Oil- how often do you change it?
- Thread starter Nitt1300
- Start date
my days sliding around the garage on a creeper are over- so no. I don't change it myself anymore- except for the motorcycle.
If your vehicle has an oil filter accessible at the top of the engine (many cars now designed this way) just spend $70 on an oil extractor and your shadetree oil changes are easy-peasy, not to mention cheap and worry free (as opposed to some vaguely-trained, distraction-prone GenZ mumblemouth using the wrong grade / wrong amount / stripping your drain bolt at a retail lube joint)
to answer your question - under ordinary driving conditions with todays synthetics/blends, you can land btw 5,000-7,500 without any measurable oil degradation ... checking your dipstick every few fuel fill-ups should be a standard practice anyway, not only to check levels - it aallows one to easily observe / monitor oil condition
It depends on the vehicle and the time of year for me. For my car I will take a bunch of 7 mile trips to and from work and use it for trips to the grocery store, etc. Because it’s much more stop start and short distances, I’ll get it changed by 5000 miles normally. My wife drives about 25 miles each way to work and we generally use her car when we take trips so getting up to 7000 miles isn’t a big deal to me. If it’s summer and I have some time, I’ll probably do it myself but if it’s colder out and we’ve got things going on, I might just have the dealer do it as they generally give me a break on the price.
Good advice, but I only take my cars to one shop- small, family owned, and both brothers (the only mechanics
) are long time certified techs, not quick lube types.
You're supposed to change it? No wonder my cars don't last.Being retired our vehicles get little usage/mileage....typically 5,000 to 8,000 on daily drivers and 2,000 to 3,000 for utility. I change the oil when i renew the registration each year since i can never remember when the last change was done. I use full synthetic and premium filter and oil.
I drive a BMW and have had two previous BMWs before this one. These engines, and their fully synthetic oil, last a much longer time. I just go by the maintenance schedule nowadays. The days of the 3-5k oil changes are over for these better fine tuned engines. If you’re still using regular motor oil, then yes, change it often and regularly.
Every 5, def do it myself but my next car is gonna be mid engined. May puss out and pay the local indy
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Every 5-7k. However, I check both dipsticks weekly. Takes 2 minutes and I can see the level and color of the oil to be able to judge. I don't change it myself.
Do it myself?! These hands were made for lattes and scones. I’m not changing no oil. You can pay people to do that.
About the oil extractor: my daughter has a Land Rover with a fused drain bolt. The result is that she has to go to a dealer to get the oil changed (not the most convenient process, given where she lives). She’d gone to a couple mechanics who told her they couldn’t change the oil due to the fused drain bolt. How prevalent are these oil extractors in Joe Blow mechanic shops? Would every dealer have one?
Jim why not buy her one and have her take it to the shop with her, and let them fool with it. They are not that expensive, start around $75. They are not that hard to use, I've even done it as thats the only way to get the oil out of an inboard boat engine!! link to some marine ones, but they will all work...
I suspect we would get similar answers to ”Underwear -- how often do you change it?”.
Checking your dipstick weekly is good advice for all men.
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Old cars was every 3000. New cars we just bought the past few years every 5000. Used to change it myself back in the day until they build houses on the land next door where I used to dump it. Knew a guy that lived in town and would dump it down the storm drain. Don't get your panties in a bunch, this was back in the 70s. These days you can take it to the quick lube places and they will let you dump it in their old oil holding tanks.
Most shops have them as they definitely reduce(eliminate) catastrophic customer claims (ie. “Oil drained out after leaving shop”) … fwiw I was at a Valvoline Instant Oil Change outlet last month for oil change on my corporate-issued RAV4 and noticed they have extractors… though they did their usual business from underneath on my visit
Q: Why don't BMWs come with a dipstick?
A: BMW owners don't know how to open their hood anyway.
I worked my way up to BMW. I’ve owned several GM, Mopar, Toyota, Subaru, and Audi, before I bought my first BMW. I kept hearing the tag line “the ultimate driving machine” and I’ve come to love them and think it’s true. I’ll be buying my fourth BMW next spring. BMW just does what you’d want a car to do. They’re very well engineered.
Don’t have to . Sell it when the oil light comes on .
The lift in your first photo is impressive, but I would still feel uncomfortable getting underneath that vehicle.Every 5, def do it myself but my next car is gonna be mid engined. May puss out and pay the local indy
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I'm going with 10,000 miles for synthetic. The sad part is many dealers and oil change places aren't credible.
My Lexus included free service at 5,000 miles and 10,000 miles. They wouldn't change the oil at 5,000 because it wasn't needed until 10,000. They changed it at 10,000 then told me I needed to change it again at 15,000.
I took it to Valvoline and they put a sticker in my windshield to get it changed again after 3,000. WTF?
I'll go by this
My Chrysler Mini-van has 211,000 miles and I try to change it every 12,000 or so. Always use full synthetic with the longest life filter I can find, do it myself and check often. My other vehicles have oil life monitors and they usually go off between 12,000 -14,000 miles.
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