Master Mechanics vote for 3,000-mile oil change interval
In a survey conducted by Valvoline, sixty-percent of ASE certified Master Automobile technicians questioned said that a vehicle's oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Twenty-nine percent said between 3,000-5,000 miles is acceptable and just two percent voted that between 5,000-10,000 miles is okay. This has to be one of the oldest running debates in the world of car care. The advents of synthetic motor oil and systems that monitor oil life have weakened the age-old 3,000-mile argument. Special programs like BMW Assist (pdf), for instance, enable a vehicle to notify the dealer itself when an oil change is required, 3,000 miles be damned.
While it's true that the oil in your car is its lifeblood, it's tough to take serious a survey about oil change intervals that's conducted by Valvoline. (Those mechanics surveyed also just happened to vote Valvoline their number one oil of choice.) We're pretty certain those companies selling motor oil wouldn't mind 1,500-mile oil change intervals if someone were bold enough to recommend them.
The real question is how often do you wait to change your oil? We're curious if anyone out there who has a habit of going longer than 5,000 miles has suffered severe engine problems as a result.
[Source: The Auto Channel]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
chipnauman 6:24PM (2/11/2008)
I am a former auto mechanic. The reason short trips are so bad for oil is that the water vapor and gasoline that gets into the oil never gets evaporated completely.This dilutes the oil and deteriorates its viscocity and performance. I learned in automotive school that an engine needs to be driven 14 miles to completely go through the process of warming up and evaporating any gas,water,or both out of the oil.The temp guage may say the engine is at operating temp but like food the oil has to cook awhile.
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Chris 10:05PM (3/05/2008)
My three european cars
Rover 214. Changed at 8k intervals for semi syth 10W40 - did 330,000 miles before it was stolen with no engine issues.
Ford Focus diesel, changed every 10k for fully synth diesel 5W30 - owned by a friend now with 170k on the clock and going fine
Current car is a BMW 525 diesel - it tells you when to change the oil based on driving style and measured parameters such as oil acidity - that's got 110k miles and it generally asks for a change every 6 to 8k
Now my father has a Jaguar XJ6 4.2 litre - changed every 12k miles for fully synth 10W40 and that's just rolled past 1,100,000 miles on the original engine (it has admittedly had three transmissions in that time though).
One thing that is important to note is that the European standard for oils is the ACEA which is a little more stringent and difficult to pass especially for longevity than the API standards so you are possibly not comparing like oils with like.
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ENH 8:13AM (7/13/2006)
Not to sound cynical, but mechanic get paid to change the oil, and oil companies want to sell more oil. My Honda has a 7500 mile oil change interval and I use that as a guideline. I had a wrangler I ran up to 150k+ miles, and I changed the oil every 5-6k miles. Sold it and it is still running.
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moa 8:23AM (7/13/2006)
what? 3.5k miles? on this side of the pond we have 10-20k kilometer intervals. and newer cars from mercedes or bmw have variable intervals (depending on your style of driving) with display teling you how many km you have left to service.
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Mike 8:25AM (7/13/2006)
I have a 1999 Passat. I've always changed the oil out no more than once every 7,500 miles (free maintenance for first two years I owned the car), but usually something like 10,000 miles. I went almost 18-20,000 miles between oilchanges until my last one. I always used Mobil 1 after the free maintenance period, and my car has 130,000 miles on it, and the engine is still going strong.
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Jimmy C 8:25AM (7/13/2006)
Not to sound paranoid, but I always go for the 3,000 mile rule. My car is too big of an investment to warrent putting my engine at any amount of potential risk just to save a few bucks every couple of months.
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SherbornSean 8:31AM (7/13/2006)
This just in: The National Hairdressers Alliance recommends daily hair cuts. The National Association of Realtors recommends buying a new home every 6 months and the Union of Concerned Haberdasheries urges all Americans to throw away clothing after every use.
Maybe there's a reason car manufacturers recommend maintenance intervals in the owner's manual?
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josh 8:35AM (7/13/2006)
I used to work in a lube shop. It was a Valvoline shop, and so I will probably always be a Valvoline man myself. It seems like the people who took good care of their cars alway insisted on Valvoline (or Mobil 1 synthetic). I do not see any issue with following the manufacturer's guidlines for oil change intervals. However, the way I see it, the more frequently you change your oil the better. It is the number one most important thing you can do for your car, so why not have that extra insurance. Newer cars do seem to have a lot cleaner oil after 3000 miles (sometimes even 7500) than they used to, an obvious development of better combustion chamber technology.
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David 8:35AM (7/13/2006)
I believe Consumer Reports (I think?) did a study / test a few years back on this topic. Now generally speaking, when it comes to cars, Consumer Reports isn't even on my "read" list (with the exception of reliability ratings), but in this particular case, their methodology was sound. They tested something like 100 new New York City taxi cabs, which have about the fiercest operational profile you could generate this side of tracking a car, and changed the oil every 3,000 miles on a 1/3 of them, every 6,000 miles on a 1/3 of them, and every 7,500 miles on another 1/3 of them. Then, at 100,000 miles the pulled the engines for overhaul on all 100 vehicles and took measurment calipers to all of the vital dimenstions to examine wear and tear. Bottom line was that there was no difference in wear and tear between the 3,000 mile interval engines and the 7,5000 mile engines. To me, that was a pretty solid approach. I'm sure there are others who would disagree or have other things that should have been checked. My two cents.
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Bruce 8:36AM (7/13/2006)
I don't adhere to the 3K rule but I do change oil at least twice a year. I average about 11K/year. I've been doing this for 30 years.
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HardwareGuy 8:36AM (7/13/2006)
I change the oil in my 2000 Protege about every 6-8,000 miles. The level has never been low when I've checked it and I only use full synthetic. Also my automotive inspirations the CarTalk guys recommend a 7,500 mile change interval.
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APK 8:40AM (7/13/2006)
My father puts 40k on his car a year. He has done 7-10k intervals on regular oil and filters as long as I can remember. His cars have never had any lubrication related problems over the domestics or imports. I have alwasy been told to check the oil, if it is getting dark it is time for a change.
I would assume that todays oils don't break down so it is not their lubrication qualities that make the change needed, rather the amount of particles in the oil. A good filter can extend that time. There are forums where people have claimed to have tested their oils after 20-30k and it is still fine. Take that as you will.
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Greg Smith 8:40AM (7/13/2006)
I think the manual of my 97 Ranger says 6000 miles. I routinely wait till 10K miles to change the oil, I use synthetic. I've got over 110000 miles on it and it runs as good as it did when it was new.
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Greg M 8:41AM (7/13/2006)
Oil is pretty cheap. If you use Mobil 1 I think 7500 miles is fine. Maybe 10K. Standard Mineral Oils cannot hold up especially in summer heat, and winters where there the humidity is high. Also a lot has to do with driving habits. If you just drive around town on short trips you need to change your oil much more often. Most owner manuals state something like if your normal driving distances are less than 8-10 miles per trip you need to change your oil at twice the frequency of the suggested 7500 miles per oil change. Oil is cheap relative to the cost of engines and fuel.
Changing oil more often gives you better mileage, I have heard up to 10-15% better in some cases. My rule is 3-5K miles for mineral oil 7-10K for synthetics, like Mobil 1.
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Glenn A. 8:42AM (7/13/2006)
What are these guys (at the oil change places) going to do when hydrogen fuel cell cars come along?
I guess they'll join their great-grandparents who were blacksmiths on the unemployment line, or retrain for some other work.
My car has a 5000 mile oil service interval, and that is what I go by. The manufacturer has "some idea" of the engine requirements.
I've noticed that the Europeans are going twice to three times the distance between oil changes in Europe and the UK with no bad results, and they tend to drive "harder" than we Americans - this, because they want to limit the amount of "used oil" going into the recycling system.
Makes sense to me.
I use either full synthetic (but noted no MPG increase) or semi-synthetic (it's less money and does the same job as synthetic so what the heck).
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Jonathan 8:42AM (7/13/2006)
I put synthetic oil in our A4 1.8T every 4000 miles, for a totally arbitrary reason - I split the difference between the oil recommendation (high) and my mechanics' (low). So far, no sludge.
I put conventional oil in our Jeep every three thousand per the terms of the lease agreement.
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Truckosaurus 8:45AM (7/13/2006)
As the previous correspondent says, here in Europe most cars have a 10-12k mile oil change interval, but many newer cars are switching to variable servicing plans that can go upto 2years or 20k miles between oil changes.
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John L 8:45AM (7/13/2006)
If you check your oil on a regular basis, you can tell the condition of the oil. If it is dark and it has been 3000 miles, change it. If it still looks good I wait until 5000 on my Toyotas which have a 7500 interval unless dirty conditions.
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James Sonne 8:50AM (7/13/2006)
I always just check to see if my oil is dirty enough to make me want to change it. Which means it usually gets changed every 3,000 miles. Mobile 1 Synthetic. I take good care of my car. I take good care of everything. Why shouldn't I?
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Netwrkr 8:54AM (7/13/2006)
My mother-in-law has the oil changed in her Blazer every 3000 miles like clock work. It's 14 years old and still running strong!
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