I have a 2000 Saturn with almost 2000 miles on it which I purchased about 2/2/2000. I have gotten 2 reminders/ads suggesting I take it to my Saturn dealer for “pampering”. I figure I’ll wait till I hit three thousand miles. But, these notices have made me wonder which is more important, the milage or the length of time? (Not just with Saturns or other new cars, but with oil changes in general). How long can you leave a car sitting in a driveway without driving it before you need to have it checked out before starting to drive it around town regularly?
Well, sort of change of subject, but since they use a lot of synthetic oils nowadays, you can even get away with up to 5,000 miles between oil changes.
Several times I have waited after the friendly “reminder” to take the car in for a change, and usually I just wait til I hit 3500-4000 miles, regardless of the date (within reason). Just went on a trip driving about 3000 miles in two weeks, so I had almost 4000 miles between changes, but the oil was still a nice brown color, and didn’t have to add any, so I’m assuming that it was OK.
To answer your question though, I don’t know how long you can keep a car in your driveway without driving it, before you have to get it checked. Would think it would be a lot more than 3 months.
I depends on the oil. Viscera is right about the synthetics lasting longer, but there is another thing you have to worry about. Some synthetics start breaking down about 3-5 months after they’re heated above a certain temperature. My recommendation, especially with a new car would be no more the 5,000 miles or 5 months. I have 110,000 on my '98, so I change mine at 3,000 every time. I’ve never had the luxury of waiting 3 months. 
Hope this helps.
Umm, I think what is recommended is "three months or three thousand miles, whichever comes first. In which case, you are due for an oil change.
There also is a practice of getting the first oil change on a car at about 1000 miles. The idea is that when an engine is new, there are still some metal shavings and stuff that get flushed out. If you change your oil after 1000 miles (or 500, I’ve seen that recommended too) you get rid of lots of crud early, before it has a chance to do damage.
This probably made sense when engines were built to lower tolerences (sp?) but modern engines don’t really suffer from this malady. Also, the breaking period and easy driving recommendations for new cars aren’t as important for the same reasons.
Still, I did an oil change at 1000 miles on my 1997 Saturn.
Hmm, never thought of that Telemark. Good point.
However, I do wonder sometimes how much of that “3months/3000miles, whichever comes first” bit is due to advertising, and them wanting your money.
Vis
I bought my Saturn back in July 1999, and have taken in for two “pamperings”. The first time, I took it in about five months after I bought it, with 3000 miles on it, and the second time was about a month ago, in anticipation of a long road trip that would have pushed the mileage well over 6000. Just some testimony proving that my car is still in one piece.
It depends on what type of driving that you are doing as to how often you shold change the oil. lots of hard driving, stop and go, or driving through lots of dirt means sooner, ie 3000 mile changes while lots of highway travel means longer between changes. The reason that they recomend changing the oil after the first 500 miles is not because of the making of the engine it’s because the engine parts are seating. this causes a good amount of metal to flake off.
The newer oils can go much further than just 3000 miles, I personally don’t do mine but every 4000 or so and in the case of my classic mustang only twice a year or so. What happens if you drive a lot the oil becomes ascitic (sp) and does damamage to the engine as well.
It’s also well know, at least in a small community, that Iron Butt Rally http://www.ironbutt.com motorcycle riders don’t change thier oil for the entire rally which is 11000 miles in 11 days and they don’t have problems with their oil. that’s mostly highway miles though.
If you do lots of hard miles or nothing but in town driving then you should change every 3000 miles or three months, the longer distances you do on the highway, like trips don’t worry about it as much.
It isn’t just the synthetic oils, it is also the newer engines. My '94 Chrysler LHS that I bought new, recommended oil changes every 7500 miles unless driven in heavy stop-and-go traffic. I have changed it every 7500 miles with regular Pennsoil and I just turned 110,000 with it running as good as the day I bought it.
We talked about this before but someone said Consumer Reports stated that the 3000 mile thing was unneccessary; but I haven’t checked on that.
By 3000 miles, youll have probably put in two more quarts of oil. Be sure to check your oil & make sure you have enough & that they are ALWAYS putting in the same weight of oil & that they don’t put in too much oil. Some of the idiot mechanics do that.
Im with changing it at 500 miles on a new car. Why not? Its cheap to do, unless the manf says not to.