The 3,000 mi oil change myth

[Buck]

"It’s been a misconception for years that engine oil should be changed every 3000 miles, even though most auto manufacturers now recommend oil changes at 5,000, 7,000, or even 10,000 mile intervals under normal driving conditions.( read highway driving NOT city stop n go & short trip!! )

Greatly improved oils, including synthetic oils, coupled with better engines mean longer spans between oil changes without harming an engine. The 3000 mile interval is a carryover from days when engines used single-grade, non-detergent oils."

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/586/the-3000-mile-oil-change-myth

[kberg]

I would not say that it is a myth. It really depends on what you drive and how you drive it. Anything with a carb should probably have the oil changed every 3000 miles as the fuel mixture can be not quite as accurate as the newer fuel injection system and this can pollute your oil sooner. I think if you are just running regular dino oil not synthetic and doing short trips or stop and go driving then 3000 miles is needed but then again this should be something that everyone should monitor as to there own driving not be following a mileage recommendation anyways.

[chrisser]

My last few GM cars have had their oil change indicators. I like them and use them - takes a lot of the guesswork out.

As the article mentions peripherally, you don't change oil because the oil wears out - you primarily change oil because it gets contaminated with the byproducts of combusion, and secondarily because it gets depleted of additives.

I'd like to see a more sophisticated system of onboard oil treatment than paper cartridge filters. Better filtration could take care of a good chunk of the particulate contaminants, but then you're left with things like fuel contamination, which can't simply be filtered out. The additive depletion could be dealt with by supplementation.

But, the fact of the matter is, oil is cheap and so are paper filters. The potential damage from not changing oil is very expensive. The most cost-effective course of action is to change the oil and filter regularly, as has been done for the better part of a century.
As long as the old oil goes to a recycling center, I don't see what the problem is - there are much larger problems than worrying about people changing their oil too frequently.

Worst case with changing oil too frequently - the cars last longer, which keeps all those parts out of junkyards and landfills. Seems like a little extra oil in the recycling loop is preferable to more cars dying untimely deaths.

[walls0stone]

Not only do I change every month. I drive and haul lots of loads.. backhoe, bulldozers, and loads of stone..and I travel a lot. I notice that my new garage is a realy caring person. He looks for trouble... rottates the tires and hooks onto the computer system. All for $25.

So I don't thinks it's as much about oil as it is taking the time to look at your investment.

[MadTripper]

Timely as I just changed my wife's car over to synthetic this morning and replaced my oil filter on my vehicle. The following site is well worth your time regarding the topic at hand.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/


I agree with walls in that preventative maintenance is key. I am new to synthetic however I stick with Mobil 1 oil, 0W40 in my Landcruiser and 10W30 in the wife's Suby. The oil is good for 15000 miles but I continue to change filters at 3000 or so. The key to synthetics is that they don't break down like traditional oils so as long as you keep them filtered, they last quite a while. Pricewise, they aren't cheap. I spent about $120.00 for two vehicles yesterday but again, I'm not changing every 3000 so the price works out in the long run.

Tripper

[kleven626]

I run Amsoil in all my stuff. It is a 25,000 mile oil. or once a year. I have 145,000 on my car and it runs like a champ. When I change oil the old stuff looks just as good as the new stuff. If you go to the web site you will see that truck drivers are putting 100,000 miles on a single oil change. Vehicles start a lot easier in the winter and it is cheaper if you add up all the oil changes you would do in a year vs. once a year. www.amsoil.com Good stuff.

[CatherineID]

Let's see, I've been driving for about 35 years and owned/maintained my own vehicles for about 30. I tend to buy brand new vehicles (I know, not frugal, but that's what works for me) and keep them 10 years or more.

My first vehicle was a mini-pick-up. I changed the regular oil every 7500 miles. When it got to 100,000 miles it blew a heat gasket. Okay, the head gasket was originally a recall repair but I never got it done. I paid the price at 100K. Oh well. I got that repaired and the mechanic exclaimed, "Wow, this engine is perfect! Very clean (yeah it had radiator fluid washing the insides!) and like brand new. You much take excellent care of this baby." Well, no. He never gave any indication that he realized I changed the oil every 7500 miles, when I could afford it, and it went longer when I was eating nothing but ramein noodles. That truck went on to go over 300,000 miles when I finally lost track of it.

Next new vehicle, I still own. It is also over 100,000. It doesn't get driven much anymore so we change the oil twice a year whether it needs it or not. ;D

Current heavily driven vehicle is a 2004 Honda Odyssey minivan. It has an indicator light on it when the oil needs to be changed. Sure enough, that light goes off around every 7500 miles. However, in that vehicle I've only used synthetic so sometimes I'll stretch it.

I've never subscribed to the 3000 mile theory and I've never regretted the decision.

[Boris859]

I have a 96 Honda Accord,I chnge the oil every 5,000 miles,the car now has 330,000 miles on it,I just bought a 2003 Impala,oil changed every 4,000 miles,car has 145,000 miles,my pick up gets changed evry 3 to 4000 miles,short trips and extended idle times contribute to me changing the oil sooner than my other vehicles,todays oil is more durable than oils of the past,not to mention fuel injection dumps must less fuel then old carbs,and unburnt fuel kills oil performance more than anything,(besides an internal coolant leak),so I also think the every 3,000 mile oil change is a myth,I have worked in the car business for 18 years,been a mechanic ,body man,parts man,etc,I currently work at a GM dealer(7 years now),if you don't do your own oil changes,try to steer clear of the quick lube places,take your car to the dealership or a trustworthy garage,garages tend to inspect the vehicle alot better than these drain and fill places,which can catch problems before they get out of hand. :D

[ryanmercer]

I run Amsoil in all my stuff. It is a 25,000 mile oil. or once a year. I have 145,000 on my car and it runs like a champ. When I change oil the old stuff looks just as good as the new stuff. If you go to the web site you will see that truck drivers are putting 100,000 miles on a single oil change. Vehicles start a lot easier in the winter and it is cheaper if you add up all the oil changes you would do in a year vs. once a year. www.amsoil.com Good stuff.


Interesting, I'll have to try some of that here in a few weeks when I change my oil

[tufhelp]

Being the cynical type, I'd swear that I never even heard of three thousand mile oil changes until these oil changing drive through location entrepreneurs showed up on the scene. Quite a coincidence that when they showed up offering high priced oil changes so did the highly over "recommended" 3,000 mile oil change... HMmmmmm

[MooseToo]

Being the cynical type, I'd swear that I never even heard of three thousand mile oil changes until these oil changing drive through location entrepreneurs showed up on the scene. Quite a coincidence that when they showed up offering high priced oil changes so did the highly over "recommended" 3,000 mile oil change... HMmmmmm

i can remember when auto mfrs recommended one thousand mile changes - and then some oil company, can't recall the name, came out with an oil that could go two thousand miles - their ad logo showed a hand with two fingers held up - indicating TWO thousand miles -

[Nickathome]

I change mine approximately every 3000 to 3500 miles. I don't do it on the exact amount of mileage anymore, but it gets changed often. My attitude leans me to err on the side of caution. Oil is cheap as compared to major engine work due to negligence.

[rice paddy daddy]

i can remember when auto mfrs recommended one thousand mile changes - and then some oil company, can't recall the name, came out with an oil that could go two thousand miles - their ad logo showed a hand with two fingers held up - indicating TWO thousand miles -

Kendal, I believe.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Howdy

With my older stuff, I changed every 2 to 3000 miles. Depending on how I was using it. Of course the newest vehicle I had at that time was a 1977 model.

The next newest thing after that was 1985 K car. Have had something front wheel drive every since. All of them I have run 3 to 5000 between changes.

Part of the key, in my opinion, is to always change filters. And use a good grade filter. I think a brand name cheap filter is better than any no name or store brand filter.

Has worked well for me so far......... (knock on wood)

Wyo