How many mileage to change oil

Not surprisingly, service providers oil-change shops and dealerships tend to recommend shorter change intervals to miles. That can never hurt your engine, but it also means they'll see you and your credit card more often. When your car's on the lift for an oil change, other wear items such as brake pads, coolant, tires, and shocks can also be assessed and possibly replaced.

So it's also obviously good for their business. With older vehicles, which may burn oil, you'll want to check the oil level using the dipstick at least once a month. But if you're not driving your car in severe conditions—and few of us are—you can stick to the manufacturer's recommended oil-change intervals which often include an oil-filter change at the same time. And of course, if your car has an oil-life monitor, heed that.

What about using premium extended-life and pricey synthetic oils for projected 10, and even 12,mile changes? About synthetics: Almost all newer vehicles use synthetic oil, so if the manufacturer specifies that, you must use it. Many older vehicles weren't filled with synthetics when new and still use conventional petroleum-based oil. In that case, you have a choice. Some oil refiners produce sophisticated carmaker-approved extended-life oils that do help stretch the time between changes.

These oils have special chemistry or additives that support their ability to go longer distances. They resist high-temperature breakdown better and keep dirt and particulates in suspension longer so that the oil filter can catch them. Understand when and how often to change it, what type your car needs, and more. It should be your car maintenance and operation bible. Many cars, pickups, and SUVs now have service reminder monitors that alert drivers when to change their oil. Our reliability survey results have shown that even newer cars can need the oil to be topped off between changes.

CR recommends checking your oil level at least once a month. Be sure to get repairs done at the first sign of a leak. Check the owner's manual and follow the automaker's recommendations. Some newer cars have electronic oil monitors and don't have traditional dipsticks for manual inspection.

If the engine has been running, be aware of potential hot spots under the hood. Pull the dipstick out from the engine and wipe off any oil from its end. Then insert the dipstick back into its tube and push it all the way back in. Pull it back out, and this time quickly look at both sides of the dipstick to see where the oil is on the end. Every dipstick has some way of indicating the proper oil level, whether it be two pinholes, the letters L and H low and high , the words MIN and MAX, or simply an area of crosshatching.

When should you change the engine oil in newer cars? Are frequent oil changes better? What is long-life oil? Share Tweet Pin LinkedIn. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter.

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