Every 3 Months or 3,000 Miles, Right?

We’ve always known oil change intervals to be the old 3-months, 3,000 miles rule – I’m betting that you probably have heard the same.

Most modern cars nowadays recommend a 7,500 mile oil change interval, and some, like BMW, go by a 15,000 mile interval. While a lot of research has been done and a lot of engineers have put a lot of time into extending the service life of our engines, it’s a concept I have incredibly hard time reconciling with the old “Change the oil every 3,000 miles or else” mindset, especially considering who is on the hook when the problems from a lifetime of 15,000 mile intervals manifest at 110 or 120,000 miles.

Unfortunately this isn’t just a case of automotive hypochondria. Service shops are seeing engines that happily ran for 300,000 miles a few years ago on shorter intervals are now barely making it to 150k. What’s more, manufacturers are starting to admit they’re wrong about such prolonged oil change intervals as time has passed and cars running these lengthy intervals are having problems breaking, meaning manufacturers are having to send out recall after recall to shorten the intervals after a huge increase in warranty claims.

So the question is, do you trust your oil change interval and monitor to keep your motor running for 100k, or change it more frequently and keep the car running to 250k and beyond? Can you afford to trust the manufacturers? We are here to treat your car with the care it deserves! Contact us today!