When To Change Your Oil
One topic that many new vehicle owners discuss online at forums like the Car Talk Community is the lifespan of oil. Many car owners debate when to change their oil with surprising passion. The fact is, there isn’t just one answer. There are four. We asked experienced, expert mechanics about this to see if there was a consensus. Here is what we found.
Change your oil based on the oil life monitor
Many new vehicles offer drivers a feature that is intended to help let them know when it is time to change the oil. A message on the infotainment screen will pop up about 500 miles before the oil change is recommended to give the vehicle owner time to schedule an appointment. If you use a vehicle app like FordPass or MySubaru on your phone, you may also get a message on your portable device or computer.
Oil life monitors take into account the type of driving you do, the temperatures during your drives, and the revenue your local dealer needs to hit its service revenue goals. We’re kidding about that last part, but it will come up again.
Monitors like this are very handy. If you drive long distances at moderate speeds during pleasant weather, you won't have to change your oil as often as an owner who has many cold starts during the dead of winter. Also, if you drive your Toyota Supra Turbo like you stole it, hitting the redline at every opportunity and shutting the car down just after a few 0-60 MPH sprints, your oil is going to last a lot longer than the oil in your Aunt Birkett’s Camry. So, the monitor gives you the most oil life while keeping your engine in its best health.
Change your oil based on the owner’s manual recommendation
Every new vehicle has an owner's manual, and studies show that last year, approximately seven individuals out of the 16,432,512 new vehicle owners actually read it. Manuals are great if you want to know how to operate and maintain your vehicle, have trouble sleeping, or if your old dinette set has a short leg that needs a wedge to stop wobbling.
Every owner’s manual has a maintenance schedule that the people who designed and built your car created. You would be surprised just how little there is to do to maintain a modern vehicle. Coolant changes and plugs often last over 100,000 miles, there is no power steering fluid anymore, and transmission fluid changes now are either not recommended or have very long intervals. Oil, tires, brakes, and two cheap filters are the things we still change and inspect on a routine basis.
Your manual may suggest a number based on ideal conditions. Let’s say 10,000 miles between oil changes. However, if you look at the fine print under that schedule, you may notice it says if you drive your car in harsh or severe conditions, the mileage interval will be lower, let’s say 5,000 miles. Those ‘harsh conditions” may include any time it is cold, or hot, or rainy, or snowy, or if your town uses road salt, or if you live where there are hills or highways. Basically, every one of these manuals we have read makes the harsh condition interval so broad in its definition it is pretty much universal. So, check your manual carefully if you opt to use its mileage recommendations.
Premium cars with big oil capacities
Our go-to expert mechanic, Jr. Damato offered up one reason why some new vehicles can go much further between oil changes. Jr. points out that some vehicles such as BMWs, Genesis, Porsche, and other brands, often carry a lot more than the standard four or five quarts. Many of these premium vehicles have up to eight quarts. That added oil capacity helps to prolong the interval between changes.
“I still recommend that owners change the oil every year,” said Car Talk Expert Jr. Damato.
Change your oil based on the dealer’s recommendations
Car dealers, bless their souls, are really looking out for you. They care so much about your car’s health and your happiness that they come up with some crazy-short oil change intervals. Maybe half that of what’s in your car’s manual. They will also suggest work that has no value, such as throttle body cleaning and fuel injector service. Hey, you’re here anyway, so why not do an alignment just to be on the safe side? You can ignore anything not listed in your manual. Or you can help your dealer pay for new golf clubs. It is up to you, but your car will not last longer or run better if you do work it doesn’t need.
Read more on the topic of Automotive Service Upsells and Scams to Decline.
Change oil by date, not by miles
If you drive only a few thousand miles per year like Aunt Birkett or if you own a fun second car that you drive on sunny weekends, you may not drive many miles in any given year. If you don't reach the minimum miles to change your oil, every manufacturer’s manual we have read also offers a time interval to change the oil. It can be as short as six months (Subaru, we’re looking at you) or as long as a year. We recommend following the manufacturer’s instructions, but not for the reason you might expect.
Will oil that is lightly used suddenly turn to brownie mix after 13 months? Nope. It will be almost identical to oil that has gone 11 months. However, if you ever have any warranty issues, your manufacturer may look at those extended intervals and say “Sorry, no warranty on this engine.” Manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis now offer 100,000-mile or ten year powertrain warranties. So, change your oil to maintain your warranty.
Related to this is the topic of aftermarket extended warranties. All of them we have researched, and we think we covered every one, require that the contract holder prove that every oil change was done on time according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. So, skipping an oil change, or going long on one based on time can negate the possibility of using an extended warranty.
Finally, you may want to sell the car to someone who wants to see your oil change records. Our point is, change the oil based on the manual’s time interval if you drive few miles.
Change the oil before storing a car or boat
Jr. has many customers who own a specialty vehicle like a Corvette that they store over the winter. It is best to store the vehicle or boat with clean oil.
He told Car Talk, “You should always change the oil in the fall before storing that vehicle or boat.” Jr. says that the contaminants in the oil can do harm if they sit over the winter without the engine being used.
Is changing the oil too often bad?
While there is no upside to changing your oil more than is required, it won’t harm the inside of your engine. However, oil changes generally fall to the least experienced person on the totem pole at any garage. While changing oil is not rocket science, it does require attention to detail and following the best practices. Is the 16-year-old employed by your local quickie lube still groggy from playing X-Box all night? Is he paying attention to the torque spec on the oil pan nut? Did she replace the washer? Did she pre-soak the oil filter or slap it on over the old o-ring? You see what we are getting at. Every oil change is a roll of the dice that the person who does the work does it right and doesn’t strip your drain’s threads or do something else dumb. For that reason, we try not to add unnecessary oil changes.
A tip about oil life monitors and infotainment systems
When you depart the dealership in your new Acme Thruster, the oil change monitor may be on and doing its thing. This is great. It is a helpful tool. What many folks may not realize is that you can almost always use the infotainment menus to switch it between using its algorithm or just counting miles. You can even do things like change the number of miles of advanced notice it will give you. Finally, you can often reset the counter yourself. Be careful with that. Getting rid of the pop-up warning is fine if you have scheduled your oil change appointment, but if you reset it and it starts counting miles again, it can be easy to forget the whole thing and double up your miles between oil changes.
What are the best oil & filter brands to use?
ASE-certified mechanic and shop owner, Jr. Damato has strong opinions on oil and filter brands.
“There are really only about four manufacturers of oil filters,” says Jr. “Our shop uses Wix filters unless we are using an OEM filter for some reason.” Junior explained that Wix uses the top-quality paper in its filters, and its filtration products meet or exceed the manufacturer's specifications. AAA’s John Paul also favors Wix. “As for filters, I'm a fan of factory filters first, then Wix made by Mann+Hummel or NAPA Gold. These are what I use in my own cars.”
Jr. also points out that many manufacturers use filters with anti-drain-back valves. These valves help to ensure that your car has oil delivered as soon as it is started. “It is important to make sure that if you opt for an aftermarket filter, you get the right type for your car. Match the oil filter to the exact vehicle model or the type of oil you use.” John Paul concurred and added, “With some aftermarket without anti-drain back valves you get a lifter tick for a second or two, or when the oil pressure is high the filter bypasses and oil pressure drops off. These issues don't happen with factory filters or WIX that I have tried.”
When it comes to oil, Jr.’s go-to brand is Pennzoil Ultra Platinum for gasoline engines. “We opt to use the best oil we can at our shop. It costs more than some other brands, but we have grown to trust Pennzoil Ultra Platinum.” Jr. also added that any motor oil that meets the industry’s standards and has the right specifications for your vehicle is likely going to work ok. John Paul agrees, saying, “I'm a Pennzoil fan. The synthetic Platinum Ultra seems to have all the right vitamins and minerals in it to minimize wear.” John added, “Is it better than Walmart store brand synthetic? I'm not sure, but looking at oil analysis, it looks like one of the best.”
For vehicles with diesel powertrains, Jr. uses Shell Rotella T6. Diesel engines operate using slightly different formulations.
