How often do you change your car's oil?

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mikefixac
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How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by mikefixac »

Honestly, I was surprised by the thread about washing cars and it seemed most hardly washed their cars at all.

So I was wondering, how often do you change your car's oil?

I'm not very good at keeping records but I'd say at least once per year and usually around 5K to 10K miles.

If I find most never change their oil, my next post will be "How often do you bathe?". :sharebeer
tomd37
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by tomd37 »

We only drive each of our two cars 5,000 miles per year and change oil and filter in each once a year.
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pennstater2005
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by pennstater2005 »

Every 5,000 miles. Give or take.
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westcoast
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by westcoast »

Every 3000 miles
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cheese_breath
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by cheese_breath »

Every 4,000-5,000 miles. This is less than the manufacturer's recommendations, but after a couple bad experiences following their recommendations I figure being a little on the safe side is worth a few extra bucks per year.
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jdb
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by jdb »

Never. A Tesla electric car has no oil (or engine for that matter). :happy But I do wash it by hand once a week.
Last edited by jdb on Thu Oct 23, 2014 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
davebarnes
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18 months

Post by davebarnes »

2007 Audi A3
4500 miles per year
$78 per oil change with fancy VW oil
every 18 months
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livesoft
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by livesoft »

How about continually? I just add some oil every couple of years when I see enough has leaked out.
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cheese_breath
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by cheese_breath »

livesoft wrote:How about continually? I just add some oil every couple of years when I see enough has leaked out.
Reminds me of a beater I had a long time ago. Every gas station stop, top off the gas and top off the oil. Oil was cheap then, and I carried a 2 gallon can of the cheapest I could find in the trunk.
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Ged
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Ged »

Once a year. Like most retired people I'm around 5K miles a year.

The manufacturer doesn't give a mileage recommendation - just change it when the computer tells you to. Usually I'm around 60% remaining life when I change the oil.

Letting it go more than a year makes me nervous. Plus I like to let the dealer run his diagnostics on it occasionally.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by flyingaway »

I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
galectin
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by galectin »

Between 5000 and 6000 miles.
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BigFoot48
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by BigFoot48 »

My C-Max Energi requires it changed every 2 years or 20,000 miles, or when the service message appears. Looks like it will be 2 years. Dip stick is still at the same level after 11,000 miles.

But in my previous ICE vehicles I used Mobil 1 and changed every 5,000-8,000 or so.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by digarei »

2006 Scion xA
7000 miles per year

Taken to the neaby Quality Tune-Up shop when the MAINT dash indicator light comes on. This corresponds roughly to the Toyota manufacturer's recommended interval. During the first couple of years of ownership, I washed and hand-waxed the car every month but stretched out oil changes to the number of miles documented in the owner's manual. Now, I do the opposite... more oil changes and twice a year detailing.
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FrugalInvestor
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by FrugalInvestor »

In my daily driver when the computer tells me it's time, although I use fully synthetic oil which is not required and that should last considerably longer.

In my 'fun' car that I only drive about 5,000 miles per year I change it once per year.
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maroon
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by maroon »

Every 3,750 miles - the "severe" schedule - 'cause it's free at the dealership.
jbuzolich
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by jbuzolich »

Honda civic between 5000 to 8000 miles per change
killjoy2012
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by killjoy2012 »

Daily driver: 2x per year, ~15k miles per oil change, using a group IV PAO oil rated for 25k mile service intervals.
Fun car: Mobil 1 1x per year, ~2k miles.
nordsteve
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by nordsteve »

5000, which is shorter than the service interval but easier to remember.
Carson
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Carson »

VW diesel, every 7k miles. Manufacturer recommends 10k miles, which seems nutty.
FreddieG
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by FreddieG »

killjoy2012 wrote:Daily driver: 2x per year, ~15k miles per oil change, using a group IV PAO oil rated for 25k mile service intervals.
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Traveller
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Traveller »

Every 10k miles, just like the owners manual suggests.
Rodc
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Rodc »

cheese_breath wrote:Every 4,000-5,000 miles. This is less than the manufacturer's recommendations, but after a couple bad experiences following their recommendations I figure being a little on the safe side is worth a few extra bucks per year.
About the same for us.

More often than the cars get washed. :happy
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tigermilk
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by tigermilk »

2007 Toyota Matrix - every 5000 miles with regular oil
1998 BMW M3 - every 12 months (tends to be 4000-7000 miles) with synthetic
1978 Ferrari 308 GTB - been too long (only gets 500-1000 miles a year)
saladdin
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by saladdin »

7500- as the book says.

Had a 96 saturn, went between 30-40k between official changes.

My experience is that people are still stuck on the 3k interval even though most newer cars are 7500. I know people who change synth every 3k, people are weird.
saladdin
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by saladdin »

Oh, and I'm a "never wash the car" vote. Washing a car and oil changes are completely different things. Washing a car is a waste of time in my book.
J295
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by J295 »

Every 6,000 miles with synthetic oil.
TheOscarGuy
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by TheOscarGuy »

Every 5K (the one running synthetic). Mileage on it is around 9K.
Every 3K (the one running normal). Mileage on it is around 97K.


BTW OP there should be a poll on top :D
crg11
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by crg11 »

I do 3,000 miles for my 2009 Hyundai Elantra because I put low miles on it per year (~6,000) and it is mostly very stop/go city driving.

We do 3,750 miles (manufacturer recommendation) for my wife's 2011 Subaru Legacy.
hudson
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by hudson »

I follow the owner's manual...but after viewing the CalRecycle website, I may not worry when I run over....
http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/OilChange/ (One can lookup recommendations for most vehicles.)

10K Full Sized Pickup...Synthetic
7.5K Small Pickup Regular Oil
5K Crossover SUV Regular Oil

Great discussion...I learned something new!
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Toons
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Toons »

Once a year or whenever the maintenance minder in the Hondas alerts me,,,its usually between 8-10k for Crv and Fit. :happy
Recently purchased Sprinter 2500 diesel ,once a year or every 15k :happy
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Chip Spoons
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Chip Spoons »

TheOscarGuy wrote:Every 5K (the one running synthetic).
Every 3K (the one running normal).
+1 (mostly)

Both are recommended intervals (may press a few hundred miles).
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Every 3-4 months for my car with dino oil.
Wife's car - every 5K in mileage - also dino oil.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by spectec »

Every 3,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
Sometimes I'll let it slip a little, but never past 5,000 miles / 4 months.

The oil change is only a part of the process - My trusted mechanic also checks all fluids, belts, tire pressures, etc. He alerts me to any any potential problems so I can plan for them ahead of time.
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jasc15
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by jasc15 »

My owner's manual recommends a synthetic oil change every 7500 miles. I changed it 5000 miles after buying it (used) since I wasn't sure if the dealer used synthetic or not. I plan on sticking to the 7500 mile interval for the future.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Crow Hunter »

Every ~5000 miles or earlier if the oil looks especially dirty using non-synthetic. I have been known to go longer if the oil looks fairly clean. Years ago I used to just change it when it didn't really look like oil anymore. :D

Personally, I think in most modern engines you are going to break something else long before you damage anything via not changing the oil. The biggest advantage with changing the oil is that it keeps you from letting it run out of oil, which would be a really bad thing.

I heard of a study by the military where they never changed the oil in a select group of HUMVEES and only added oil when it was low. IIRC there was no statistical difference in engine replacement time.
flyingaway wrote:I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
Technically the engine is cooled via the radiator. :wink:

The oil is there for lubrication of all the rotating and sliding bits.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Mike Scott »

Depends on the recommended mileage and type of oil and type of driving. I used to have an old truck that needed a quart of oil with every tank of gas and it still got changed a couple of times a year. Newer cars with synthetic oil and more effective filters can go many miles between changes. I don't wash my cars or fix dings etc but I do very careful maintenance on the important stuff that keeps it running longer as well as rotating tires for longer life.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by mhc »

When I get around to it. Usually once and maybe twice a year. I only put 6,000 miles/yr on the car.
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Mingus
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Mingus »

flyingaway wrote:I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
Say what??? :shock:
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TheTimeLord
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by TheTimeLord »

pennstater2005 wrote:Every 5,000 miles. Give or take.
Same and the dealer washes the car while its there.
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Raladic
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Raladic »

Whenever the car tells me to (Honda Civic has a computer that measures oil and everything else and will spit out a code of which type of change is required).
So far its been around 5000 miles/once a year.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by MathWizard »

3-5 K, with non-synthetic oil but at least once a year, preferably no more than 6 months.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by TheOscarGuy »

Mingus wrote:
flyingaway wrote:I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
Say what??? :shock:
:D
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by cfs »

From my side of the keyboard.

It is pay me a few bucks now or pay me a lot of bucks later. For my truck it is every 5,000 miles and I never miss the scheduled maintenance. Oh by the way, check my brakes and rotate my tires, all every 5,000 miles. After almost 100,000 miles my baby is still running like new. Not taking a chance on paying a lot of bucks later.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by jimb_fromATL »

livesoft wrote:How about continually? I just add some oil every couple of years when I see enough has leaked out.
If you're serious, that's a bad and potentially very costly idea. Don't do that.

To put this topic in perspective for a money talk forum; if you want to put your transportation budget money to its best use by NOT having to repair and replace a car more often than necessary, the cheapest investment with the most return for the money in the long term is to change the oil and filter regularly.

I've been a shade-tree mechanic (with Paulownia tree endorsement) for over 50 years. I've rebuilt a number of engines in my younger days, and bought, sold, and horse-traded a number of vehicles. In all that time, the one thing I've seen most in common in vehicles that have gone the longest with the least major engine trouble is regular and frequent oil and filter changes. (Typically every 3000 to 5000 miles.)

Changing the oil removes chemical contaminates and moisture in the oil that cause rust and corrosion -- and wear. It also replaces additives that are included in the oil such as detergents that prevent sludging; corrosion inhibitors; and oil seal conditioners, all of which wear out with heat and age.

The oil filter traps solid contaminants from combustion and metal particles from normal wear that would cause more wear from friction and restrict oil flow if they're not removed. Since the oil filter traps the dirt, if it’s not changed often enough a clogged filter may not let enough oil flow through and can cause catastrophic engine damage. Some oil filters may have a bypass that prevents it from totally restricting the oil flow if it’s clogged, but that allows the particles to be circulated in the oil where they'll cause even more wear.

Contrary to what some folks think and even some websites say, the older a car is and the less it's driven, the more important it is to change the oil and filter frequently.

When an engine and the oil are up to operating temperature, the wearing parts are separated by a thin cushion of oil. So most of the wear on bearings occurs upon startup when the engine is cold and there's no oil pressure, which allows metal-to-metal contact between moving bearing surfaces. Plus, various metals, seals, and gasket materials in the engines,,transmission and peripherals expand and contract at different rates, and are mated best for the least wear and the best sealing when they’re all up to the designed operating temperature.

If a vehicle is driven in short hops without many long trips of perhaps at least a half hour or more, even worse. Short hops don't let the engine heat up to operating temperature long enough to evaporate all the moisture from condensation or fuel leak-down that can cause more corrosion and sludge buildup.

Higher mileage engines will eventually be more susceptible to sludge build up from wear particles and combustion byproducts getting into the oil. That will both increase the wear and possibly reduce lubrication to vital parts such as the valve train, crankshaft and camshaft lobes, wrist pins, crankshaft and connecting rod bearings; and may reduce splash lubrication for the cylinder walls and piston rings. All the more reason that older engines need clean oil and filter and the fresher additives that are included in the oil.

Incidentally, vehicles that are driven for many hours on long trips: trucks; taxis; delivery vehicles; police cars, etc that almost never have the engine turned off can go much longer without having the oil changed --and will normally last longer-- because there are not as many start-ups with metal-to-metal contact; the oil is flowing better; the expansion and contraction of various metal parts have equalized; and liquid contaminates are evaporated.

Just in case I haven't made it clear enough: changing the oil and filter regularly gives you a great return for the money.

jimb
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by bhsince87 »

10k miles or once a year, whichever comes first. I always use synthetic though.

My miles are "easy" miles too, so that's a factor.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Ged »

Crow Hunter wrote: I heard of a study by the military where they never changed the oil in a select group of HUMVEES and only added oil when it was low. IIRC there was no statistical difference in engine replacement time.
My anecdote is that I have a friend with a Isuzu Trooper who destroyed his engine at 50K miles by being sloppy with oil changes. It wasn't engine wear but rather sludge buildup preventing proper circulation of oil in the engine that was the killer.
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serbeer
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by serbeer »

When my car's computer tell me to do that. I believe it calculates it both on milage, time, and usage.
When I had less advanced car, I followed manufacturer's suggestion in car service manual and changed oil every 7,500K miles.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by rec7 »

Crow Hunter wrote:Every ~5000 miles or earlier if the oil looks especially dirty using non-synthetic. I have been known to go longer if the oil looks fairly clean. Years ago I used to just change it when it didn't really look like oil anymore. :D

Personally, I think in most modern engines you are going to break something else long before you damage anything via not changing the oil. The biggest advantage with changing the oil is that it keeps you from letting it run out of oil, which would be a really bad thing.

I heard of a study by the military where they never changed the oil in a select group of HUMVEES and only added oil when it was low. IIRC there was no statistical difference in engine replacement time.
flyingaway wrote:I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
Technically the engine is cooled via the radiator. :wink:

The oil is there for lubrication of all the rotating and sliding bits.
I read the oil does 40% of the cooling so I keep it full.
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Re: How often do you change your car's oil?

Post by Kosmo »

Every 5000 miles like the manual says, give or take a few hundred.
Crow Hunter wrote:
flyingaway wrote:I doubled the amount of recommended time and miles. I think the only purpose of the oil is to cool down the engine, which does not need new oil.
Technically the engine is cooled via the radiator. :wink:

The oil is there for lubrication of all the rotating and sliding bits.
Actually the engine is used to heat up the oil. It's less viscous at higher temperatures, so less friction on all those rotating and sliding bits.

Side/follow up question: Anyone live in such cold climates that you have to change oil types in winter (like 10W30 to 5W30)?
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