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How often should I get my oil changed?

The job of all motor oil is to keep your engine well lubricated. Over time, that oil breaks down, gets dirty, and holds microscopic metal shavings from the normal wear of your motor. Frequent changes of your motor oil and filter keep your engine running at its best. An oil change is the cheapest preventative maintenance you can do. Quite simply: cars that receive frequent oil changes last longer than those without.

There are two basic types of motor oil:

• Synthetic/Synthetic Blend: This oil is man-made.
• Regular: This oil is pumped out of the earth and refined for use in cars.

An oil change with regular motor oil costs about half as much as synthetic/blended oil.

The mileage between oil changes depends on the type of motor oil that is in your car.
Regular motor oil should be changed every 3,000 miles – no questions asked.
Synthetic/Synthetic Blend motor oil every 5,000 – 10,000 miles – depending on various factors.

The first determining factor on mileage between changes should be your automobile manufacturer’s recommendation. This can be found in your owner’s manual. Many cars with synthetic oil have manufacturer recommended intervals at 10,000 miles. This should be viewed as the absolute longest time between changes!

Our recommendation is to have your synthetic/synthetic blend motor oil changed every 5,000 miles. Think about it. . . your motor still works the same, creating dirt and abrasive metal shavings. The only difference is that synthetic oil doesn’t break down as quickly as regular motor oil. But it still breaks down. Do you want 5,000 miles of debris in your motor oil or 10,000 miles before you change it?

The good news is that every time you bring your car in for an oil change, a repair technician has their hands and eyes on your car!