How often you should change your oil has been a topic of debate for decades. It seems as if everyone has a different opinion. Even “experts” disagree on just how often the average person should change their oil.
Many people refer to their owner’s manuals for recommendations, but those recommendations are extremely vague. They’re more of a “one size fits all” pair of pants, and we all know that one size definitely does not fit all.
What is the correct answer? The annoying answer is: It depends. The right oil change interval for you varies on the type of driving you do and the type of oil you are using.
Why Change the Oil at All?
If you have a friend or relative who changes their own oil or if you’ve ever seen used motor oil collection and recycling centers, you might wonder why anyone bothers to change their oil to begin with. If it’s going to be recycled, why not just let the oil “recycle” inside the engine, right?
Wrong. While engine oil doesn’t technically “go bad” like cooking oil can, it does become dirty and contaminated. This causes the oil to lose efficiency over time, which means it cannot lubricate or cool the engine as it did when it was new and clean.
Then there is the problem of dirt and grit. Your car’s engine collects dust and dirt from a variety of sources, not to mention that the engine itself creates byproducts that contaminate the oil. The last thing you want is grit and dirt rubbing and grinding against your internal engine parts, wearing it out faster.
For a better understanding of why oil needs to be changed, imagine washing your clothes using the same water over and over. Imagine the dirt and sand being rubbed into the fibers and how that would wear them down over time.
Yes, the oil filter’s job is to remove most of the dirt and grit from the oil. However, the oil filter can also become saturated to the point that it stops letting oil into the filter. The dirty oil literally bypasses the filter and just continues to circulate through your engine.
(And trust us when we say not all filters are created equally. The cheap ones hit “bypass” mode hundreds or thousands of miles before the quality filters. If you’re a fan of $12.95 oil change specials, chances are, you’re getting a low-end filter every time.)
Super Cheap Insurance
The standard 3,000-mile/6-month oil change for conventional oil has been around at least since your grandfather’s time. Many people today say you can let your car go farther than 3K on conventional oil, and they are correct. Your car probably won’t die today because you changed the oil at 4,500 miles instead of at 3,000 miles. But if you do this continuously for the life of the car, it’s going to take its toll on your engine and how long it’s going to last for you.
Think of it in terms of your own health: If you have a double bacon cheeseburger with cheese fries for lunch, you’re probably not going to have weight or health problems today. But what would happen if you ate like that three times a week for the next several years? Eating healthy is like changing your oil at 3,000 miles: It’s cheap insurance.
Still not convinced? If you’re leasing a vehicle or making payments on one, you should double check your warranty and your lease agreement. Many manufacturers state that you must show that the oil has been changed at the 3K/6-month mark or you risk voiding your warranty or violating the terms of your lease.
Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All
If you read recommendations online, you will see everything from 1,000 miles to 8,000 miles between oil changes. Why the big difference in numbers?
This is because driving habits and conditions are not all the same. The 1,000-mile oil change applies to people who never drive farther than 10 miles in a trip or who never hit freeway speeds. While you might think that less mileage means less wear, when it comes to cars, the opposite is true. Not driving very far or not hitting highway speeds means that the condensation that naturally occurs in your engine never burns off, which causes the oil to break down faster.
This is why there is a mileage and time recommendation for your oil change interval. That 6-month mark applies even if you’ve only driven 500 miles. Oil breaks down after 6 months, so no matter how few miles you have driven, you’ll need to change the oil twice a year at least.
If your car is less than 2 years old and you drive at freeway speeds for more than 10 miles or even stop and go traffic for more than 10 miles, you can probably get away with changing the oil every 5,000 miles.
But live in a rural area where there are lots of fields, dust, dirt roads, etc.? Some of that dirt will make its way past your engine air filter, into your engine and your oil. Even if you drive long distances, dirt roads or dusty areas mean you should return to the 3,000/6-month standard oil change.
Synthetic Oil
If you have made the switch to synthetic oil or if your new car uses synthetic oil, you can safely change the oil every 5,000 miles. While the 6-month mark is not as critical because synthetic oil doesn’t break down the way conventional oil does, we don’t recommend driving much longer than that in between oil changes. Again, cheap insurance.
You might have seen car manufacturers’ recommendations and advertisements suggesting that you can safely change synthetic oil every 10,000 miles. From our perspective, this is an advertising ploy designed to make synthetic oil appear to be cheaper than conventional oil. We don’t recommend anyone put this many miles on any oil—synthetic or not—because it’s not worth risking engine damage. And some of the carmakers who pushed the limits on oil change intervals have paid dearly in warranty claims and negative PR when the engines began self-destructing because of problems with “oil sludge.”
Good Habits
Even if you own a new car, get in the habit of checking your oil at least once a month. If you don’t know how, ask someone to show you how or stop by My Mechanic and ask us to check it for you.
Why check the oil on a new car? Even new cars can develop problems, such as leaks. Checking your oil takes less than 5 minutes, and it can give you some real peace of mind, as well as free insurance that, if nothing else, your engine oil is full.
In Brief
Based on what we’ve seen over the years, we firmly believe that changing your oil every 3,000 miles or 6 months is still the gold standard for conventional motor oil.
For those who use synthetic oil, you can change it every 5,000 miles or at least once a year.
If you still have questions or if you would like to make an appointment to have your oil changed, the friendly staff at My Mechanic will be happy to answer all your questions or make an appointment that is convenient for you. Schedule today by calling (630) 833-6100 or scheduling online.
