Challenger Auto Explains: The Oil Change Interval Crisis

Jeff Gerlach, owner of Challenger Auto and Truck Repair Service, breaks down how often you should change your oil, and why.

[M.R.]

I am 63 years old, I have two cars, a 1985 BMW 735i and a 2010 Subaru Forester Touring 5spd manual, both purchased new from dealers. At "break in period", in both cases, for the first 3000KM I have changed oil and filter every 1000KM then at 5000KM and from then on religiously every 5000KM (stick with one brand of oil through out the life of your car, I happen to use Casterol and Quaker State, never ever use dealer oil, take your own oil with you to the dealer or mechanic). I drop all liquids, and I mean all liquids, from front to back every 50, 000KM and replaced the radiator on each car every 100, 000KM with an original. The BMW has 830, 000KM and the Subaru has 451, 000KM, needless to say neither has ever broken down and neither has ever had the engine or transmission opened for repairs (except for timing belt) I continue to use both cars for everyday use and on very long journeys. This sort of maintenance is considered "over doing it" if you lease cars, I do not. Be vigilant on inspecting cleaning/replacing sensors, valves, pipes, belts, plugs, wires and distributor cap and your car will last a life time, absolutely hassle free. Lastly, wax the exterior of your car once every two months. Happy miles all.

[hecklerkoch]

The engineer of the Nissan GT-R was on another YouTube video stating(through his interpreter), that if you want you car to last 500, 000 or more you need to change the oil every 3000 miles, and change the oil filter every 6000 miles. ESPECIALLY on a turbocharged engine. He also stated eventhough synthetic oil is superior to regular oil, it's not that much better. So, he said, if you want to save money you can use regular oil because it's being changed so often.

[thurm]

This is the BEST video on this subject I have ever seen. I usually change my oil 4500-5k. Always.

[yupsir]

My VW TDI's manual says 7, 500 miles. I went in with a programmer and changed it to 5, 000 miles. Almost at 222, 222! Cant wait to take the picture.

[arthursmith]

Look up New York taxis test oils. You will find there is no more wear on engines with less expensive oils than the expensive oils. Best oil is clean oil. Oil takes in gas water carbon acids while driving thousands of miles. Best insurance for your car/truck is clean oil. A cheap insurance for your engine.

[vincentrobinette]

It's interesting, the recommended oil change interval on my Toyota Prius is 5, 000 miles. I've changed it regularly for the last 280, 000 miles, and the engine still uses less than a quart of oil between changes. With that low oil consumption, I'm still running my original catalytic converter. I think 5, 000 miles is a good compromise between maintenance cost, and longevity. Another thing...Don't skimp on the AIR filter. As important as it is to keep the oil clean, it's equally important to keep the intake air clean! (whether gasoline or diesel)

[marklester]

I live in Jamaica and most of the times we buy used from Japan. We tend to keep our vehicles longer so typically we do our oil changes every 4, 000 to 6, 000 miles. So I agree with you, car manufacturers want you to buy a new car as often as possible.

[christos]

If you follow the 7500-12k mile oil change interval the engines will be out of warranty before you have any major issues and manufacturers are off the hook, they know exactly what they're doing.

[Piloteer]

I still follow the old 3K/3-month interval. Overkill? Perhaps, but it's my vehicle and I don't mind spending the money for fresh oil/filter that often.

[boatingcharlie]

I've been using full synthetic motor oil since 1993. I changed oil every 15, 000 miles on my Ranger truck with no issues and sold it with 327, 000 miles on it still running good original engine. Then I got a Geo Metro 3 cylinder and changed oil every 10, 000 miles with full synthetic and sold that car due to rust at 326, 000 miles still running good. My current car is a Honda Accord with 274, 000 miles running good with 10, 000 mile oil changes. Bottom line is use synthetic oil, never run them out of oil, never run them hot and engines will last a long time. Now these modern turbo engines I feel are a different story. They are running these tiny engines really hard and no amount of oil changes is going to save them. I doubt you will see many turbo charged engines going 200, 000 miles without significant engine work being done.

[texasfan]

Yes, manufacturers want to sell cars but they also don't want to pay for any repairs.

[MoSportsUSA]

The oil change interval is, in large part, dependent upon the vehicle driving mode. I take many road trips where my vehicle is in a steady, highway speed state. The strain upon the vehicle is about the lowest it can experience, therefore, the oil change interval will not be the same as another identical vehicle that rarely leaves the region and is subjected to a lot of stop-and-go driving, especially in colder months and winter.

[markmorton]

The only thing car manufacturers are concerned about is getting the vehicle to last long enough to get out of warranty. If you plan on keeping your vehicle then stick to 3-5k oil change intervals and transmission 30-45k.

[tomschmidt]

The recommended oil change interval on our 2020 Corolla is 10, 000 miles. I've been doing it every 5, 000. I've also switched to synthetic for our older 2008 Corolla and our daughters 2007 Corolla and change oil every 5k. Now that I'm retired I need to change the oil on the 2008 annually because it is not driven much.

Bottom line oil and oil filters are cheap, engine rebuild not so much. This is one of the few DIY maintenance jobs I'm still able to do other then replacing bulbs.

[catfishmark]

Gr8 advice.Owning a vehicle is like owning a home.They both require routine maintenance & inspections. If you're one of those ppl who neglect or ignore that responsibility then you will also be one of those that learn things through the difficult and expensive method.I do my oil changes, every 6 months or 3, 000 miles.Transmission every 3yrs or 50, 000 miles. Differential fluid every 50, 000 miles, transfer case the same, brake fluid every 5yrs or 50, 000 miles, Coolant every 5yrs.Belts and hoses every 7 yrs.Maintainence is absolutely key to vehicle longevity. And as expensive as they are its foolish not to take care of them.Like the old saying can pay a little now or alot later.Either way you're gonna pay.Thanks for the video.

[bdjm]

In the business now for about 25 years and couldn't agree with you more! Your advice is especially true and necessary on modern emission controlled diesel cars and trucks!!

[recoveringnewyorker]

I am a retired mechanic now doing airport transportation. Despite Hyundai‘s problems with their 2.0L turbo and 2.4L engines my 2013 Sonata has 212, 000 miles on the ORIGINAL engine and transmission. Valvoline modern engine full synthetic 5W30 every 3, 000 miles. Transmission fluid changes every 15, 000 miles. I do most of my own service. It’s just starting to consume a small amount of oil (about 1/2 qt every 1, 000 miles). Other than that it still runs and drives great! According to the owners manual in a warm region like Florida 10W30 can be used so I’ll be switching over to 10W30 high mileage in an attempt to slow down the oil burning. That 2013 Sonata is now my back up vehicle. I’ve recently purchased a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander and it will receive the same care only this time by the dealer. I’m getting too old to crawl around under vehicles. On a sidenote the vehicle I traded in was a 1999 Hyundai Accent I purchased new! It’s still ran and drove great when I turned it in! Not bad for a so-called “throwaway car!“

[Jimmyredcab]

I drove a London taxi for 350, 000 miles on the original engine, oil changed every 6, 000 miles.

[ghostwrench]

Curious that the vehicle manufacturers increasing oil service intervals is “a conspiracy”, but a car service center recommending more frequent oil changes is a service to the customer. That said, if your mechanic is honest, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for him to see your car more frequently - particularly on higher mileage vehicles, so that they can monitor things that might become a problem before it actually becomes a problem.

[uf]

Been doing 5k oil changes and tire rotations for decades now! It's very easy to keep up with also!