When Should You Change Your Oil?

When asked, you may hear answers such as every 3000, 5000, or 7500 miles, or when the vehicle's oil monitor indicates that this service is necessary. No wonder consumers are confused! An engine oil change is a relatively simple service, it's one of the most overlooked but vitally important part of your car’s maintenance schedule. There is a good reason for this. Nothing will shorten engine life faster than missed oil changes.

But how can you tell when you should change your oil?  Advances in technology and increased consumer awareness have created some confusion to how often this needs to happen. The problem is that there is no interval that applies to most vehicles.

The Simple Answer…

For most of us, all we need to do is follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule for oil change intervals. Their guidelines are designed to keep your car in good running condition for a long time. Where can you find your car’s service schedule for oil changes and other recommended maintenance? You can check the owner’s manual that hopefully you have kept in a handy place like your car’s glove box. Alternatively you can check the manufacturer’s website.

The Normal interval listed in the owner's manual applies to vehicles driven under ideal conditions. While you may consider your driving habits and operating conditions quite normal, read the fine print. Some exceptions to Normal driving include:

• Frequent short trips (less than 10 miles, especially during cold weather)
• Stop-and-go city traffic driving
• Driving in dusty conditions, on gravel roads, etc.
• Driving at sustained highway speeds during hot weather
• Towing use
• Diesel or turbocharged engine

These conditions commonly appear in the description of severe service driving.

Some lube shops have their own recommendations. One thing to remember is that these shops are speaking to a wide audience, addressing cars of every age, every mileage, and some with different needs. While there is no harm done by too frequent oil changes; if your car doesn’t need them, that money could be better spent on other maintenance needs.

The engine serves as the heart of your vehicle, so changing its oil based on the manufacturer's recommendation is perhaps the single most important thing that you can do to keep your vehicle's engine running longer. However, you must read these recommendations closely to determine the correct interval; the interval that matches your vehicle's operating conditions and your driving habits.

Timing is everything…

Waiting for the low oil light to come on can be the worst thing you can do to your engine. You shouldn’t see that light unless your oil level is low. Whatever amount of oil you do have left almost certainly has lost its ability to function properly. The good news is that your service schedule is written to have this service done long before disaster is on the horizon.

Putting off your oil change is not the same as putting off a trip to the grocery store or waited a couple of weeks longer between haircuts; don’t do that with oil changes. Your oil’s primary function is to cut friction. Over time, oil accumulates contaminants and loses viscosity (the ability to flow into every nook and cranny). Contaminants cause friction as parts rub together and friction wears out those parts faster. The damage caused by these conditions is largely irreversible without an engine overhaul or replacement.

Your Car May Already Know…

For a very long time the gold standard for oil changes was 3,000 to 3,500 miles. Advances in engineering to both engine mechanical parts and especially to the oil itself have extended the oil life cycle by more than double the old number. Do you use synthetic oil?  Automakers recommend it for some models. It costs a little more than regular oil, but it has had the biggest impact on oil life. The life cycle for synthetics is typically 7,000 to 10,000 miles, which is a big change from conventional oil. 

The type of driving we do also affects your oil change needs. Frequent cold starts, extreme heat, and towing, are all examples of types of driving that can shorten our oil life. Also, repeated short trips (under 4 miles) are one of the most overlooked enemies of oil life. Any of these driving conditions can create the need to shorten your service interval by 25-40 percent depending on the severity.

If your car is equipped with a maintenance reminder on the dash some the guesswork is eliminated for you. Can you trust it? For the most part, yes. In the early days of automobiles the only way we had to track our vehicle’s aging was the odometer. But miles traveled is not always a good indicator of actual use for many urban environments. With the inclusion of computers in the modern automobile we now have a way for the car to track time AND mileage. Time is important to this discussion because running time affects oil life.

But not all maintenance indicators work the same way. Some use an electronic sensor to measure the oil quality, while others use an algorithm based on driving metrics to determine life expectancy. If your car is not equipped with maintenance light or gauge, the owner’s manual should still be your guide.

Broadway Auto Import Service can give you the information you need on how often to bring you vehicle in for its oil change. Talk to us today for not only your oil change, but all your maintenance needs.

Our technicians are ASE certified and we use the latest tools and equipment when servicing your vehicle. Our mission is to provide the best service possible, knowing the greatest compliment is our customer's happiness and referrals.

Please contact us for any auto service or repair you might have.

Schedule an appointment today! Call us anytime at 503.282.0817

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