How Often does my Car Need an Oil Change?

My oil light is on and there plenty of oil in the car. It is a Toyota avensis 1,6 vvti 2002 model.

Can having bad black oil make my car not start?

My car is 10 years old had a service two months

ago. My oil light came on and we checked the oil and it showed no oil. The Toyota man came out and put oil in it and was saying it was an old car, but the miles are good for its age, but it's using the oil up soon.

I think the best practice is to follow the manual to see the oil the manufacturer recommends, since the manufacturer knows the best oil for its products.

I have a problem with people saying it is not true that a specific brand does not go 15,000 miles on an oil change interval without mentioning what an independent lab analysis will show.

I've sent in an oil sample and it came back "Replacing the engine oil not required" after 3,000 kilometers past the recommended oil change interval.

If a manufacturer tried to sell a car that needed oil changes at 3,500 miles, it would rust apart on the lot waiting to be sold in Europe. The oil codes for those cars are listed on all synthetics in the U.S. so they are the same oils. Most cars sold in Europe go 15-20,000 miles between oil changes. You know, the same cars they ship here.

The cars are not any different than U.S. cars. Engines are designed using the same technology! They're the same.

The 3,500 mile oil changes are for dealers to get you in their shops to sell you repairs you don't need. Oil shops too, with their 3,500-mile next change stickers.

Read your manual and quit listening to the dealers! My 2000 Infiniti manual states 7,500 miles and people get 300,000 miles on them easy. Yes I said "2000 model." It's been that long ago when it all changed. They just don't tell you.

They used to say you need to have an oil change every 3,000 miles you travel. Nowadays, most mechanics will inform you that it is overkill. But regular oil changes are still crucial, and need not be done by an expensive professional. It's a fairly simple job, and much more cheaply done in your house.

i live in the uk and most cars here don't need an oil change until 20,000 miles.

the people who post about changing the oil with Amsoil and any other high mileage oil change interval oils need to get with reality. there is physics involved; like sludge does not lubricate. and that is exactly what Amsoil does in an engine.

i have been working on cars for 18 years. i have sent in many oil samples from multiple cars and oils. with all petroleum oils you have to change it every 3k or major engine failure will happen (some people get lucky). amsoil; yes even the SSO series, can go no longer than 8k. i have sampled one recently on a 08 honda civic si and it had 9500 miles. there was a lot of metal and the viscosity was down. it showed it should have been changed 2k miles ago at least. he drove slow and on the highway mostly.

and anyone who thinks synthetic motor oil is environmentally safe is delusional. nothing synthetic is even remotely good for the environment. the only oil that is environment safe is G-OIL. it also comes from a renewable source, it tested better than amsoil, mobil 1, and cost less (by a lot). G-OIL is the first oil i have ever seen that does not sludge up.

all petroleum and synthetic oils will go back to their original form sludge. G-OIL comes from animal fat, which is a natural lubricant. so it never goes to sludge, it only loses its additive. so you still have to change it before 10k.

anyone who thinks the indicator on the dash can really analyze oil, also needs to get checked. if we have to send oil off to a lab and wait a week to find out, then your $20k car isn't going to be correct. also vehicles have changed their gas mileage standard since the 70s and they still have the same operating temp, and since those are some of the major factors in how far between oil changes, i would say that 3k for regular and synthetic oil is what you should do. then if you use amsoil 5k-8k if you drive on the hwy. and G-OIL can get 5k-8k also, but at a better price, renewable source, no petroleum, grown and made in the USA, and it will not harm the earth. it biodegrades 90 percent in nine days (in the ground).

From Logikal1: Your information is way out of date! 3 thousand is only recommended by those making money off oil changes and wastes huge amounts of oil, time and money. Next year, JiffyLube plans to stop telling customers 3,000 miles and is going by the vehicle make, model, year and how one drives. Bet they raise prices to compensate!

For absolute facts on your car and when to change oil (plus any problems you have but don't know of) do what I did. Write to Blackstone Laboratories in Fort Wayne, Ind., one of the best-known places for engine oil analysis and get a free kit. You send back a small oil sample and for $25, they’ll tell you all sorts of things about your car, including how often to change the oil and filter.

Also, keep track of your driving. If average trips are under 15 minutes/eight miles, that's severe driving, so change oil at 5,000. If trips are 20 minutes-plus, that's light and you can safely go up to 10,000 between changes and filters.(The hotter an engine runs the better the filter works and the cleaner the oil gets).

My cars would routinely go over 200,000 before I got new ones: now I've decided short of a major accident I'm keeping my cars forever. They're paid off so why waste money making dealers rich? They have 100 percent/10 year warranties anyway and I can buy repair warranties to extend those.

I added a $62 water4gas system (took 30 min to install) and get 54mpg-plus now burning water and have way fewer emissions. My oil tests clean to 20,000 miles! It doesn't void the warranty, either!

Your site needs to get with the modern technology.

going every 15,000 miles on an oil change on amsoil is crap. i have more people coming in for oil changes using that oil and are switching because it's not true.

I use to go 3,000 miles between oil changes until about nine years ago, then I changed my oil in my suburban to Amsoil. At that time I could go 15,000 miles but as of two years ago they had a third party develop their own Amsoil filters which are good for up to 25,000 miles with all of Amsoil's products (does not include the XL series though).

There is one oil 0w30 (SSO series) which is good for 35,000 miles between oil changes but remember the oil filter is only good for 25,000. I first wondered how they could do this, but after seeing the plant up in Superior WI, It helped me understand the thought process and technology they are at.

They stand behind their products 100 percent, because if you have a malfunction because of bad oil, they will replace/fix the motor/drive train for you. Certain rules apply.

This oil does cost more but when you look at the cost factor, you save money in the long run.

On the lubrication market they were at 2 percent for years but new vehicles are requiring a better grade oil and some are even listing Amsoil as one of them (they were listed as 5 percent on the oil market earlier this year).

Be careful when you see synthetic oil listed on a bottle, and look at where it is manufactured because my terminology of synthetic is much diff. than our government's terminology.

European cars have had a longer range of oil changes for years, and it is about time the US gets on the same page.

My new car also does the continuous test. Over the last 1000 miles the "oil life" indicator only dropped from 71 percent down to 65 percent. Probably about 30-40 percent I will switch it out to amsoil with the better filter as well. I think 3000 miles is hyped to make more money.

does an eletric car need the oil changed the same as gasoline engine car?

i had my engine rebuilt, do i really need to change my oil after 500 miles?

Now they have the synthetic oil that says 5000 - 10000 miles

If your car is not driven often, maybe once a week. Does it do damage to your oil by sitting undriven. Is this reason to change it more or less often?

If I had to change oil every 3000 miles I would have to do it every month or so. as I drive mostly highway, I change it every 10,000 kilometers (8000 miles) or thereabouts.

i think that the "3000 mile" suggestion made sense many years ago, but with most recent cars, 5000 miles is probably plenty.

many new cars have a technology where the car actually tells the driver when to change the oil. some of these devices are just connected to the odometer and indicate when a certain number of miles have been driven. but, some of these actually test the oil, and indicate when you really need to change the oil. ini some cases, this can be as much as 12,000 miles!

also, i have read about a company that is developing a oil-purifying technology that will push the oli-change interval to 30,000 (thirty thousand) miles! if their product ever comes to fruition, imagine the impact this would have on the oil-change industry.

I have the oil changed in my car every three months or 3000 miles. It might be too often, and possibly not necessary, but it gives me a sense of comfort in knowing that all the fluids are checked and replaced or added if needed. It might be more for my peace of mind than anything else.