How Often Should You Really Change Your Oil?

Owning a car is an experience full of all sorts of unexpected expenses. Transmissions, timing belts, and breaks can fail at any time and leave a person saddled with thousands of dollars of repairs.

One of the most effective ways to alleviate some of these potential breakdowns is to routinely change a car's oil. Changing a car's oil can add tens of thousands of miles to a car's lifespan and greatly improve its performance. It is an expected expenses that can be planned out months in advance.

While changing a car's oil is necessary, it is a process that has changed somewhat in recent years. New cars need different kinds of oil. The advice on how often to change oil has shifted as well. There are relatively new guidelines that help drivers determine exactly how often they should perform this key act of vehicular maintenance.

Purpose of car oil

An automobile runs using an internal combustion engine. This engine transfers small explosions caused by aerosolized gasoline and sparkplugs to pistons and then to the drive shaft. This shaft turns the axels and wheels that make the car move forward or backward.

The entire process involves a number of moving metal parts and a considerable amount of friction. Friction from driving can result in parts breaking down or snapping while moving.

Engine oil is essential to helping these parts move safely and reliably. Oil is sprayed to coat all parts of the engine while in operation. It helps lubricate parts and reduce the inevitable friction that occurs. With diesel engines, oil is mixed in with gasoline and lubricates at all stages.

With other forms of engines, it has to be added externally. Oil is added in the form of a drip pan that allows a slow and steady application to essential parts.

This oil eventually becomes clogged and runs low. In that instance, a car owner has to have their oil changed. An oil change involves releasing the oil that is already in the car and replacing it with new oil. These changes are essential to help oil perform its job and keep the engine running properly.

Changing standards

Many of the standards devised for changing car oil were introduced in previous decades. For much of the 20th century, roads were not nearly as reliable and solid as they are today.

Many of these roads were made of dirt and gravel. They had large ruts and would turn into mud after a short rain. Since they were all that drivers could use, they simply had to make due and drive thousands of miles through dirt, muck, and grime. All of this dirt was kicked up into the engine and its system. Oil helped to lubricate the engine and protect it from this dirt and dust. However, driving on dirt roads tended to make cars use up their oil much faster than they would on conventional roads.

These suggestions are now out-of-date. Nearly every road that people drive on during their regular commutes is paved and in decent condition. There is less sand, dirt, and grime on the roadways than there was in the 1960s and 1970s.

Therefore, cars can run much further on a single oil change than they could in previous decades. The earlier suggestions that a person change their oil every 3,000 miles are outdated. They are being replaced with more realistic appraisals of exactly when oil should be changed to ensure peak performance for a car.

Synthetic vs. Conventional

Another factor to consider when one is looking at changing their oil is whether they want to use conventional or synthetic oil. Some cars run so efficiently in the 2020s that they need to use synthetic oil. These cars would not run at peak performance using conventional oil.

There are a number of benefits to using this form of oil. Synthetic oil does not need to be changed nearly as much as conventional oil. Cars that run synthetic oil often run over ten thousand miles without needing a change.

There are also a number of additives and perks that a driver can analyze and evaluate when looking to buy synthetic oil. Some of these options are not available with many conventional oils that drivers buy.

The main downside to synthetic oil is cost. They are more expensive than conventional oils. Synthetic oil may also not be necessary for the high-quality operations of an older car. As a result, they may not always work for a driver's budget.

Many drivers are comfortable and familiar with conventional oil. They may be worried about spending money and putting something they are unfamiliar with in their engines.

Suggestions

The general guideline is that drivers with cars that use conventional oil should change their oil every 7,500 to 10,000 miles. If a car owner does not drive that often, they should usually change their oil once every six months.

For synthetic oil, the general rule is between 7,500 and 15,000 miles. Some forms of synthetic oil suggest that they can go even further without an oil change. Car owners should consult their car manual to ensure that they are not recommended to change their oil even more often. They should also look at the places that they drive. Cars that drive on dirt roads regularly may need to change their oil more often or use a more resilient form of oil.

An oil change should also include a few other preventative maintenance decisions. Owners should make sure that their oil and air filters have been replaced regularly. They also need to look at their cabin air filters at the same time. These steps may help their engine and oil performance as much as the specific brand of oil that they buy.

Anyone who owns and drives a car needs to keep up with their mileage between oil changes. They need to ensure that they are getting changes regularly and using the type of oil that works best for their engines. While guidelines for oil changes vary slightly, the most important step is to consistently perform this act of preventative maintenance throughout the lifespan of a car.