Follow These Recommendations
There are certain responsibilities inherent with car ownership. One of those is to ensure your oil is changed as often as necessary to keep your vehicle in good working condition and keep from voiding your car’s warranty. Here’s what you need to know about when to get an oil change.
Various Recommendations
You’ve probably heard that you should change your oil every 3,000 miles or every three months (depending on which comes first). However, most experts agree that this is an outdated recommendation that isn’t necessarily applicable to all situations. Now, most are recommending one of the four oil change intervals:
- Every six months or 1,000 miles
- Every 3,000 miles
- Every 5,000 – 7,500 miles
- Every six months or 10,000 – 7,500 miles
There are different circumstances for each recommended interval. Here’s what you should know about each.
Every Six Months or 1,000 Miles
In rare circumstances, your driving habits might warrant oil changes every 1,000 miles or six months. For example, if your typical trip is just 10 miles or less, you may want to change your oil more often because your engine isn’t getting warm enough to boil off accumulated condensation. Because of this, your oil may break down faster than it would if you normally drove more miles at a time.
Every 3,000 Miles
Some experts still recommend the standard 3,000-mile intervals for older-model cars. If your car is older and recommends this frequency for oil changes, it is best to follow the recommendation – especially if you don’t want to void any warranties.
Every 5,000 – 7,5000 Miles
For newer cars, some manufacturers recommend extending oil changes to every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. This is what’s recommend in the owner’s manuals for most newer cars.
Every Six Months or 10,000 – 7,500 Miles
If your car takes synthetic oil, you could potentially go 10,000 miles or even more between oil changes. Even if your car currently takes regular oil, you could upgrade to synthetic oil to enjoy better performance.
Learn When To Change Oil
Still confused about how often your vehicle needs an oil change? We’d love to clear things up for you. Bring your vehicle by Alpine Automotive in Lake Zurich, Illinois, and we’ll take a look at your car to determine how often oil changes should be conducted. You can also schedule your appointment online at your convenience.