There is definitely an advantage to the oil life monitors. If nothing else
they remind people who routinely forget to change their oil to do so. And,
in the case of the GM system they are trying to encourage people to change
their oil at more reasonable intervals, instead of the Jiffy Lube preferred
3000 mile oil change. I had a Saturn Vue with the GM system and it seemed to
work very well. It indicated very long oil change intervals. They were much
longer than I was used to. This worried me, so I sent off a sample for
analysis. It came back as being good for thousand more miles. I never
questioned the oil life gauge again.

Ed

The oil life monitor in your car is just a "dumb" mileage / days counter. It
does not reduce the life based on other factors like the GM system does. As
long as you are operating under normal conditions, then I'd change it based
on the monitor. If you are operating the vehicle in extrenme conditions,
then I'd go for a shorter interval. But don't listen to the Jiffy Lube
crap - normal city driving is not an extreme condition. Ford spells ou
extreme conditions very specifically. The following is from the Ford
maintenance Schedule:

Determine which maintenance schedule to follow
It's important to follow the maintenance schedule that most closely mirrors
your driving habits and the
conditions under which you drive. For this reason, the Scheduled Maintenance
Guide is divided into two basic
maintenance schedules: the Normal Schedule (further segmented into Trucks,
Fullsize Vans & SUVs and
Cars & CUVs) and Special Operating Conditions
Determining which maintenance schedule is right for you is easy. For the
most part, do you drive your
Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle under typical, everyday conditions? If so,
follow the Normal Schedule Trucks,
Fullsize Vans & SUVs, or Normal Schedule Cars & CUVs.
Special Operating Conditions
However, if one of the Special Operating Conditions outlined below better
describes how you typically
operate your vehicle, you will need to perform some maintenance services
more often than the Normal Schedule
calls for.
. Towing a trailer or carrying heavy loads
. Extensive idling and/or driving at low-speeds for long distances
. Driving in dusty conditions
. Off-road operation
. Use of E85 fuel 50% of the time or greater (flex fuel vehicles only)
Important: For further details and information regarding these Special
Operating Conditions see page 42.
Maximum Oil Change Interval
? Normal Schedule: 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first.
? Special Operating Conditions: 5,000 miles, 6 months, or 200 hours of
engine operation, whichever occurs first
see appropriate schedule on page 42.

Towing a trailer or using a camper or car-top carrier
- Every 5,000 miles Rotate tires, inspect tires for wear and measure tread
depth
- Inspect wheel ends for endplay and noise
- Every 5,000 miles or 6 months Change engine oil and replace oil filter
- Inspect and lubricate U-joints
- Every 30,000 miles Change automatic transmission/transaxle fluid (not
required on 6R60/6R75/TorqShift transmissions)
- Replace wheel bearing grease and grease seals on 4x2 wheel bearings (if
non-sealed bearings)
- Every 60,000 miles Change transfer case fluid
- As required Change manual transmission fluid
- Inspect and lubricate U-joints

Extensive idling and/or low-speed driving for long distances as in heavy
commercial use such as delivery, taxi, patrol car or livery
- Every 5,000 miles Inspect brake system
- Rotate tires, inspect tires for wear and measure tread
depth
- Inspect wheel ends for endplay and noise
- Lubricate control arm and steering ball joints (if equipped with zerk
fittings)
- Every 5,000 miles or 6 months Inspect and lubricate U-joints
- Every 5,000 miles, 6 months or 200 hours of engine operation Change engine
oil and replace oil filter
- Every 15,000 miles Replace fuel filter (except Edge, Fusion, Milan, MKX,
MKZ, Sable, Taurus and Taurus X)
- Every 30,000 miles Change automatic transmission/transaxle fluid (not
required on 6R60/6R75/TorqShift transmissions)
- Replace wheel bearing grease and grease seals on 4x2 wheel bearings (if
non-sealed bearings)
- Every 60,000 miles Replace spark plugs
- Change transfer case fluid
- As required Replace cabin air filter

Operating in dusty conditions such as unpaved or dusty roads Every 5,000
miles Rotate tires, inspect tires for wear and measure tread depth
- Inspect wheel ends for endplay and noise
- Every 5,000 miles or 6 months Change engine oil and replace oil filter
- Inspect and lubricate U-joints
- Every 15,000 miles Replace fuel filter (except Edge, Fusion, Milan, MKX,
MKZ, Sable, Taurus and Taurus X)
- Every 30,000 miles Change automatic transmission/transaxle fluid (not
required on 6R60/6R75/TorqShift transmissions)
- Replace wheel bearing grease and grease seals on 4x2 wheel bearings (if
non-sealed bearings)
- Every 50,000 miles Change rear axle lubricant (E-450 and F-450/550 only)
- Every 60,000 miles Change transfer case fluid
- As required Replace engine air filter
- Replace cabin air filter (if equipped)

Off-road operation
- Every 5,000 miles or 6 months Change engine oil and replace oil filter
- Rotate tires, inspect tires for wear and measure tread depth
- Inspect wheel ends for endplay and noise
- Every 30,000 miles Change automatic transmission/transaxle fluid (not
required on 6R60/6R75/TorqShift transmissions)
- Replace wheel bearing grease and grease seals on 4x2 wheel bearings (if
non-sealed bearings)
- Every 50,000 miles Change rear axle lubricant (E-450 and F-450/550 only)
- Every 60,000 miles Change transfer case fluid
- As required Replace cabin air filter (if equipped)
- Inspect and lubricate steering linkage ball joints and U-joints (if
equipped with zerk fittings)

I'd probably go for the 5k mile (8k km) oil change.

Ed