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If you are changing your oil every three months then you are almost certainly wasting money. You should trust the integrity of the oil change shop about as much

If you are changing your oil every three months then you are almost certainly wasting money. You should trust the integrity of the oil change shop about as much as you would trust an 'SEO expert.' There might be good ones, but most are looking to maximize profit at your expense.

eof 16y ago
To be fair, oil changes are basically the best deal you can buy from a 'mechanic'. Besides, he may be commuting 25 miles to and from work in a 98 civic, in which case that would be a fine schedule.
boredguy8 16y ago
This is just multiplying my inhibitions :) It's a '94 Mercedes 500SL, so...better safe than sorry?
- ams6110 16y ago
  Read the owner's manual. Are you using the type and grade of oil and filter they recommend? If you're getting your oil changed at Jiffy Lube, I can assure you that you are almost certainly not.
  - archon 16y ago
    I think you're doing a good job of proving the point. Advice from the 'guy who knows cars': Read the owner's manual. Are you using the type and grade of oil and filter they recommend? Listener response: I don't care. I just want the car to run. Advice from the 'guy who knows computers': Why are you still using IE7? Make sure you upgrade regularly. Listener response: I don't care. I just want to check my email and play Farmville.
    - pyre 16y ago
      True, but if your car starts making noises and you ignore them, it may be your own fault when your car breaks down in the middle of the freeway...
      - moconnor 16y ago
        Is that somehow more your own fault than when, after months of ignoring the strange popups that appear when windows starts up, your virus-ridden computer finally grinds to a halt and fails to boot?
- ars 16y ago
  Every 3000 miles or 6 months. 3 months is quite unnecessary. And if you switch to Mobil-1 oil you can bump that to 6000 miles, and yearly (but only starting from the second usage of it, i.e. the first time you use it stick with 3000 miles). The oil costs more, but you'll save money by doing less changes. With newer cars you can go as much as 10,000 to 15,000 miles with regular oil.
  - eof 16y ago
    Going synthetic in an older vehicle isn't always good. a small leak into the piston woudln't be a problem with regular oil, but with synthetics you have an issue.
    - deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
JabavuAdams 16y ago
This. Whoooooooosh. So, now he knows he's wasting money, but he doesn't know how to exit that state. Essentially, you've told him "You're doing it wrong" (in a helpful tone, to be fair).
krschultz 16y ago
Months is not the metric, miles is. There is a maximum amount of time you want to leave the oil in but most people should be changing it sooner than that for mileage reasons. Follow the manual on your car. In my case that is about every 3 months based on how much I drive. My brother drives a lot more, almost 2,000 miles a month, so he does it every other month.

eof 16y ago

To be fair, oil changes are basically the best deal you can buy from a 'mechanic'. Besides, he may be commuting 25 miles to and from work in a 98 civic, in which case that would be a fine schedule.

boredguy8 16y ago

This is just multiplying my inhibitions :) It's a '94 Mercedes 500SL, so...better safe than sorry?

ams6110 16y ago
Read the owner's manual. Are you using the type and grade of oil and filter they recommend? If you're getting your oil changed at Jiffy Lube, I can assure you that you are almost certainly not.
- archon 16y ago
  I think you're doing a good job of proving the point. Advice from the 'guy who knows cars': Read the owner's manual. Are you using the type and grade of oil and filter they recommend? Listener response: I don't care. I just want the car to run. Advice from the 'guy who knows computers': Why are you still using IE7? Make sure you upgrade regularly. Listener response: I don't care. I just want to check my email and play Farmville.
  - pyre 16y ago
    True, but if your car starts making noises and you ignore them, it may be your own fault when your car breaks down in the middle of the freeway...
    - moconnor 16y ago
      Is that somehow more your own fault than when, after months of ignoring the strange popups that appear when windows starts up, your virus-ridden computer finally grinds to a halt and fails to boot?
ars 16y ago
Every 3000 miles or 6 months. 3 months is quite unnecessary. And if you switch to Mobil-1 oil you can bump that to 6000 miles, and yearly (but only starting from the second usage of it, i.e. the first time you use it stick with 3000 miles). The oil costs more, but you'll save money by doing less changes. With newer cars you can go as much as 10,000 to 15,000 miles with regular oil.
- eof 16y ago
  Going synthetic in an older vehicle isn't always good. a small leak into the piston woudln't be a problem with regular oil, but with synthetics you have an issue.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]

JabavuAdams 16y ago

This. Whoooooooosh. So, now he knows he's wasting money, but he doesn't know how to exit that state. Essentially, you've told him "You're doing it wrong" (in a helpful tone, to be fair).

krschultz 16y ago

Months is not the metric, miles is. There is a maximum amount of time you want to leave the oil in but most people should be changing it sooner than that for mileage reasons. Follow the manual on your car. In my case that is about every 3 months based on how much I drive. My brother drives a lot more, almost 2,000 miles a month, so he does it every other month.