mobil 1 synthetic has been tested to over 18,000 miles between changes and the oil showed no signs of "breaking down". They recommend that you change the filter every 5k miles though.

I go 8,000 miles between oil changes but I replace the filter every 4,000

 

I agree, there is likely no harm done in taking the trip. It's really your personal preference, but going over the OCI on the trip likely won't hurt anything. It is the 20k or 30k oil changes that really cause damage to things you don't want ground up.

The key is the amount of dirt and water/acids built up in the oil. Going over a thousand or so miles is not going to hurt things. Even going 100% over is not the end of the world. More so if the car regularly gets up to operating temp and stays there for at least 15 minutes each time it is driven.

Keeping it topped off is probably more important than anything else. Low oil can lead to lower pressure, overheating (the beginnings of coked oil), more air sucked into the system and faster seal/bearing degredation. The water and acids in the oil do build up over time, but are greatly exagerated when the oil level is low, but not as much if you overdrive the OCI.

I usually follow the 5k rule with M1 in my cars (a lot of German turbocharged cars). If I know I will be doing something that prevents a change for a long time, I will do so before the trip, then resume the 5k regimen.

It might cost a little more, but it is cheaper than a new engine and playing it safe also buys you time if you do find yourself over the OCI.

HTH

 

Thanks a lot for all your responses. I decided to get it changed for peace of mind before I saw your responses.