How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

Believe it or not, this is one of the most commonly asked questions we get from our customers. Everybody is familiar with the old Jiffy Lube commercials and their song about "Every 3,000 miles just bring it in to Jiffy Lube." 3,000 mile oil changes used to be the standard recommendation for oil changes across the board. Jiffy Lube has since abandoned their recommendation of every 3 months or 3,000 miles because car manufacturers are recommending longer intervals between oil changes and they started getting some push-back from their customers.

We sat down and did some research into some recommended oil change intervals on vehicles commonly found on the road today. We also found a neat widget for recommended oil change intervals. According to California.gov's "Check Your Number" tool, the recommendations for oil change intervals for the vehicles we compared are as follows:

2014 Hyundai Sonata - 7,500 Miles
2014 Toyota Camry - 10,000 Miles
2014 Honda Accord - No Information Given - Oil Life Monitor
2014 Chevy Malibu - 7,500 Miles
2014 Nissan Maxima - 5,000 Miles

Now we need to take a look at the the sub-notes found in owners manuals and recommended maintenance schedules. 

From this information we can gather that the Toyota Camry has the longest oil change interval. It is twice that of the Nissan giving it half the amount of oil changes. Then, we went on to read this:

After looking at the small print we have now discovered that based on the geographical region we do most of our driving in, we are not considered "Normal Drivers". We have all been stuck in traffic and during the winter months, we can experience temperatures under 10 degrees. The list of criteria for what is not considered "Normal Driving Conditions" varies slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they are all basically the same.

Below is a page taken out of the 2014 Toyota Camry Warranty and Maintenance Manual. You can visit it for yourself here. This specific example is on page 38 of the maintenance log.

Some manufacturers say that making short trips under 32 degrees makes them "Severe Drivers". Many of the conditions we drive in and would consider "Normal" are actually what the manufacturers use to change the rules on their consumers.

If you haven't gone car shopping in a while, you will also notice that many of the manufacturers have shortened their warranty period. It used to be pretty standard to get a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty on a brand new car. Now, many manufacturers are only offering 5 year/60,000 mile warranties or even less. If these new cars are supposed to be built better and last longer, why have the manufacturers backed off on their guarantees?

It doesn't matter which manufacturer you look at, the fact of the matter is that no matter where we live in the world, 80-90% of us are considered severe drivers. Some people follow what they are told by the salesman at the dealership. These people will more than likely end up paying for more costly repairs in the end. 

For those of you who follow the recommended service intervals from the 80's and 90's Jiffy Lube commercials, good for you! Here at Auto Correct Car Care, we believe that if you use conventional oil, you should be in for in oil change every 3,000 miles. You can put an additive in the conventional oil or use full synthetic oil, you can change your oil every 5,000 miles.

Engines have not changed a whole lot since the 90's in regards to how they function. Of course nowadays there are more systems controlled by computers and sensors, and the tolerances have gotten a lot tighter inside the engines. So I guess it does make sense to put more miles and allow more contaminates into your engine oil. After all, the manufacturers need to sell cars in order to stay in business, don't they?

TL:DR - Conventional Oil - 3,000 Miles | Additive or Synthetic Oil - 5,000 Miles