# Oil change every 3000 miles still necessary? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387 "2018-08-10T14:05:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/1 "2018-08-10T14:05:41Z")
Been driving my new Subaru a lot more than I used to drive. It’s hitting 3000 miles every couple of months these days. It’s getting synthetic oil, its got about 13000 on it. Do I really still need to change the oil at 3000 miles? What say you. good Dopers? Thanking you. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/2 "2018-08-10T14:16:29Z")
No. Read the manual. The 3000 mile interval went away some time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/3 "2018-08-10T14:34:32Z")
Don’t think the 3,000 mile interval was ever necessary, which I base mostly on the Consumer Reports study of taxicabs many years back, comparing oil changes at 6,000 vs 3,000 miles. One of your better studies, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/4 "2018-08-10T14:35:00Z")
2013 Wrangler, started off doing 5k intervals - once I switched to synthetic at 50k I changed to a 10k interval. At 170k+ now and running perfectly - alls I’ve done is swapped the plugs once. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/5 "2018-08-10T15:00:46Z")
do what the manual says. even under “severe service” (i.e. the way most people use their vehicles) the recommended interval can be anywhere from 5,000-10,000 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/6 "2018-08-10T15:24:33Z")
Thanks, all. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/7 "2018-08-10T15:34:41Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Been driving my new Subaru a lot more than I used to drive. It’s hitting 3000 miles every couple of months these days. It’s getting synthetic oil, its got about 13000 on it. Do I really still need to change the oil at 3000 miles? What say you. good Dopers? Thanking you. Synthetic Oil should be good for annual/10,000 miles changes. My Prius ran up to 90k with no issues as most do on this schedule. _Now my daughter has it_. There is a lot on the internet about this and most agree synthetics give you 10k range safely. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/8 "2018-08-10T16:50:09Z")
It was never necessary. It’s propaganda from Jiffy Lube. Go by your owner’s manual ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/9 "2018-08-10T17:35:43Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > It was never necessary. It’s propaganda from Jiffy Lube. Go by your owner’s manual Last time I was at Jiffy Lube, they asked me when I wanted to schedule my next change and printed me out a sticker based on that. When I went to Valvoline, they were pressing me to do a synthetic oil change every 3k. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/10 "2018-08-10T17:40:51Z")
Oil changes on my 2010 Honda Fit aren’t based on mileage (at least not directly). There is a display on the dash of “engine oil life”. The display starts at 100% and gradually goes to zero. I’ve had the oil changed at 10-15%. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/11 "2018-08-10T18:44:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Oil changes on my 2010 Honda Fit aren’t based on mileage (at least not directly). There is a display on the dash of “engine oil life”. The display starts at 100% and gradually goes to zero. I’ve had the oil changed at 10-15%. that’s what I did when I had my 2012 Mustang. with my usage, it tended to align pretty well with the manual’s recommended 7.5-10k interval. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/12 "2018-08-10T18:56:42Z")
My car says 7500 miles, which is about every 6 months. Some people do synthetic and only change it once a year. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/13 "2018-08-10T19:38:54Z")
On a related note, what about us folks who drive very little. Does oil deteriorate sitting in the oil pan? I drive less than 1k a year. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/14 "2018-08-10T20:31:22Z")
This hasn’t been true for _decades_. My 1999 recommended 5000, just standard 5W30. With synthetic, you can usually go longer. RTFM. Many manufacturers do have 2 schedules, one for regular drivers and a more frequent one for people who do rougher driving. But even in that case, the numbers are probably something like 7500 and 5000, and never approach 3000. > [@pohjonen](#): > > On a related note, what about us folks who drive very little. Does oil deteriorate sitting in the oil pan? I drive less than 1k a year. The schedules are usually something like “7500 miles OR 12 months, whichever comes first” It is much better to drive those 1000 miles spread out over the year than to drive them once and then let the car sit for months. Give it a good drive, and not just down to the mailbox, every couple weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/15 "2018-08-10T20:52:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Oil changes on my 2010 Honda Fit aren’t based on mileage (at least not directly). There is a display on the dash of “engine oil life”. The display starts at 100% and gradually goes to zero. I’ve had the oil changed at 10-15%. Have you ever noticed whether the engine oil life scales exactly with mileage or not? Wife has a Honda CR-V with an oil life monitor, and it does scale exactly with mileage. A more sophisticated model of oil life would consider the number of cold-starts; 1200 5-mile trips is a lot harder on the oil than 60 100-mile trips. And yes, echoing what others here have said: the most relevant information for a person’s car is contained in the owner’s manual, and it’s usually on the order of 6000-7000 miles between changes, or something less if you do a lot of short trips. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/16 "2018-08-10T20:57:33Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Synthetic Oil should be good for annual/10,000 miles changes. Would having a turbo change this number? (I believe the turbo bearings are lubricated and cooled by the engine oil, so I am wondering if it’s more “crucial” to make sure the oil is extra clean.) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/17 "2018-08-10T22:46:08Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Oil changes on my 2010 Honda Fit aren’t based on mileage (at least not directly). There is a display on the dash of “engine oil life”. The display starts at 100% and gradually goes to zero. I’ve had the oil changed at 10-15%. > > Have you ever noticed whether the engine oil life scales exactly with mileage or not? Wife has a Honda CR-V with an oil life monitor, and it does scale exactly with mileage. A more sophisticated model of oil life would consider the number of cold-starts; 1200 5-mile trips is a lot harder on the oil than 60 100-mile trips. > > And yes, echoing what others here have said: the most relevant information for a person’s car is contained in the owner’s manual, and it’s usually on the order of 6000-7000 miles between changes, or something less if you do a lot of short trips. To be honest, I have not tracked how the oil life scales with mileage. And most of my trips are really short (under three miles one way), so it would be interesting to know if it adjusts for that. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/18 "2018-08-10T22:50:01Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Would having a turbo change this number? > > (I believe the turbo bearings are lubricated and cooled by the engine oil, so I am wondering if it’s more “crucial” to make sure the oil is extra clean.) I never looked into that, but you can try googling for a bit, I’m sure the motorheads have beat that up also. There is so much out there on cars, it beats the hell out of when I was a teen with a Chiltons. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/19 "2018-08-10T23:05:48Z")
I used to change my Subie’s oil every 10K with full synthetic, has over 300,000 miles on it and the engine is original and great. Quite ironically the 3month/3000 mile change interval got me to that 10K change interval. Since I was driving about 40,000 miles a year, change the oil every 3 months meant every 10K. So I got used to that, and it was easy to see on the odometer when it was due. However Subies do sip oil, so you have to check the oil level and will most likely have to add a qt or 2 during this time. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387/20 "2018-08-10T23:25:31Z")
Take it from the owner of a car whose engine once seized up, it doesn’t hurt to be conservative. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-change-every-3000-miles-still-necessary/819387.md?page=2)