Are you one of those people who doubts whether your oil needs to be changed at the intervals recommended by the OEM? If you look at the manual in your glove box, you may find that your oil should be changed every 3,000 – 5,000 miles. What’s that? You haven’t looked at your car’s manual? Oh … well … uh … you might want to do that. The company that made your car, suggests those oil change intervals so that the internal parts of your engine will continue to be lubricated with clean (as opposed to dirty) oil.
Some of you think that these recommendations are just a scam to get you into the dealership where the mechanic can find seven other things that are “immediate concerns.” You may have a point there. I manage a fleet of 70+ vehicles and have had good and bad experiences. However, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to have someone look over your vehicle every 3,000 miles. A mechanic’s perspective can be a valuable addition to your own experience with the vehicle.
You might also think that synthetic oil has a longer life and can work for 10-15,000 miles. You might be right. Synthetic oils do typically last longer. But take into account that the oil is not the only component to an oil change. What about your oil filter? Will it keep filtering your oil for that period of time? Or should you replace the oil filter every 3-5,000 miles despite the condition of your oil?
If nothing else, think about this. An oil change is the simplest and least expensive maintenance way to keep your car’s engine running well. Why skimp on something like that?