Oil Change Interval? How Often, How Many Miles or Months? (Analyzing Your Oil: When To Change)

How often should you change your engine oil? Does the oil change interval matter? We delve into the crucial topic of oil changes and when oil changes should be done and provide valuable insights to help you maintain the health of your engine without wasting money.

Join us as we explore how often you should change your oil, focusing on various engine types that may require more frequent attention and regular oil change interval choices.

There is no definitive "when to change engine oil in a car" as each engine and driver are different but it helps to understand what happens if a change is too late and how to determine the correct oil change interval for your engine.

Also the oil change interval with synthetic oil, will vary from a mineral oil and when you should change oil on a turbo engine will differ from the NA engine.

Discover the consequences of neglecting oil changes, including degradation and oxidation, and gain a deeper understanding of how these issues affect your engine's performance through oil analysis.

Oil analysis is like a blood test and can tell you much about potential engine problems and how much wear the engine is currently experiencing and really is the best way to determine when you should change your engine oil.

Furthermore, we demystify the process of interpreting an oil analysis report to determine the condition of your engine. Learn how to make sense of the data provided in these reports, enabling you to make informed decisions about your engine's maintenance needs.

Key topics covered in this video on oil change intervals :

Introduction to oil changes and their importance in engine maintenance.
Understanding different engine types that may require more frequent oil changes.
The consequences of neglecting oil changes, including degradation and oxidation.
Exploring the signs that indicate the need for an oil change.
How to read and interpret an oil analysis report effectively.
Key indicators to look for in an oil analysis report to determine your engine's condition.

This video will answer the following questions:

How often should I change my oil?
Oil Change Interval Guides.
Are there specific engine types that require more frequent oil changes?
How to determine a good oil change interval?
What happens if I don't change my oil regularly?
What are the consequences of oil degradation and oxidation?
How can I determine the condition of my engine?
How do I read and interpret an oil analysis report?
Best oil change interval?
What are the key indicators in an oil analysis report that indicate the condition of my engine?
What signs should I look for to know when it's time for an oil change?
What proactive steps can I take to extend the life of my engine and optimize its performance?

By addressing these questions, the video aims to provide viewers with a comprehensive understanding of oil change frequency, the importance of regular maintenance, the consequences of neglect, and how to utilize oil analysis reports to assess engine condition effectively.

Proactive steps you can take to extend the life of your engine and optimize performance.

Maintaining your engine's health is crucial for long-term reliability and performance.

Whether you're an automotive enthusiast, a DIYer, or simply someone who wants to ensure their engine remains in optimal condition, this video provides essential knowledge and practical tips to help you make informed decisions regarding oil changes, the oil change interval and engine maintenance.

Don't miss out on this valuable information! Watch the video now and take control of your engine's well-being. Remember to like, comment, and subscribe to our channel for more informative content on automotive maintenance and engineering.

Legal Notice: Unless we have inspected your car we can only provide generic theory. All information is provided without warranty, please check any recommendations made with a mechanic locally to verify it would be legal in your area or region and that it would be suitable for your car and your needs.

[redred]

Never seen an engine fail from too many oil changes. Oil is cheap engines are not. 5000 miles. Like the Toyota guy at the car care nut says. He has some good videos on it.

[robertdonadee]

Every 4, 000 on all my cars with full synthetic and an OEM filter. My wife takes a lot of short trips on her Mercedes . Which is hard on an engine .So sometimes I'll change it at 3, 000.

[tazerface]

I bought my car new in 2015. I got it's first oil change at *200* miles. I got it's second oil change at *1000* miles. Every oil change after that was at *3000* miles. It now has 130k miles on it and it still sounds brand new. It burns zero oil between changes and there's zero leaks from any seals. I started doing my own changes when it was out of warranty. Since we have harsh winters here, I put in that mobile synthetic that's supposed to last 15k or 20k miles. That I will change after 5k miles or when it's first nice enough outside to change it comfortably. CHANGE YOUR OIL

[dtudduq]

I have a 1984 Toyota van with a 22r 4cyl engine. Bought it new I change the oil with full synthetic 10-w30 every 5 thousand miles. It now has 475, 000 miles on it and runs great .no major repairs. It's now my camper.

[ron]

I send my oil in to Blackstone labs. It took me 3 years to put 5, 000 miles on my 700 hp Shelby gt500. They told me to go 7, 000 miles next time even if it takes 5 years. They said the oil doesn't break down with age, go longer!

[kartube]

Just starting to watch the replay of this premier now. I 100% change my own oil (and filter) for both of my cars. My BMW with the N54 twin turbo is drive very little, so gets an oil change annually regardless of miles. My Hyundai Elantra is my daily driver, with lots of short trips around town, so I change the oil at ~3K-5K miles religiously. I use top quality synthetic oil in both engines, the BMW getting a more premium brand.

[SootHead]

I change oil based on oil analysis. I start by having the oil analyzed at the manufacturers specified interval. I adjust the interval according to the analysis. In my 20-year experience of having oil analyzed on a series of vehicles from passenger cars, light trucks and farm equipment to help determine the OCI, in my particular operational situation, factory intervals are overly conservative in most cases. Especially as regards time. I extend them out generally, though one diesel tractor demanded a shorter hour interval due to soot... but that that tractor has 9, 000 hours on the clock. I have seen no significant lubricant degradation out to three years. Indications are they could go more but I drew the line there. The cars and light trucks are now at 10K intervals and three years. The tractors are at 100 hours or three years. One tractor usually reaches 100 hours within a year and some, the other usually makes it to three years. I know of one tractor that sat 30 years in a dry climate and when the oil was analyzed, it was considered still suitable for use. Oil doesn't wear a wristwatch, nor can it read a calendar... but it does respond to environmental conditions and will degrade rather more quickly in damp storage or places where there are wide variances in temperature (condensation). Bottom line, it's all about the operation situation. And analysis can lead you to the right spot. FYI, I only use analysis to determine the interval and as long as my operational situation doesn't change, further tests are not done... except occasionally. I have owned one truck since 1987 (bought nearly new w7K miles) and a car since 2000. The tractors 20+ years. Have not have a single failure on anything due to my OCIs.

[angelawerner]

As a retired person, who only drives their older diesel vehicle about 20km once or twice a week, I have been relying on annual oil changes thinking that would be sufficient. After watching your video, I understand how oil degrades over time and I will be more diligent and have the oil changes done every six months from now on.

[benniestander]

My rule of thumb is: Conventional oil 6 months 5000 km / Full Synthetic 1 year 8000km. Never had a problem.

[devontucker]

After replacing two turbochargers following the manufactures recommendations, I’ll be doing 5k max between changes and that’s with full synthetic.

[shawna]

I only do 2000 miles per year. Changing every 6 months just doesnt seem practical. I do 1 year intervals with a long life synthetic.

[danielsolomon]

Many people don't realise the number one reason why engine oil degrade and loosing it's viscosity is because of fuel dilution the engine oil because the fuel they are using doesn have enough or in America maybe 0% detergent in it. So what happen is your fuel injections system became dirty and it won't atomize the fuel enough causing for of thick liquid form of fuel and the engine will not able to burn the fuel causing it slips into the piston rings area into your engine oil. Another reason why the fuel turns bad loosing it's viscosity is moisture and lastly if you always run hard heavy load on you engine the polymer additive that responsible to keep your viscosity into certain degree will break the polymer molecules and you will loose your viscosity and causing futher wear. Remember the worse thing you do to your engine oil is to keep idle for a very long period of time and stuck in heavy traffic for long hours everyday counts as well beside your mileage. Is better to use cheap good engine oil and change it often rather buying expensive engine oil but dragging your oil interval at insanely long. So if you know how to change it yourself you save money from labour charges and change it when ever you feel the engine is no longer feels good or smooth when driving or if you really can't tell the difference change it every 5000km the max. Like me I stuck in heavy traffic almost everyday, I normally change the oil every 3500km or sometimes 5000km when I really have no time to it. I am using Shell Rimula R6 LM 10W40 oil because is a very good and cheap engine oil for my gasoline engine. This engine oil is meant for diesel engine but so far at 187, 000km the engine is still smooth and my catalytic converter has 0% issues, I will say it is way better than Shell Hilux Ultra gasoline engine oil but way way cheaper. Is only $102 USD for 20 liters of engine oil here in Malaysia. Don't waste your money on expensive Pennzoil because it is Shell, Shell bought it in the year 2002.

[kilroy]

I just bought a Trax 2024 - 3 cylinder 1.2L turbo. I'm getting the oil changed at around 800 miles, then at 3000, then follow a 6 month/4-5k mile schedule.

[adamsaint]

Look forward to watching the video for sure but before I watch it - IMO - it's so inexpensive to buy 5L of oil that meets the spec (for 1.8T Beetle) that I do it every ~4 or 5k miles and replace the filter every second change. Will be interesting to see your results and other people's opinions.

[nelsonrodriguez]

I have a 2003 Toyota sienna that has 259.000 miles. I change the oil one time a month so the engine runs great.

[BOSS-xyop]

I Have a 2010 Toyota Camry with a 2.5L 4 cylinder. I drive about 300 miles a week to work all highway miles 60 to 75 mph everyday. I use a full synthetic oil 0w-20. I have 250, 000 miles plus on my engine. I change my oil every 5, 000 miles. No issues and my engine doesn't burn no oil!

[connynoren]

I really appreciate your videos! They aren't flashy or pushy or overly edited, but filled with great detailed information. Keep it up, new subscriber here!

[niacalnia]

I change my 1986 porsche 928S every 2 years with 8 liter of 20w50 non synthetic oil and drive less than 3000 miles a year and live in Southern California. My car has close to miles and does not burn oil and still running fine. I do my own oil change. Oil change should be done on engine operating hours. Short trip does require shorter intervals because engine does not reach normal operating temperature to burn off moisture.

[BlackhawkPilot]

I have been doing 25K oil changes for over 30 years, drive most cars to over 300K miles and have never had an oil related failure. I have modified the wast-gate pressure and the down-pipe for additional power. I have also never had an oil analysis showing excessive wear.

[dkindig]

Have hung out on BITOG for years (Bob Is The Oil Guy). Most of the Blackstone test results you see there for good full synthetics don't even start seeing degradation of the additive packages until around the 8000-mile mark (US). I change mine at 7500 because that often divides into other service intervals nice and evenly, essentially maintaining 'like-new' performance of the oil.