How often should you change the oil?

Answer 1

Follow the manufactures recomendations. For even more information, a small sample of your engine oil can be sent to a lab that specializes in oil analysis. Try blackstone labs.

Answeroil changesYOU SHOULD CHANGE YOUR OIL EVERY 3 THOUSAND MILES AnswerGenerally the owners manual will give you a service schedule for your vehicle. Typically somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 miles. If you use synthetic oil you can go significantly longer.

Answer:

I totally disagree with the above answer. If 3,000 miles is good then why not change it at 2,000 or even 1,000 miles, which according to that way of thinking, would be even better. Secondly, you can hurt a few things by following advice that was applicable in the 1950s up to the 1980s, but is poor advice today. You will hurt your wallet by spending money on oil changes that are a waste of oil and money. You also hurt the environment by wasting oil. The 3,000 mile oil change is only recommended today by people making money off these or by people living in the past. Modern oils, and filters and the use of unleaded fuel, have made the 3,000 mile oil change all but obsolete. Change your oil according to the recommendations of the manufacture of your vehicle. I know for a fact they know way more about this than a novice. Follow the severe schedule if you are uncomfortable following the normal schedule.

If you drive 10 to 20 thousand miles a year, every 5000 miles as generally recommended by the manufacturer. If you drive less than 10 thousand miles a year, change the oil about every 3000 miles. It's not just how many miles you drive but how often you start the car and how dusty are the roads.

I disagree somewhat with the above answer. The 3,000 mile oil change made sense decades ago but with modern oils and filters it is a waste of money and oil. It still may apply if you drive in very dusty conditions or nothing but stop and go driving and or very short trips of less than 5 miles. Otherwise 5,000 miles is a good choice which lots of manufactures consider their severe recommendation. My advice is to follow the manufactures recommendations.
3000 to 4000 miles for conventional oil and 5000 to 7000 miles for full synthetic oil

May I add the above answer. Look in your owner's manual and see what the manufacture recommends. You will more than likely see from 5,000 to 10,000 miles with conventional oil on cars built in the last 10 years. For instance on my 2004 Honda Accord V6 they recommend 10,000 miles under normal conditions. I personally use conventional oil, drive 50-50 city/highway and change my oil/filter every 5,000 miles. I use a quality Purolator Pure One filter and Pennzoil SAE 5W20 oil. The 3,000 mile oil change is a waste of oil & money on modern cars. It was good advice 20 years ago but not today. So read your owner's manual and see what the manufacture recommends and based on how and where you drive, type of oil you use, and determine what is right for your vehicle.
Although most car manufactures state emphatically that 5,000 to 7,500 miles should be driven before having the oil changed, I have always changed my oil and filter every 3,000 miles. In my opinion, waiting any longer than that is just asking for trouble ... all my cars have remained mechanically sound for 100's of thousands of miles without any rebuilds or teardowns. Yes, it costs more for routine maintenance, but it's much better for the engine and you may reap the benefits of doing this years down the line.

Another opinion. The 3,000 mile oil change was a necessity in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even in the early 90s. But today changing your oil/filter every 3,000 miles is a total waste of money and Natural Resources as you are just throwing away good oil. Some people remain attached to the 3,000 mile oil change and always say the same thing. Changing it every 3,000 must be better than changing it every 5,000. If that is the case then every 2,000 or 1,000 would be even better. Modern oil and filters are so much better than they were years ago that it is foolish to waste your money on a 3,000 mile oil change. Manufactures warranty their engines much longer than they did in the past so rest assured they would not recommend 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile oil change intervals if they thought there was a chance it would damage the engine they would have to replace. If you are a skeptic and hung in the 50s, you can send your engine oil to be analyzed. Blackstone Laboratories in Fort Wayne, Ind, will send you a free kit for oil and you send it back with $25 for an analysis. My advice is to follow the recommendations as listed in your owners manual and ignore anyone who tells you the 3,000 mile oil change is still needed. I change mine every 5,000 miles as recommended in my owners manual and I have over 200,000 mile on my 1999 Toyota with not one engine problem. It still runs like new.

Kinda depends on vehicle but rule of thumb is every 3 months or 3000 miles

Another opinion.The 3,000 mile oil change was a necessity in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even in the early 90s. But today changing your oil/filter every 3,000 miles is a total waste of money and natural resources as you are just throwing away good oil. Some people remain attached to the 3,000 mile oil change and always say the same thing. Changing it every 3,000 must be better than changing it every 5,000. If that is the case then every 2,000 or 1,000 would be even better. Modern oil and filters are so much better than they were years ago that it is foolish to waste your money on a 3,000 mile oil change. Manufactures warranty their engines much longer than they did in the past so rest assured they would not recommend 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile oil change intervals if they thought there was a chance it would damage the engine they would have to replace. If you are a skeptic and hung in the 50s, you can send your engine oil to be analyzed. Blackstone Laboratories in Fort Wayne, Ind, will send you a free kit for oil and you send it back with $25 for an analysis. My advice is to follow the recommendations as listed in your owners manual and ignore anyone who tells you the 3,000 mile oil change is still needed. I change mine every 5,000 miles as recommended in my owners manual and I have over 200,000 mile on my 1999 Toyota with not one engine problem. It still runs like new.

Depending on your driving condtions. Severe dusty/dirty sustained high speed extensive stop and go probably every 3000 miles If these conditions don't apply, you can safely go above 5000 miles, but check oil level regularly You can also use synthetic motor oil, which has a much greater life expectancy than traditional dino oil. You could easily change oil every 6000 miles using synthetic. There are oil analysis kits available on the internet, you can get one, which consists of a paper test strip and a sample to mail into the lab. Usually this is used by diesel truckers to gauge their oil. The REAL answer: 5000 for those listed under the above 3000 mile category or 7500 miles. 3000 miles was established back in the 1960s and hasn't been updated because it helps create profit for the people who sell oil or do oil changes. To be most accurate check your owners manual

Answer

It is recommend that you change the oil at every 5000 miles. Some people live by the 3000 miles theory. Some newer vehicle are even recommended at every 7500 miles, but I think that is really pushing the oil. I change mine at 5000 miles and I also use synthetic oil, but that is a personal preference also.

oil change

It depends on the vehicle, some recommend every 3000 miles.