Why 3,000 miles

[WJM]

5k for my Motul and Mobil. I always go 3k on the non synth stuff.

[MudisFun]

I have worked at a lube shop for a good while now and am not going to promote any mile based oil change! The man will tell you a good time to change fluids in you vehicle but thoses are based on test, in a lab after running the vehicle on a course or dyno set-up. Mostly these are good recs, but BOTTOM LINE: when oil (gear, motor, atf, ps) gets dirty then change it. There is always the people who come in every 3000 Miles to get the service but the oil is still good, and then there are people who won't drain and fill a gear box because the book says they don't have to yet. Check your oil if it is tar black use a flush and change the oil, if the oil is brown running down your finger then change it, if it still holds a yellow tint when running down your finger you should be good. As far as the filter, every time. I have change my oil at 2000 miles and changed it out at 5000 miles, use the rule of the finger!

[MilesFox]

i determine how often i change my oil by knowing when it was las changed, knowing what the car has seen (baja'n, weather, how long it sits or how often its driven) color, how it fels between my fingers, and i smell the oil for gas or burnt smells

 

im not religious on ghanging the oil, but if i know it has been a while then i will. if i get a new car or motor i change the oil anyway.

 

if my motor leaks than i know it gets a mix of fresh oil often, self changing oil as you will.

 

i had this pinto once that burned and leaked oil out of every seam, i was dumpng anyhig from used oil from car lots to chainsaw bar oil, i cnanged the filter once but not the whole oil. it was so bad it used 3 GALLONS of chainsaw bar oil in one 150 mile trip. i even took the oil out of my 84 soob to go to work

 

anyway i try to keep consistent whith what i use, i like napa/wix fiters and fid the napa house brand(valvoline) oils economical, from straigh tto blend to syn. i have 10-30 napa syn in th erx now. the sedan has valvoline blend but it needs an oil change because zanny dook drove this car, his driving habits, and all the baja'n!

[Flowmastered87GL]

I change my oil every 3000 miles or so, I use a good subaru oil filter and add about 1 quart over the term of those 3000 miles (burn off and leakage).

 

I would consider my use extreme conditions for sure as I start the car approximately 40-60 times per day

 

Basically I end up having to change my oil once a month and believe me, it needs it. I once went like 6000 miles and it was nasty nasty stuff!

[Roundeye]

Cost of oil for more frequent changes: X.

 

Cost of an engine rebuild: In most cases significantly greater than X.

 

Really, frequent oil changes are cheap, especially if you do it yourself. You're not going to hurt anything by changing the oil more frequently, but you can accelerate engine wear/damage by not changing it often enough.

 

Also, I prefer to change my oil more often, because I don't know what sort of maintenance previous owners have given the car. My RX-7 regularly spit out black oil until the engine blew. After rebuilding it (and cleaning it up), it spits out still mostly amber oil. I'd rather change oil more frequently to clean old crap out.

 

-=Russ=-

 

Very well put.

 

 

Most people think of oil as just a lubricant. Something to prevent friction. There is a helluvalot more to it than that. Oil is many things. It's a bearing: It fills small voids between critical moving parts. It's a cleanser: As discussed earlier, it traps contaminants. Of the many types that cannot be removed by the filter , they can only be removed within the oil....by draining it. It's a coolant: It extracts heat from internal components and carries the heat to an oil cooler, or an exterior surface where that heat can be extracted. It's a hydraulic fluid: It performs hydraulic functions like PUMPING UP LIFTERS (and we all know about that).

 

These things were brought to my attention years ago in A&P school. I have never looked at engine oils the same since.

 

Bottom line: Changing your oil OFTEN is cheap insurance.

 

In over 15 years as a certificated mechanic, I have NEVER seen an engine fail due to oil-related problems on an engine that was well maintained by having the oil changed in accordance with the maufacturer's current recommendations.

 

The way I see it, I do not want to be stranded on the side of the road in my car any more than I would want to be finding a place to land in a plane with a seized engine.

 

Oil is cheap.