Fraud Tip of the Day - June 3

How often should I change my car's oil?

Most vehicle makers recommend that you change your car or truck's oil every 7,500 miles under normal driving conditions if it has a gasoline engine. Experts advise motorists to change the oil in diesel and turbocharged engines every 3,000 miles or within six months.

If this is true, why do service station employees slap stickers on my car urging me to return for an oil change within the next 3,000 miles?

One reason is obvious. The more often you have your oil changed the more money they make. However, there is more to say on this this subject than that. If you aren't driving your car under ideal circumstances, you might be better off replacing your oil more often than every 7,500 miles.

Driving conditions make a difference

The question is: what are ideal driving conditions and what are not? Ideal driving conditions are longer drives, clean air and moderate temperatures. If you only use your car for short trips in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic where there's a lot of dust in the air and it's extremely hot or cold most of the time, you should probably change your oil closer to 3,000 than 7,500 miles or at least once every six months.

Another consideration is blowby in older vehicles. As your car gets older and your driven it quite a few miles, blowby increases. Blowby refers to unburned gas that ends up in your crankcase. This dilutes the oil that protects your engine. This can mean additional engine wear and tear, poor performance and gas mileage.

What about the oil filter?

Vehcle manufacturers recommend you replace the oil filter every other oil change. Many mechanics advise replacing the filter every time you change your oil. The filter may be fine but replacing it when your change your oil eliminates the possibility of contaminating the new oil with what's in the oil filter. The additional cost of replacing the oil filter when the oil is changed is tiny compared to the piece of mind you get knowing you've gone the extra mile to baby your car.

We also advise people to check their oil often. Letting the oil lever get too low can lead to disaster. The same can be said for adding too much oil. Both can shorten your engine's lifespan and cost you lot of money.