When people hear about oil change intervals, they often adhere to the old, outdated recommendation of changing the oil 3,000 to 5,000 miles or 3 - 6 months. However, the oil change interval greatly depends on the vehicle and the type of driving you do. Also, new synthetic oils have greatly extended oil change intervals.
Many Asian and American automobile manufacturers claim that their newer vehicles do not require oil changes until 10,000 - 15,000 miles. Other manufacturers claim that some vehicles can go as long as 20,000 miles without an oil change. We believe that is unrealistic, especially if you want to keep your car for more than a couple of years. Remember, car manufacturers are in the business of selling new cars. They are NOT in the business of selling vehicles that last the longest! Often, following the manufacturer's engine oil change schedule will drastically shorten the lifespan of your vehicle.
Honestly speaking, our experience has shown that driving more than 7,500 miles or six months without an oil change is a horrible way to treat your vehicle. In short, don’t ever wait that long to change the oil, unless you’re hell bent on destroying the engine.
Again, the oil change intervals on Asian and American vehicles depend on the type of driving you’re doing on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Here are a few examples explaining how frequently certain vehicles require oil changes:
- Customer Andrew lives in town, walks or rides his bicycle a lot, and rarely drives his Honda. He might put 5,000 miles on his car each year. Even though he doesn’t put more than 2,500 miles on his car every six months, we advise that he change his oil -- regardless of the fact that he’s only driven 2,500 miles -- because the condensation that forms can corrode internal parts of his engine. Therefore, Customer Andrew changes his oil every six months.
- Customer Bella is a nurse who has a long commute. She spends a lot of time in her car, driving from her home to the hospital and to the homes of several hospice patients. As a result, she tends to put 20,000 miles on her Toyota every year. She’s in stop-and-go traffic quite a bit, but she’s usually cruising between 50 - 70 miles per hour during her commute. For Customer Bella, we advise oil change intervals every 7,500 miles.
- Customer Christa is somewhere in between Andrew and Bella. Christa is a U of M faculty member who commutes approximately 10 - 20 miles per day, averaging 12,000 miles on her Chevy SUV every year. She’s in stop-and-go traffic quite frequently, commutes daily into Ann Arbor city core, and zips around her hometown of Dexter to do errands and take her kids to their after-school activities. For Customer Christa, we believe the standard recommendation of an oil change every 7,500 miles, or every six months if less than 7,500 miles, is just about right.
As you can see, these three customers of Hoover Street Auto Repair have differing driving patterns. That is why they each have different recommendations for how frequently they change the oil in their vehicles.
At Hoover Street Auto Repair, you can count on us to provide a positive customer experience that is backed by honesty, integrity, and quality work. If you’ve never tried Hoover Street Auto Repair, we are located on the South Campus of the University of Michigan at 142 E Hoover Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Give us a call anytime at (734) 913-6272 if you would like us to inspect your foreign or domestic vehicle and recommend an oil change interval that is right for you. You’ll be glad you did.