# When should you change your oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143 "2016-07-28T20:58:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/1 "2016-07-28T20:58:22Z")
If you were going to change your oil yearly, instead of by mileage (assume your yearly mileage falls below your standard oil change interval, for instance), when would you do it? Beginning of summer? Beginning of winter? Does it matter? Beginning of summer _and_ beginning of winter? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/2 "2016-07-28T21:02:30Z")
I would change mine every spring ad fall, but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/3 "2016-07-28T21:05:15Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Does it matter? No. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/4 "2016-07-28T21:05:27Z")
When the little light comes on. ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/5 "2016-07-28T21:20:02Z")
Either at the beginning of Summer or Winter depending on where you live. Change your oil at the beginning of an extreme season where you live. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/6 "2016-07-28T21:22:46Z")
I just got rid of my “spare” car because I was driving it so rarely I had to make a conscious effort to remember it was there. I changed the oil twice a year, wrapped up with my state vehicle inspection, checking the coolant, changing windshield wipers, etc. In other words, I had my car looked over twice a year, and an oil change happened to be a part of it. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/7 "2016-07-28T22:18:45Z")
Not while the car is running. Especially not at freeway speeds. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/8 "2016-07-28T22:46:58Z")
On Christmas Day. Make it part of the holiday festivities. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/9 "2016-07-28T22:51:08Z")
Spring or fall, only because the weather’s nicer. I don’t think my engines really care. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/10 "2016-07-28T22:55:15Z")
I always change my oil at the same time that I change between my winter and all season tires. I guess that would put it at November /December and end of March beginning of April. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/11 "2016-07-29T00:52:33Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > Either at the beginning of Summer or Winter depending on where you live. Change your oil at the beginning of an extreme season where you live. This if its a car. Spring and fall if its a motorcycle and if you are going to ride in cold weather (say under 40F regular) use a slightly different oil; just a little thinner. Unless its a shovelhead or earlier in which case you will leak enough to never change oil, just the weight of what kind of oil you add. Trust me – been there, done that, and have the streak from the chain oiler on several jackets. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/12 "2016-07-29T12:05:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > On Christmas Day. Make it part of the holiday festivities. “You There…! Mechanic! What Day is this…?” “To-day!” replied the mechanic. “Why, CHRISTMAS DAY.” ~I haven’t missed it. The Sensor Lights have all gone off… and in Just one night!~ “Tell me, do you know the Synthetic Oil? The one that’s Really, Really expensive…?” “I should say so… we sell it…!” “And do you know those huge windshield wiper blades, the ones with the odd name that everyone says is the best?” “What, the ones as big as me?” returned the mechanic." “Yes, good mechanic! (What a delightful tradesman!) Yes, yes, those are the ones…! Change the oil and the blades and I’ll give you a Tip! Change them in under 30 minutes, and I’ll give you Five Yelp Stars…!” …And with that, the mechanic was off like a shot… * * * Scrooge was better than his word. He repaired it all, and infinitely more; and to the Tiny Repair Shop, which did NOT die, he was a Seasonal Visitor. He became as good a patron, as good an advocate, and as good a customer, as the good old shop knew, or any other good shop in the good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. …And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep his cars running well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as the Tiny Shop’s mechanic observed, “God Bless Us, Every One…!” ~FIN~ ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/13 "2016-07-29T12:12:52Z")
That was spectacular ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-you-change-your-oil/761143/14 "2016-07-29T12:41:15Z")
Same as for gas: I wait until the tank is almost empty and then add some more.