’s a calculation.
When I park my Fusion for the winter, I change my oil. When I drive it in the spring, the oil life is at like 30%, even though I’ve gone nowhere.
@Ray
Interesting you park your Fusion in the winter. My Fusion is my winter car because my summer car is RWD.
Solar flares telling you that you don’t have any chakras.
Several factors: mileage, time, starts and stops, oil pressure, even engine temp. Depends on the manufacturer. For most, it’s mileage, and it can be reset as others have stated. Without a documented oil change, that can void the warranty. Instructions are usually in the owner’s manual, but I always found them on YouTube. Again, it depends on the manufacturer. And to the low mileage comments; when an engine starts and stops, the heating and cooling can form acids in the oil. And the number one reason for synthetic oil is heat resistance and not longevity; I believe.
Ford Intelligent Oil Life Monitor System. This innovative technology takes the guesswork out of oil changes by calculating the remaining oil life based on various factors such as engine temperature, driving habits, and more. Feb 24, 2024.
For my hybrid, it’s one year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first.
I think the gas engines have a 5,000-mile interval instead.
Honda’s oil minder does all sorts of math about the number of starts and idle hours and time under load. As far as I can tell, Ford’s system is still linear based on x month/y miles interval.
When you get an oil change and the oil life is reset to 100%, it then lowers over time and mileage.