How Often Should I Change My Oil?

Conventional wisdom says that the oil should be changed every 3,000 miles, whether the car has been driven hard or not. Most modern grocery-go-getters have engines that only need an oil change every 10,000 miles, as per manufacturer suggestion.

I suggest the 3,000 mile interval for a couple of reasons: Oil changes are cheap and it certainly won’t hurt your car; it also gives you an opportunity to catch up on any routine maintenance you might otherwise put-off. (In a possibly oil industry-biased story, most mechanics tend to agree.)

There are a few exceptions to that rule, though. When you first purchase your car it may take longer for the seals to set, a process that can take up to 10,000 miles for added “conditioners” to soak in. I’d err on manufacturer’s advice there and wait before starting your 3,000-mile-interval changes.

The other exception is if you own a vehicle that can monitor internal oil quality, such as a modern BMW. There’s a thought that you should change the oil regularly anyway, especially if you’re pushing your car hard, but I’ll trust BMW’s engineers on this one. Note that I’m talking about cars that actually are checking oil quality with special sensors, not cars that have an odometer-tripped “change oil” light.

Synthetic or regular oil? If you’ve got a performance vehicle, consider synthetic. It has been shown that synthetic oils like Mobile 1 protect better and longer, but if you’re just driving a regular car it’s not going to add any performance; your engine isn’t working hard enough to need anything special.

How to change your oil? Well, it’s pretty easy and a good skill to have, but I’d suggest finding a local quick-lube shop and just paying them the $30. Sure, it’s cheaper to change your oil at home, but it’s messy and a pain to properly dispose of the oil. Better you stop by your quick-lube shop, slurp a cup of day-old coffee and just have it taken care of, than loaf around and never get it done.