I am now a little over a week past 3 months since my last oil change but have about 800 miles until 3,000
Which is more important?
Which is more important?
Which is more important for an oil change? 3 months or 3k miles?
- Thread starter Joyride
- Start date
I personally go with miles, but since I change my oil PROBABLY even before the 3 months is up, I don't think it matters in my case.. I've heard that its better to go with the time, not the mileage.. we'll wait for another opinion though 
Manufacture suggestion of what ever come up first. IMHO, oil don?t go bad in 3 months therefore it should be okay if you let it sit for months, unless you have water condensation in the engine. However, engine oil may need to be change before the 3 months or 3k is up after the engine/oil has been under stress such as over heating.
i go with whatever comes first. but my first job was changing oil and doing tuneups so it's so easy for me to do that i might as well.
I usually do just city driving with a little highway
I intend on getting it changed this or next week but I was curious nontheless
I intend on getting it changed this or next week but I was curious nontheless
The mileage is more important than the age. Most engine oils turn acidic with age due to oxidization, but since you drive your vehicle everyday the mileage would be a better gauge of oil life.
I don't know, I said in a topic a long time ago that I came across a study which found that changing your oil to frequently could be harmful to the engine.
thebestMAX
Diamond Member
- Sep 14, 2000
- 7,505
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If you are driving 1000 miles a month it doesnt matter, does it?
If I were you and driving that much I would extend my change intervals and change by time and not miles. Good warmups get rid of the contaminats of gasoline, h2o, etc. but not the dirt.
Im doing 6mo/6000 myself with Mobil1 5-30W
If I were you and driving that much I would extend my change intervals and change by time and not miles. Good warmups get rid of the contaminats of gasoline, h2o, etc. but not the dirt.
Im doing 6mo/6000 myself with Mobil1 5-30W
It is true that oil will become acidic with age, but that would take years for the oxidation process to set in, however the combustion process creating heats greatly increase the oxidation process. The only time that oil may be needed to change before the mileage is up(for the average use oil might last as long as 5-6k miles) is from over heating & too much idling.
I've heard that also ... I think it was an Army study, where they decided for certain of their vehicles that the best maintenance schedule was to change the oil filter on a regular interval, and keep the oil level up. Sorry, don't have any references.
Bear in mind that such a study probably included far more then just engine wear ... such as the cost of having the vehicle unavailable while having it's oil changed, possibly the logistics chain involved in a deployed environment, etc.
It talks about this in the link. It was a Navy guy, but he was talking about regular motorists, not just military vehicles.
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
- Jul 3, 2003
- 74,554
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Yeah, I remember that...
I dunno tho, I think it's splitting hairs. I think that dirty oil would wear your engine out far faster than the supposed chemical reaction. Too many variables we don't know about, like the metallurgy of the metals, and how its different from manufacturer to manufacturer, time period to time period...
I have to agree with a lot of the others here. 3000 miles between oil changes is not a realistic interval for changing oil.
It's promulgated by the oil companies and quick lube places in order to keep business going at a rapid pace.
Do you realize that more than 4 BILLION quarts of oil are used each year in the USA? Somebody is making some serious money.
Now imagine if we were to double the oil change interval of 3000 miles to 6000 miles. Imagine the $$Billions of Dollars$$ lost by these companies. It is not in their best interest to tell you anything greater than 3000 miles between changes, regardless of what the truth may be.
For example:
Toyota and Mazda say in the owner?s manual that a 5,000 mile interval is to be followed in the worst driving conditions, and that most people are able to go 7500 miles before an oil change.
Volvo lets you go 7500 miles between changes if you use synthetics.
New Honda models fix the oil change interval all the way up to 10,000 miles.
BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes use synthetic oils and say 15,000 mile
intervals are adequate.
Why is it that in Europe, the recommended oil change interval is nowhere near 3000 miles (In fact, it's significantly higher)? Are their cars or oil that much better than our own here in the US?
Marketing (TV/Radio/Print Ads) have branded the average US consumer with the idea of 3000 mile oil changes. Money, not necessity, drives the 3000 mile oil change interval.
Just some things to think about before you bring your car down to the local Jiffy Lube every 3000 miles.
It's promulgated by the oil companies and quick lube places in order to keep business going at a rapid pace.
Do you realize that more than 4 BILLION quarts of oil are used each year in the USA? Somebody is making some serious money.
Now imagine if we were to double the oil change interval of 3000 miles to 6000 miles. Imagine the $$Billions of Dollars$$ lost by these companies. It is not in their best interest to tell you anything greater than 3000 miles between changes, regardless of what the truth may be.
For example:
Toyota and Mazda say in the owner?s manual that a 5,000 mile interval is to be followed in the worst driving conditions, and that most people are able to go 7500 miles before an oil change.
Volvo lets you go 7500 miles between changes if you use synthetics.
New Honda models fix the oil change interval all the way up to 10,000 miles.
BMW, Porsche, and Mercedes use synthetic oils and say 15,000 mile
intervals are adequate.
Why is it that in Europe, the recommended oil change interval is nowhere near 3000 miles (In fact, it's significantly higher)? Are their cars or oil that much better than our own here in the US?
Marketing (TV/Radio/Print Ads) have branded the average US consumer with the idea of 3000 mile oil changes. Money, not necessity, drives the 3000 mile oil change interval.
Just some things to think about before you bring your car down to the local Jiffy Lube every 3000 miles.
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