How often should you change the oil in your car?

Most cars these days tell you when they want their oil changed; mine seems to be about every 10,000 miles. I know we used to figure every 3,000.

I change mine slighty more frequently than required by the manufacturer, about every 5–6k. The book says 7500. 3k miles osca thing of the past but the quick lube places still stick by it because they make more money that way. My wifes car I use synthetic and only change it like every 8k.

1 to 2 years. I try to at least change the filter once every year or 10,000 miles.
It is recommended that oil be changed every 3 months or 3000 miles, whichever occurs first. This is because the corrosion inhibitors break down in that time due to excessive cold weather starts, stop, short drives. If the engine is run at fairly long intervals, it keeps the water condensation, fuel condensation/dilution, and any corrosion to a minimum. Also, black oil isn’t necessarily dirty, only black from carbon which is an excellent lubricant.

I change mine every 5000ks and have since it was new.

The oil is kinda the blood of your car. I was always told to do it more often then you think you should. I change it in my moms car and I do it every six months. It takes a hour and 25 bucks in supplies. The car is 20 years old and never had any real engine troubles.

And she barely drives. Probably 10 miles a day.

My 2016 car also says 15,000 miles between oil changes. Kind surprised me when the dealers told me that. An oil change every 14 months will take some getting used to.

Here’s is link that discuss these various intervals in detail.

6000 to 7500 miles, I use a blended synthetic on both my vehicles.

Depends on the car.

It depends on so many variables:
– the make, model and age of the vehicle
– the lubricant that you choose
– the use to which the engine is subjected
– how much / how often you use the vehicle

The place to start is with your owner’s manual. What does that say for your car?

My transport truck is good for 60,000s between oil changes.

6000 – 8000 miles usually. Except for my old Ford F150; since I add so much oil to it, I don’t see a lot of reason to change it out. Most of the time I just add another quart every month..

I usually do it once a year after the last big cold hits.

Thanks everyone for their thoughts. It seems like there are as many variations as car owners! My owners book suggest every 15000 miles, but not unless the indicator says it is time. I have found that I can easily get 18 to 20k before it expires if all of the miles are on the highway. I guess I would not care as much if I planned to trade it in after three years, as the dealers would like me to. Since I plan to keep it for as long as I can, given the advice above, oil is cheap. I will change it every 5000 to 7500 miles, depending on the type of driving.