Oil Change! Men and Women....How Often Do You Change The Oil in Your Car??
By artistry
@artistry (4151)
United States
January 11, 2010 10:46pm CST
Most of us drive and drive and take our car in for a check-up, when we hear a noise. Maybe some are more preventative in caring for their cars. How often do you change the oil in your car? Does it extend the life of the engine, if you change the oil on a regular basis?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
12 Jan 10
I'm lucky to have a husband that knows a lot about working on cars. He has been an amateur mechanic since he was a child. He takes care of all of the oil changes on our cars and does them on the scheduled basis. So, the oil in my Honda Civic is changed every 5000 miles. I've yet to have any kind of a problem with my car up until this date except for the fact that it has been hit twice by other people. I've been driving this car for almost seven years now.
3 people like this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
13 Jan 10
.....Hi there dorannmwin, Happy 2010. Most of the time, it is the men who are more mechanically inclined. I was going to take a powder puff course in auto mechanics some years ago, but never did. I also used to own a Honda, loved that car. It sounds as though your good treatment of your car is paying off. Keep up the good work. Thanks so much for your response. Take it easy.
1 person likes this
@px_yeap (269)
• Malaysia
12 Jan 10
it really depends how much you drove your car. oil change depended on the oil itself not completely on the car. regular engine oil is about 5000 km (about 2500 to 2600 miles), and need to be changed. a supreme type will be 10,000 km (about 5000 to 5500 miles), and need to be changed. it will say on the engine oil bottle that you used; either ask your mechanic your find it our yourself of the type of engine oil you are using. generally, it is identified by the distance the car would travel before changing the oil.
2 people like this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
13 Jan 10
...Hi px_yeap, Well you just gave me my lesson for the day. I have been driving for gosh knows how many years and I never thought about the type of oil making a difference in when you would need to change the oil. Put in the oil, drive 3000 miles, change the oil, that's it. Now I have a different take on the situation. Thanks so much for sharing. I appreciate it very much. Take care.
@finlander60 (1804)
• United States
12 Jan 10
Assuming that you have an owners manual with your vehicle, my suggestion is to READ IT AND FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATION regarding oil change intervals. There are a lot of different opinions regarding this. Many of your newer vehicles are fine with 5000 miles between oil changes. We used to have a Mercedes-Benz that, believe it or not, suggested 7,500 miles as the proper interval. My preference is to use Mobil 1 full synthetic lubricant and change it, and the filter, at 10,000 miles.
1 person likes this
@artistry (4151)
• United States
13 Jan 10
...Hi finlander60. Your answer makes an extremely good amount of sense. Most people's owner's manual stays in their glove compartment in the car, perhaps never being opened. You just mentioned the car of my future dreams, how did your Mercedes-Benz hold up? Did you have many repairs during your ownership, if you don't mind my asking? I would like to have a two door coupe sometime in the future. Thanks so much for your response. Take care.
1 person likes this
@cheryltippett (231)
• United States
21 Jan 10
Definitely change your oil at least every 3000 miles. Do not make the mistake I did a few years back. I put off my oil change before a long trip. Said I would have it changed when I got home. Big Big mistake. On the way out of state, we got about 60 miles away from homw when our SUV knocked off. It would not crank back, so we called a tow truck, who towed us and our SUV back home. Mechaninc said motor had locked up, due to the oil was so dirty, that it gummed and did not allow for the oil to go through the oil pump and therefore not allowing any oil to go to motor. By not having any oil in the oil pump it caused it and the motor to seize up. So needless to say if I had went and had oil changed before we left it would have been about $20.00 instead by waiting it cost us over 2000.00 for new motor and labor charges to put it in......So take my advice , do not wait to have your oil changed. My neighbor changes his religiously every month....he says his car runs as good as the day he bought it .....hes had it for over 20 years now .........
@artistry (4151)
• United States
22 Jan 10
...Hi cheryltippett, Your story is awful and was so very costly for you. This is what happens when we don't change the oil in the car as often as is needed, which as you state, 3,000 miles is a good marker. I can't tell you how many cars I have donated, because they needed more repair than I was willing to pay for, after not paying attention to changing the oil. It is vital to the efficient operation of the
vehicle. Your neighbor is doing the smart thing. Thanks so much for your first hand account. Take care.
@craftyhomebody (443)
• United States
14 Jan 10
well i have a jeep commander and it has to be changed every 3,000 miles acording to the book and my oil dealer send a postcard to me like every 3 months to remind me to check miles
@artistry (4151)
• United States
14 Jan 10
...Hi craftyhomebody, You have a very astute oil dealer, who wants to keep his customers informed and his business thriving, makes sense to me. That is the common wisdom here, the 3,000 mile mark is good to adhere to. My poor cars have suffered from my absolute neglect and desire to keep driving past that period. Had I changed the oil more often, I would not have had to buy another car so many times. Thanks so much for your input and take care.
