How often should I change my oil

dprattm

I have been told 5K miles. Is that too frequent or not enough?

roadburner

What car? What does the vehicle manufacturer recommend? On my current cars I usually change the oil at 10k miles or one year, whichever comes first. I changed the oil in my 2007 Mazdaspeed 3 every 7,500 miles; used oil analysis indicated that a 10,000 mile interval would have been sufficient.

jmonroe1

dprattm said:

I have been told 5K miles. Is that too frequent or not enough?

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You didn’t say if it was new or used. Hopefully it’s new and you can start papering it from the start. I would say 5K is more than likely too often unless that’s what the manufacturer recommends. So, I’d go with 7,500 but whatever interval you go with make sure it’s a top quality 100% synthetic oil not a store brand.

jmonroe

stickguy

miles depends heavily on the car and engine (Turbo? DI?), and what your driving is like, but in any case should not go past 12 months.

Michaell

Agree with most of the above.

I've had oil change intervals as low as 3750 miles (to adhere to the Hyundai warranty) and as long as 12 months, or 6000-7000 miles, in the case of my current Subaru.

But, I'd certainly look at the owners manual and see what they recommend.

oldfarmer50

I try to do 5k on synthetic and 3k on conventional oil. On my Kia I’ve gone down to 4k synthetic because I do short trips in cold weather.

The time limit is one I’m still deciding on. For cars that only get driven a few thousand miles a year I will sometimes go two years but I’m still undecided on that one.

Anyway, changing your oil too often won’t hurt anything. I’d rather err on the side of too often than not often enough.

roadburner

In addition to the oil change interval you should know what oil to use. European makes in particular often set particular standards for the oil that is used.