Oil change frequency also depends on type pf driving. Short, local driving requires more frequent changes than long trip driving. Newer cars with oil change displays will take this into consideration.

Your owner's manual is the best guide.

Read your owners manual. You can often download the electronic version if you would prefer to search for words in the document.

I follow the instructions and recommendations in my owners manual. For most of the vehicles I have owned a range of miles between oil changes were recommended depending on driving habits and the environment where it is driven.

My car has an "oil change" indicator system. While I would take the vehicle in if it indicated a change was needed, I do not trust it enough to rely on it. I track my mileage myself. I have my oil changed based on the recommended miles for my driving pattern and the environment.

If I was not driving my vehicle much, I would get my vehicle serviced at a minimum of once a year no matter how few miles I drove. That is also what our owners manuals recommend on our current vehicles.

I have used synthetic oil in the past on one vehicle because the manufacturer recommended it. Most vehicles I have owned listed synthetic oil as optional. But, if my dealer recommended that I use synthetic oil for a good reason, I would probably use it

I've been using Amsoil synthetic in my 2009 Toyota Tacoma. 4 years 40,000 miles, so far , so good. The oil is rated for 1 year or 25,000 miles. It's certainly more convenient as I do my own oil changes. On their website they state that following extended drain intervals cannot automatically void your warranty.I would guess, however, that it would be a hassle to make a warranty claim.

AMSOIL - Synthetic Oil, Motor and Engine Oil, Lubricants, Air Filters, Oil Filters and Greases
Their website has lots of technical information.

I think the hardware store on 466 is a dealer.

For a new engine, 3K miles is a good time to change the oil and filter. New engines can produce metal shavings while the parts "wear in". Any foreign objects in the oil can cause excessive wear on engine parts. After the first oil change, your timing for upcoming oil and filter changes depends on the type of driving you do and the climate but certainly no more than one year between changes. Synthetic oil is worth the additional cost if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time.

One of many automotive expert articles......that say the exact same thing. :clap2:

Changing oil at 3,000 miles, is a waste of money and an additional burden to the environment.

A single woman friend of my wife, was bullied into a coolant flush by her dealer....at only 20,000 miles (no "extreme service" parameters present).

When I went back to the dealer for her, with owners manual in hand, he told me that the owners manual had been superseded by a "technical bulletin."

After demanding to see this bulletin, he brings me a piece of paper with the dealers logo...which said that vehicle owners should be "encouraged" to get a coolant flush at 20,000 miles. :doh:

Hardly a manufacturers technical bulletin.

She got her $129 back. :D

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Any metal shavings that are created by New engine break in Are trapped by the oil filter But everybody to their own.

and highway miles can be more between changes. Most new engines are easily safe to run 5-10,000 miles between changes depending on the type of driving. If it is a quality syntheic there is absolutely no problem as you will not wear it our. Low mileage use per year is subject to attracting/creating contaminents.....minimum annual change for cars getting less than 10,000 miles (especially stop and go city driving).

btk

Thanks for all the replies. I went for the oil change and got regular oil rather than synthetic and the special birthday offer completely paid for it. I asked if I had gone too long (12 & 1/2 months) without changing oil and was told, "no". After all, it was synthetic oil and I only had 2,300 miles on the car.

Now that I have regular oil in it, I don't have to worry about how often to change it. It will be about every 6 months regardless of the few miles I put on. And I understand it's because the oil breaks down over a period of time, from heat, humidity and short trips. I make mostly short trips. I go to Aldi's once a week and that's about 20 miles round trip.

If they keep giving me a free oil change on my birthday, that means I will only pay for one oil change per year. :)

The person I talked to over the phone said it was his first day on the job and that he didn't know how much an oil change would cost. So I held on while he went to find out. He came back and said it would be about 37 dollars.

But the actual oil change, although it was free to me, was written up as $24.63.

Been mechanic for 45 years. New computer cars will tell you when it needs service. Got internal calander and mileage clock in 6 months the service light soon will come on or before if you put alot of miles on your vehicle. So it is wise to change you oil atleast every 6 months reguardless of miles if you plan on keeping your vehicle 4 plus years.. If you only keep you vehicle couple years it don't matter pass the bad service problems onto someone else. But, you still have to know where the dipstick located and check it routinely along with transmission, powersteering, coolant, brake master cylinder, and tires pressure (most new cars have tire pressure monitoring, it will tell you if you got low tire).

This usually too much for the majority of owners so that's why they get them serviced at dealership or somewhere else, but you still have to check their work, many times they over fill due to being in hurry cause we don't like to wait. When I was too lazy to do my own servicing You can bet I followed up on the work that was preformed before I left the lot. They will also let you know when other routine maintenance is required per the owner manual. Some vehicles require more especially euro and japaneze models and you pay more thats why they usually seem to last longer IMO.

Back in the 80's I knew guy that never changed his oil only the filter every 3 to 5k miles (he got this idea from europeans which conditions are different IMO don't get that hot in England and upper Euroasia IMO and their engines don't work as hard as ours pulling all the accessories like air conditioning power steering smog pumps back then). He had 120K on the clock. He had lifter ticking problems so we took the valve covers off and Could verily see the lifters due to all the coking build up. We adjusted the lifter and quieted it down some. He decided to sell the truck, knowing his routine maintenace habits would you buy this truck? I wouldn't even though he got lucky and got his moneys worth out of it.

If there's anything IMO to skemp on it's not oil changes and air filters. I use change my oil every 6 months I like to change it before winter months (were it gets cold) and after winter for the hot summer months usually april and Oct./Nov. Now I'm older and lazy so when the computer says it's time I take it to trusted dealer. I'm not big fan of the pull in drive off 10 min. servicing companies (not your mom and pop shops). Seen too many bad habits due to lack of knowledge and no pride in their work, but that's me.

Oil recycled alot more these days so yes we spend alot on changing it but the used oil put to other uses so it not wasted and depleting our planet like 40 years ago, actually IMO changing oil may help due to less smog out the tailpipe. I have friend got mid 2000s ford pickup he braggs he changes his oil every 10000 miles and tends to believe what he reads. He has 90K on that truck and guess what? when he starts it it boils blue smoke out the tailpipes. Most don't notice that (IMO that's wear on the cylinder walls, pistons rings or valves guides due to lack of oil changes), but I do. I have older Ford truck than his same engine but different servicing with 125K on the it and it don't ever smoke. Most people don't keep vehicles long enough to worry about servicing, only use that buy used or keep them 8 plus years to get or money worth out of them.

"coolant flush by her dealer....at only 20,000 miles" How old was the car? Coolant also breaks down over time and starts eating plugging up the system. If the car was over 4 years old and again plan on keeping it changing it wasn't a bad thing (but you got to make sure they changed it, I suspect these individuals may have done nothing and got caught? that's why they probably gave the money back knowing it wasn't required yet and typed something out for cover-up, not that hard to look in the owners manual to verify).

Radiators, water pumps, heater core , and hoses will cost alot more. I change my antifreeze coolant every 4 years requardless of miles (you may get by on 6 years, but after that the clock is ticking). Going on mile alone really not good mearsuring stick (some people just don't put that many miles on, but stop and go includes startups alot more than road miles), Hours or months are better. As you know some devious people take advanage of people that don't know much about mechanicial things or fail to read the owners manual or understand it on recommended servicing based on miles or months of use. In the commericial world usually strictly go by hours of use cause it's cheaper in the long run to service that replace.

I went to the dealer in Ocala for my oil change. I don't know if it's true but I was told that when they put air in your tires they use nitrogen. That makes sense because when I bought the car they told me the tires were filled with nitrogen. If I go for an oil change in The Villages area, I'm not going to get nitrogen, right?

That's a good hook to keep customers coming back. It seems to me that (pure) nitrogen doesn't leak out the way regular air does.

What has your experience been with nitrogen versus regular?

You make good points, but the car was a year and a half old.

Manual said 2 years/30,000 miles.

Your other observation, of the dealer trying to pull a fast one...is very astute.

They are no longer in business.

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Agreed.

It is simply an over-hyped selling point.

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