Oil Change

[Ittai]

Hello Everyone

I have always been told that you need to change your motor oil every 3months or every 3,ooo miles. Now i may go over either one or at times both.

[southernhorizons]

Well, if you want your car to last a long time and not give you a lot of trouble, you should take care of it. I usually get my oil changed every three months, but when I was driving a lot I got it changed every 3000 miles, which was about every 2 months. I don't think it matters if you go slightly over the time, but it can hurt the engine if you wait too long.

[anubabs]

I know I've been told d same but sometimes I've gone a month or two after the due date.

[inluvwitmm]

It depends on your car. Especially if you have a newer car...a lot of them don't require you to change oil 4 times a year...some are only 2 or 3 times a year. Consult your owner's manual. We recently got a new Honda Civic and when we were going over everything, they told us the car will let us know when we need an oil change. We don't even have to think about it because a little light indicating an oil change is needed will come up when it's time.

[trujillo33]

I changed my oil every 3 mos ...i think its suppose to be three months..

[harleyy2]

Hello Everyone

I have always been told that you need to change your motor oil every 3months or every 3,ooo miles. Now i may go over either one or at times both.

@Ittai - Since I drive everywhere, I get my oil changed every 1 1/2 months.  By drive I mean from state to state....NEVER take airplanes (of course, if I was going over seas, I'd go on an airplane!).  I like driving more because in my beautiful Ford F350 I love driving that thing and it has internet built in so when I stop I bring out my laptop and go online!  I drove about 30,000 miles this year and all that was JUST state to state.

[Oryon20]

All cars and manufacturers will have different intervals in which they recommend when to change your oil.  Just check in your maintenance manual and you'll get the answer.  There's usually two intervals to choose from: Normal driving conditions, and special conditions (which include towing, excessive idling, off-road driving, etc.).

We have a 2010 Ford Focus SES.  Ford recommends for normal driving every 6 months or 7,500 miles, whichever comes first.  That is exactly what we do.  If Ford is saying 6 months or 7,500 miles, than you know that it probably was tested for even higher on both, but they come to these numbers  as what they feel are safe to keep cars out of warranty service.  If the engineers thought these intervals were too extreme, the manufacturer wouldn't recommend them.  They wouldn't want engines blowing out and doing warranty service on them the first 5 years or 60,000 miles.  There'd be a lot of lost money.

Don't always go by what your dealer or quick lube places suggest.  Of course they are going to recommend 3 month/3,000 mile or 5 month/5,000 mile intervals.  It just strums up more business for them.  Also, more oil is just getting wasted which could still had been used for several thousand miles more, possibly.  That's hardly conserving on resources.

But, as an owner, everyone needs to do what makes them feel more at ease and comfortable.

[andzigallery]

I'd have my oil changed every three months or 3,000 miles.  I'll do whatever comes first especially if the "low oil engine" comes on.

[hwilliams591]

Unless you race your vehicle, changing the oil out at 3000 miles is only a waste of money. I have done it but only on my race/sport cars.
The dealerships and quick lube places will tell you that you need early changes just to get you in there to give them money.

It doesn't hurt to change it early but it will lighten your wallet or purse.

[Azanne07]

Ya, the people at the oil change station keep telling us the same thing. And we do change it every 3,000 miles but sometimes we can because the funds just arent there. I just recently got the oil changed in the truck. With my next check the oil is going to get changed in the van.

[rbeal2324]

I have a Yaris and it was recommended every 5000 miles.  I have talked to alot of people in the automotive business and they pretty much agree.   but they also agreed that it depends on the car,  new or used can be different.

[candyterrius]

I try not to go over 3k miles. There are times that I get lazy as I forget to remind myself my car is due for an oil change. It’s best to take care of your auto needs as you would take care of your health to prevent problems for the future. 

[makedoughonline]

I change oil every 3-4k miles

[jkhanson]

All cars and manufacturers will have different intervals in which they recommend when to change your oil.  Just check in your maintenance manual and you'll get the answer.  There's usually two intervals to choose from: Normal driving conditions, and special conditions (which include towing, excessive idling, off-road driving, etc.).

We have a 2010 Ford Focus SES.  Ford recommends for normal driving every 6 months or 7,500 miles, whichever comes first.  That is exactly what we do.  If Ford is saying 6 months or 7,500 miles, than you know that it probably was tested for even higher on both, but they come to these numbers  as what they feel are safe to keep cars out of warranty service.  If the engineers thought these intervals were too extreme, the manufacturer wouldn't recommend them.  They wouldn't want engines blowing out and doing warranty service on them the first 5 years or 60,000 miles.  There'd be a lot of lost money.

Don't always go by what your dealer or quick lube places suggest.  Of course they are going to recommend 3 month/3,000 mile or 5 month/5,000 mile intervals.  It just strums up more business for them.  Also, more oil is just getting wasted which could still had been used for several thousand miles more, possibly.  That's hardly conserving on resources.

But, as an owner, everyone needs to do what makes them feel more at ease and comfortable.

I always thought the Rule of changing your oil every 3,000 miles was Standard.  I better check out the owners manual! 

[Oryon20]

I always thought the Rule of changing your oil every 3,000 miles was Standard.  I better check out the owners manual! 

It used to be that way, and most oil changing places would make you believe it still is.  But, if you have a newer car, don't abuse it, and use it for normal every day driving, whatever the manufacturer recommends should be enough.

Just make sure to find the interval for your specific car (as all models and manufacturers will vary) and specifically use what type of oil they are mentioning when they state the interval... ie. is it a synthetic blend?  Full synthetic?  Or just pure oil?