Frequent engine-oil changes called wasteful, outdated idea
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Jerry Hirsch Los Angeles Times | Posted: Monday, December 19, 2011 12:00 am | Comments
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Many automobile owners are spending more than they need on motor oil, believing it should be changed every 3,000 miles even though almost no manufacturer requires such an aggressive oil-change schedule.
The long-held notion that the oil should be changed every 3,000 miles is so prevalent that California officials have launched a campaign to stop drivers from wasting millions of gallons of oil annually because they have their vehicles serviced too often.
"Our survey data found that nearly half of California drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner," said Mark Oldfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery.
Improvement in oils, friction proofing and car engines have lengthened the oil-change interval, typically 7,500 miles to 10,000 miles for most vehicles.
The agency and other groups said slashing motor-oil consumption would be good for the environment and won't hurt the longevity or reliability of autos.
"The 3,000-mile oil change just says that the marketing campaign by quick-lube companies has been effective," said Steve Mazor, manager of the Auto Club of Southern California's Automotive Research Center. It made sense years ago, when "we had cast-iron block engines with cast-iron pistons that would expand when they got hot and older lubricants," Mazor said.
Nationally, 51 percent of vehicle owners said they believe oil should be changed every 3,000 miles or three months, according to an August survey by market research firm NPD Group. And just 33 percent wait more than 4,000 miles between oil changes, NPD said.
Drivers should be confident in the oil service advice offered by automakers, Mazor said.
Vehicle warranties, especially for power trains, have grown longer in recent years, he noted, and automakers would not give advice that could hurt engines and increase their warranty expenses.
Ford Motor Co. recommends oil changes for most of its new vehicles at 10,000 miles, although some still require the service at 7,500 miles, for example.
Copyright 2011 Arizona Daily Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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If I actually drove my car,.. I would probably go 4 or 5k between changes.
... but I only go about 3k per year... so, I change it once a year, to remove contaminants and condensation...
Maybe I should go 2yrs?...  whadaya think?... ...

I change oil every 4-5,000 miles on my 02 mazda, I want to do it every 3,000 but I forget a lot. . .

Spring and fall, regardless of mileage.

We have three cars in the family, my wife's VW Polo, my Tata 4x4 and a 1980 MGB GT.

According to VW's own recommendations, the Polo needs servicing every 20.000 Km on "generic 10W40 synthetic" or 30.000 on VW's own oil.
That's 12000 and 19000 miles respectively.
OR, when the light flashes in the dash - the Engine management System keeps track of engine use, and 1 hr in bumper-bumper traffic downtown is much more taxing to the engine than one hour cruising on the freeway.

My own tata 4x4 has an old, cast iron, pushrod diesel, which actually comes off a truck, the major differences being a re-engineered head with common rail direct injection and a turbocharger with intercooler and wastegate.
Again, 10W-40 oil at 15000 Km (9-10.000 miles) but as I commute a lot I change it at 10thou Km. Again, bumper to bumper traffic etc.

The MGB is a different kind of animal. like the Tata, it's a very old design, cast iron block, pushrod operated, carbs, points&condenser ignition, it's such a basic, old fashioned design you could drop it into a 1930's engine bay and nobody would tell the difference.
Given the limited mileage, once/year, regardless the (limited) mileage, with 15W-40 or even 20W-40 oil.

IMHO, as motorcyclists we are accustomed to frequent oil changes because of our bikes' much jigher state of tuning, but car engines are not that demanding.

My 69 D100 with a 318 V8 gets the filter changed once a year, maybe. The oil never gets changed, I just top it up as needed. My 49 Dodge fired off with 1974 vintage Pennzoil (storage) oil in the crankcase in 1994. 94 Ranger has been run 4500 miles or so since the last change, oil is still honey colored...

Savage has had one oil change in the last 10K miles. I run cheap crap 15W40 or 20W50 in everything. As long as the oil isn't water thin or smelling like fuel it doesn't need changed.