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Feb 11, 2008 - Are oil changes every 3,000 miles really needed?

A new state campaign in California is urging motorists to ignore the old instructions of changing your oil every 3,000 miles. 

The California Integrated Waste Management Board, assigned to reduce waste and keep used oil out of landfills, water bodies and groundwater, launched the campaign after research found that 73 percent of Californians change their oil more frequently than recommended by the manufacturers of their vehicles - most of them at 3,000 miles.

The campaign, using www.3000milemyth.org as a primary listening post states that most vehicles can go 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles without an oil change depending on driving habits and conditions. 

If you live in California, expect radio ads to bombard you on the topic.

What's at stake?  Ground water and landfills not to mention the cost of extra oil changes.  Yet another way to be a little green while keeping you in the black.

Search for Used Oil Certified Collection Centers.

 

10:24 am | Categories: environment
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Comments
hybridcolors - Nov 2, 2009 4:16 pm
For me it's a waste of money to change oil every 3k miles, well not unless if my car (a Civic) has broken down after 3k miles stretch and needs to replace some honda parts for maintenance.
jaybuck1 - Feb 14, 2009 8:56 pm
My 08 Toyota Camry hybrid has a 5000 mi change oil light on it. The dealer suggested they change the synthetic oil & rotate the tires & perform general service maintenance @ 5000 miles. The price is fair enough so I agreed.
gearhead1977 - Feb 5, 2009 1:04 pm
I changed my 01 Focus at 7500 miles with full synthetic. No problems and no oil use for it's entire life. I had an 04 Mitsubishi Lancer that I drove nearly all highway for 75,000 miles (it was destroyed in a rear end collision) that I went 10k on oil changes (again, full synthetic). Our 06 Accord with Honda Maintenance Minder system goes about 5500 between changes. As long as you use good oil and a good filter, 5k miles should be no problem. 3k is just a waste of oil.
BobTheCarGuy - Dec 29, 2008 3:03 pm
OK -So here's the deal on oil changes. Back in the dazy it was always 3000-3500 miles. Oil was less sophisticated than it is today. Then in the 70's and 80's manufacturers took literary liberties with the owner's handbook...and arbitrarily lengthtned oil chamge intervals so they could show the consumer a lower operating cost. By the 90's the public had been customerized into thinkg 3500 miles or blow the engine. Many cars now use synthetic. I'm with "carcouncelor". I own a Corvette, but would never go the full 7500 that's recommended...even though I could. I still get it done at 3500-4000miles. Bottom line is you better stay under 4000 miles if you own any 4 cylinder car,foreign or domestic. The only safe way to go longer per change...is if the manufacturer is paying the bill. i.e. BMW If you have further questions email me @ BestCarDealInTown.com..I'm Bobthecarguy!
AutoVitals - Dec 17, 2008 11:00 pm
Why don't you guys go by the extreme or ideal OEM recommended service interval or anything in-between according to your driver habits (e.g., heavy stop and go, extreme climate, etc.)? So sometimes it is indeed 3000 miles, sometimes it is 10k. Just pick the right one for your driving habits.
steve_ - Dec 3, 2008 9:08 am
@autooracle, you can't tell squat about your oil's condition by looking at it. It's supposed to turn dark and dirty looking almost immediately after changing your oil. If you want to know the condition of your oil, spend the $20 on an oil analysis. Anything else is just poor guesswork.
guy1974 - Nov 20, 2008 6:37 am
3000 is definately not needed. Yes changing it that often will do the car no harm but it wastes money and oil. It is like saying change your tires every 5000 miles, it won`t do the car any harm but is wasteful. In Europe cars go 10-15,000 miles before oil changes and these are higher traffic densities (more stop start) than the typical American city and they have more turbo engines. They would not recommend these long mileages if it caused harm becuase they would payout on warranty costs and lose reputation. Then again Europe doesn`t have a Jiffy Lube on every corner - maybe that has something to do with it.
iag1 - Oct 5, 2008 6:39 am
Well with my old Lexus ,I have to check the oil level when it is nearing 3,000 becuase that model really use oil a lot. I know have a new car but they still want you to replace at 3 thousand, so what is the deal that.
thecarcnsltn - Oct 2, 2008 11:14 am
Yeah the milage is an impportant factor but also you must take something else into account.Time! I Use to be a state certified advance smog tech as well as a car salesan for a major dealer. when the fluids in your vehicle sit over a period of time their chemical composition begins to change and also with the body ground desin=gn of vehicles this is also sped up. This could lead to bad results such as your brake flud becoming acidic and begin slowly eating at your brake lines,hoses,cyliders,and calipers from the inside out. As far as engine oil goes very simply the better the oil and the more frequent the oil changes the longer that your engine will last and the better the performance and fuel mileage. I suggest to the car buyers that I negotiate for to get the best of both worlds and get long lasting full synthetic oil.Check out my blog at TheCarConsultant.org
dawn1227 - Sep 1, 2008 4:20 am
Hey, I am a new car buyes (toyota) and I would like to know what determines if a new car has 100 mikes or a new car has 800. miles? Is it still just a new car.
ndmike88 - Aug 3, 2008 9:43 am
3,000 mile oil changes was invented by the Jiffy Lubes of the world and GM and Ford jumped on the band wagon. 5,000 miles is plenty for non-synthetic oil and 7,500 miles for synthetics. Of course your owners manual says different so they have you by the you-know-whats.
quade420 - Jun 27, 2008 8:59 am
Most newer cars don't need an oil change every 3K. I still do it in older vehicles ( '95 and older)
cadmonkey - May 8, 2008 8:23 am
I've tried both oil change scenarios at 3k and 7.5k intervals. What I found using synthetic or dino-oil was that during the longer interval oil was consumed at a constant rate. At 3k , it was less than half a quart - at 7.5k, it was a quart low. So, the engine is has to be constantly checked (how many consumers do that?) or the engine stuffs from less lubrication. If oil is recycled properly, landifll issues are a moot point. I'll change mine at 3k, it's my money spent, and that's a lot less than engine maintenance required due to low lubrication levels. I've used synthetic since it came out, mainly the Wal-Mart brand as its cheaper. Although it's taken a price jump lately. My thought is with today's high-revving four cylinder engines (in rush-hour traffic or on the highway at high RPM's), I'll use synthetic and change at 3k intervals. I need my car to get to work.
autooracle - Apr 24, 2008 10:25 pm
Basically, every vehicle that I have had seems to perform better by changing your oil before the manufacturers suggested intervals. A vehicle that runs better will consume less fuel. We all know that. 2003 X5: Synthetic Oil every 5k miles. Manufacturer recommends every 10k. I waited almost 10k miles to find dark oil. 2005 Mini Cooper: Synthetic oil every 5k miles. Car seems happier than exceeding the 5k mile mark. 1972 Chevrolet truck. Oil is black after 3k miles. I would check the condition of the vehicles oil, and change it according to the oil's condition. With that being said, I persolally feel that the manufacturers suggested intervals are a bit higher than my comfort levels.
packer3 - Apr 7, 2008 1:28 pm
I have a question, during WW11 the Germans came up with synethic oils because of shortages and were sucessful in doing so. Knowing what we know today and with all the synethics on the market along with the conventioal oils, why hasn't the Govermant mandated the oil companies to produce synthetic motor oils only, wouldnt this not only cut down on oil consumption which in turn would reduce oil changes from 3,000 miles to 10,000 miles and over etc.
texases - Feb 29, 2008 10:36 am
The only ones that push the 3000 mile changes are the ones that sell them. The only study I've seen (older Consumer Reports) showed no measurable difference between 3k and 6k changes (IIRC). The oil use monitors have all the factors accounted for, so I would follow them.
carcounselor - Feb 22, 2008 12:22 pm
I guess I am still stuck in the 60's. I change the oil on my cars every 3 to 4K, and on my 07 Corvette (28K on it already) every 5K even though it runs synthetic. I have over 300K on the Suburban and 200K on the F250 we own. I have been in the auto repair business since 1967 and have never seen an engine damaged by changing the oil too often, but have seen hundreds damaged by sludge build up and poor lubrication from dirty oil. Often these were cars following the facorty recomendation of 7500 miles between changes. Another reason to have, or do your own, oil change every 3 to 4K is to give a close look at all the other things that need to be checked periodcally.
ray80 - Feb 14, 2008 4:57 am
While I may not agreee with a lot of stuff that seems to come out of Cali, I can't find fault at all with this one. At least 20 years ago the vehicles I have owned listed severe and not so severe service intervals, and I have always gone somewhere in between the suggestions, not the 3000 mile severe conditions. All my current fleet of vehicles have the Oil LIfe Monitoring system and usually oil gets changed when it says I have between 20-30% oil life left, which may be after 6 or 7k miles. My 96 4 banger Grand Am always saw an oil change much closer to 7500 then 3000 miles and was still running a year after I gave it away after 247,000 miles put on by me.
steve_ - Feb 12, 2008 6:21 pm
I change my '99 Nissan's oil at 7,500 miles just like the manual says to. And I don't use synthetic. And sometimes I drag the interval out to 8 or 9,000 miles. Ok, 11,000 once - that's more like an European interval. Good for California! btw, my Nissan is puttering along with 122,000 miles using that infrequently changed dead dino oil.
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