Pick up your owners manual and read – that’s why mommy and daddy sent you to school, remember?

You’ll find a typical distance to be 7,500 miles for conventional oil. But noooo, go right ahead and be airheads and let Jiffy Lube, Valvoline, and all the car dealers with their engineering degrees (right) tell you the manufacturer engineers are wrong. I’ve got a 2002 American made car right out in the garage with 205k on it that has never dripped a single drop of oil and still runs perfect and will likely run perfect for at least another 50k, and I ain’t never changed it with less than 6,000 miles on the oil.

Finally…someone is speaking out about the garage rip offs!
When you get your oil changed, they put a sticker in your
window as a reminder for your next change. BUT, it tells
you the mileage you need to change again at….NOT the
mileage you JUST changed at. So if you go by that you’re
getting suckered into a premature oil change. The owner’s
manuals indeed do say about 7,500 miles or so depending
on use. So there’s really no need to do it more often.

[...] wirenews Just how often do you get the oil changed in your ride? California is trying to get car owners to change their oil less often, saying the 3,000-mile interval is wasting [...]

I have a change oil light alerting me to when it is necessary to change the oil. I also use a high quality synthetic oil that is recomended. The dealers tag affixed to the windshield is just a reminder, not gospel, as the change oil light doesnt come on until a good 3,000 miles after their recommended change. The light comes on when the recommended viscosity drops below a safe level for lubricating the engine. Having retired Im not putting the mileage on my car as I once did, so now I get by with one oil change a yr.

In Seattle, a jiffy lube put anti freeze coolant in our daughters vans WINDSHIELD washertank. Talk about a mess. I imagine someone could possibly loose their job over that!

Have any of you actaully taken the time get get a sample of your used oil analyzed? I think you’ll be surprised in what you find, even after 3,000 miles. I change mine every 4-5K miles, and it’s always synthetic. Each of my vehicles take 9+ qts, so it’s not an inexpensive chore.

I keep my vehicles in tune 100%, but it amazes me just how many people are driving around town with their ‘cehck engine’ light illuminated. If you think changing your oil is ‘wasteful’ every 3,000 miles, imagine how much excess fuel you are using when your primary O2 sensors have failed. That, in itself, is wasteful.

ODB readers are cheap, will pay for themselfs with one use, i had mine 3 years (paid $25) used it at least 10 times. dealer would charge $60-100 for ONE reading….My brother in law has NEVER changed oil on his chev. PU….130000+ miles…..but that is a littel OVER doing it………..