My new Peugot car has a recommended service interval(IE oil change) of 12000 miles and the petrol (gasoline) version is 20000 miles. Okay you might have to top-up between times but having to do an oil change every 3000 miles seems very old fashioned to me. The only deviation from the above remmomendations is if you do a low annual mileage then they recommend every 12 months.
My new diesel Peugot car has a recommended service interval(IE oil change) of 12000 miles and the petrol (gasoline) version is 20000 miles. Okay you might have to top-up between times but having to do an oil change every 3000 miles seems very old fashioned to me. The only deviation from the above remmomendations is if you do a low annual mileage then they recommend every 12 months.
Handy is right about the 60’s Bugs. My 1960 model had no filter, only an internal sump screen, so changing oil often was a must.
My 1962 Studebaker Hawk does not have a filter, so I change oil religiously at 2500 miles.
My 94 Dodge PU and my 96 Seville go 3-5K mi. between changes. 3k in the summer and a max of 5k in the winter. Because of the heat here in AZ I don’t want to take any chances. As someone said earlier, cheap insurance.
I also recommend using synthetic oils in the engine, transmission, and differential.
Synthetic Hydrocarbon Fluids, (SHF), provide better thermal and oxidation stability than conventional mineral oils. These products typically have higher viscosity indexes compared to mineral oils, providing lower viscosity at lower temperatures and higher viscosity at higher temperatures. SHF base oils also protect against the loss of viscosity as a result of mechanical shearing in heavily loaded gear or bearing applications.
The lower traction coefficient and high viscosity index of SHF also help reduce power consumption. Lower operating temperatures of component parts means that friction has been reduced and, therefore less power is consumed. This results in extended parts life.
Because the SHF is wax free it also provides better lubrication of bearings and gears in severe low temperature conditions.
Is the “oil life” light part of your dashboard “driver information center”? If so, you should actually be able to see the percentage of oil life that’s left, e.g., 23%. The alarm goes off (on my non-Truck GM car) at 10%, then gets annoying at 5%.
I think I’ve only changed oil twice in the car, and it’s at 20% now, with 19,000 miles, so let’s estimate with my fairly severe driving habits, the car recommends itself to be changed every 5,000 miles (that’s 20,000 miles devided by the fourth set of oil I’ll shortly put in).
Balthisar, not a good point.
Yeah, I know. I’m going to have to take another look at the odometer and the receipt book. It seems like I get the oil changed a LOT less often than every 5,000 miles. Since I also have to change the oil in another vehicle, it’s possible I over-counted the number of times I changed the Pontiac’s.
No, it’s much more low tech than that. It’s the “service engine soon” light that comes on. Same one that comes on if my gas cap isn’t sealed properly. Or there is another problem with my engine that doesn’t fall into the category of available lights. Bad design if you ask me, but obviously the manufacturer did not. My grandfather’s Cadillac actually displays a percentage like you speak of. I guess these are only in the higher end vehicles.
Know what? Most oil will continue to protect “vital engine parts” for many miles beyond 3,000.
BUT, if you want to be driving your car without any leaks or leak related performance issues, then change your oil between 3-5,000 miles. Oil DOES MORE than protect metal from rubbing. Oil cools the engine (thereby extending the life of everythingz), conditions gaskets and conditions seals.
After about 5k, even if friendly conditions, you have lost much of the conditioning power of the oil on gaskets and seals. Sure, the metal is still protected, but that’s not all you are trying to accomplish. Look for someone with a car that has about 80-90k on it, and notice if he has any leaks around the engine or under the car. If he was the type to be cheap on oil changes, he is probably fighting one of more leaks…and has a crappy driveway and poor running car to boot.
I cannot see why most European manufacturers now recommend oil change intervals of between 12k and 20k miles while in the USA 3k to 5k seem to be the norm. Why the difference?. I would think it would not be in the interest of the European manufacturers to recomend such large intervals between changes if it leads to engine damage.
One of the maine reasons for the 3K oil change reccomendation is because that’s the number that has ALWAYS been given. It’s mostly just tradition. It was valid years ago when oil blends and engine construction were less developed. These days, oils (especially synthetics) and engines are built much better, and you really don’t need to change it at 3K. 10K or once a year is probably more accurate, really. Profit for the oil companies is likely in there somewhere, but I think I’ll stay away from that can 'o worms.
It’s in the better interest of the car manufacturers to recommend longer oil change intervals. Not only does it make them look more competitive, but it may contribute to people buying cars more often if the car loses it’s power sooner. However, it takes a manufacturer to deviate from the norm for this change to take place, which is probably why recommended intervals haven’t changed in the states.
change your oil every 3000 or 3 months. it doesnt matter what you drive, how you drive, or who does it. Take it to the dealer (if you got the cash), a 10 minute oil change place (eh), or do it yourself. I’d recommend doing it yourself once, change the oil and the filter. Seeing a thick black sludge come out and a nice golden fluid go in really helps non-gearheads understand what an engine goes through. Remember the filter too, I change mine with the oil, most places say it only needs to be done once every 2 oil changes, but with high end filters going for not more than $15, and normal ones for less than $10 you’re not out much.
I can personally recommend valvoline max life for older/high milage cars. I used it in my '65 Lincoln with a Bosch filter and noticed better performance and milage. I have friends who race and they use a good synthetic like Mobil 1, a good choice if you push your car to the limits.
It would be interesting to compare what the recommended oil changes on the two main US cars imported into the UK (Jeep and Chrysler)against the same models in the USA. Anybody out there with this info?. I bet that the UK figures are higher than the US ones.
Had to do it sometime. I have been just reading for some time now, and have been impressed. The decision: to jump in or wade in. Might as well start on a topic slightly less controversial than religion or politics. Yes, Oil changes…this is where I will begin. wades in
How about synthetic oil? Anyone know if it is worth the extra money to go with synthetic vs. regular? If changing regular oil after 3000 miles is a waste then I would assume synthetic oil is simply throwing away even more money. The purpose of it, as I understand, is to allow you to go 5-6000 miles without needing a change. This is a moot point if you can go that long anyway.
I don’t think it’s a good idea for the car makers to advise you to change the oil less often than needed. Because if your car starts having trouble at a low mileage - say maybe 70,000 miles - you are not going to think highly of that company - and you may refuse to buy from them again. They certainly don’t want to lose customers for life.
To me the most important thing I look for is reliability - that’s why I have 2 Hondas. You pay more but you get a better car with less repairs - and the resale value is higher too.
Yea, you’re right. Just making WAGs.
We can argue that until the cows come home, so I’m not going to start. I’ll simply say this: I disagree that a new Honda is more reliable than a new GM (or your favorite American manufacturer).
As far as resale, I’ll never understand why it is better, maybe because of the reliability perception, but indeed resale is higher.
However if you compare recommended maintenance schedules, the Honda comes out way ahead on regularly scheduled maintenance. I found one for Honda, which is very Similar to recommended service schedule for my wife’s Saturn. However this is horrible when you compare it to a Cavalier which requires fairly little scheduled maintenance (transmission fluid change prior to 100K is the one I noticed).
Regardless, I don’t want to start a war over which one is better, because those never get anywhere, I just wanted to justify my opinion a little bit. I don’t expect you to agree with me though.
You must change the filter every time you change the oil. You don’t want the oil coming into contact with all those metal filings and crap in the filter. I used to do it myself every 3,000 miles, with a material cost of $1 a quart of oil (or less) and $5 for the filter. That came out to $9. I go now to Precision Tune and get it done for $15. For $6 it’s not worth the hassle of doing it myself, as I had to drive it up the ramps and made sure I didn’t drive it too far. Then I had to find a suitable place to dispose of the old oil. Firestone used to take it, but no longer.
Having worked in a Chevrolet Dealership Service department for 14 years, (not as a mechanic, though) I can tell you without a doubt that the “Service Engine Soon” light has nothing whatsoever to do with changing the oil. It has to do with the emission system. That is why it comes on if you don’t tighten your gas cap correctly. When it comes on, it sets a code in the onboard computer that lets the diagnosing technician know where the problem is so that it can be repaired.
My personal opinion is that General Motors should have called that light something other than Service Engine Soon. I worked as a Service Advisor/writer in the service department and I can’t begin to tell you how many times people would call to make an appointment for an oil change because that light came on.
It used to be called the “Check Engine” light. I suppose that they changed it for obvious reasons. People would see the “Check Engine” light come on and they would pull over to the side of the road and open the hood and, sure enough, there was an engine there. 
The unfortunate thing is that the way these systems work any more, it is almost completely necessary to take the vehicle back to the dealership to have it repaired since most private repair shops simply do not have the money to buy all the necessary equipment to diagnose and repair all the many brands of vehicles on the road. For instance, the handheld scanner that General Motors provides to the dealers would cost the private shop over $10,000. And that does not cover all the updates they come out with on almost a weekly basis.
Anyway, back to the subject. If the “SES” light comes on, have it doagnosed and repaired as soon as you can.
I know here in NC oil change places are required to take in used oil from anyone - that’s so it does not get dumped. That makes it easy for you to change your oil at home. I don’t know if every state requires that or not. My town will come and pick it up if I call them about it and the cost is free.
The easiest way to judge whether your oil needs changed at 3,000 miles or some time later is to look at it. If it appears black and dirty, common sense says change it. If it still looks clean, go ahead and leave it in for another 1,000 miles.
I always change mine at 3,000 because I like to check over all of my fluids (i.e. brake fluid, coolant, brake fluid, power sttering…). I also shoot the tie rod ends with grease etc. It’s better to catch a leak or a cracked belt before it becomes a problem. 3,000 isn’t just maintenance, it’s preventive maintenance.