Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oil changes are probably almost irrelevant. By the time you hit 250K, you will consider so many things as not worth fixing, yet the engine will still be running pretty decently, with minimal oil changes. Your car will die from power locks and windows not workings, seats and belts broken, brake lines corroded, AC leaks freon or blown compressor, coolant leak, front end can no longer be aligned to spec, gas tank rusted out, undiagnosable electrical problems, power steering goes out, the floor mats stink, the list goes on, when the final blow is the radio will not recognize any currently available audio formats.
Change the oil every 10K miles and keep it above the add-line, and all the above will conspire to kill your car (or make you hate it) while the engine is still purring.
It would take years to hit 250k miles. My car has 126,700 miles & I avg approx. 3k miles a year but that may change this summer due to more work. I don't drive my car a lot due to the poor mpg.
I have 149,000 mi on my 2008 Mazda3 & have been running 10,000 mile oil change intervals with mostly Royal Purple full synthetic with K&N Pro oil filters and the vehicle still runs very well. A while back I pulled the valve cover to take a peek at things & the internals that I could see looked great.
If you are changing your oil at 3,000 miles, you are wasting your money.
Isn't this too general? I've gone as long as a year, but now my car is just sitting in front of the house most of the time. So shouldn't I have an oil change at least twice a year?
2006 Toyota Camry 4 cyl, 81,349 miles as of 10/8
Last oil change 4/8 - 78,760 miles
The date on the sticker is 9/8 and the mileage recommended is 83,760. Basically, the shop is suggesting 5 months or 5,000 miles which is what Toyota recommends.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonMike7
I would recommend changing oil more frequently than 1 year if it's conventional oil, or if the car mostly sits. Mileage is less important than time (although both are important). Typically as a byproduct of combustion, fuel and other contaminants wash down into the oil. The soot that is a byproduct of combustion, as well as fuel can turn oil that is at first alkaline, into an acidic state that can attack the metals in the engine. SO letting a car sit with old oil can be quite harmful.
That's what I was thinking. I travel to the store, town, library, etc., maybe 50 miles a week. I do travel on a highway, so it's not all stop & go, but the trips are short. I'm stalling, because I might take a long trip in Dec and was planning to get my car checked before I leave. I don't like driving a 10 year old car without someone checking the hoses and other parts a couple of times a year, so I figure I might as well get the oil changed for $30. (I check the fluids & tire pressure regularly)
Last edited by justNancy; 10-09-2015 at 12:20 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
