# What under the hood... Oil changes



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

Hey everyone,

I am just curious about oil changes. I have a 2012 Subaru Imperza, I'm almost to the point of 100K miles on my car (only 3.5k from Uber and Lyft since I am new ) Recommend oil changes are 7500 mile or 7.5 months since I use *Synthetic 0w-20. *These are the minimum miles and time frame to do oil changes. I know I can go longer on the miles, if I need too. But I take good care of my car so I usually go in around 7.5k-7.8k. I do my oil changes at Valvoline and I always like to get into the discussion with them, of the whole oil change bible of 3k or 3 months recommended for the manufacture. I'm like where does it say that in my owners manual? _Most new cars don't need oil changes every 3k miles, if you are doing oil changes every 3k miles you are just throwing away your money. _Trust me I wish I could do my own oil changes I would used *Mobil 1 5W-30 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor* its good for up too 15k . What do you guys do???

Also when the Valvoline person is tell you that you are running under severe conditions, just laugh at them. We are not taking the car to the track. Racing a car is *severe conditions. *

_*Keep safe out there and ride on *_


----------



## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

I do my own Oil changes. I buy factory or Bosch filters and Mobil 1 from WalMart.

My Camry's interval was 10,000 miles on full synthetic 0W-20 oil.

I'll never forget walking by a small quick lube shop and watching the owner refill the empty Mobil 1 bottles with oil from the conventional oil gun that hangs from the ceiling, then placing them back into the Mobil 1 box... buyer beware.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

LAuberX said:


> I'll never forget walking by a small quick lube shop and watching the owner refill the empty Mobil 1 bottles with oil from the conventional oil gun that hangs from the ceiling, then placing them back into the Mobil 1 box... buyer beware.


Ya, I am always wondering about that...

Man I wish I could change my oil myself


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Even if you don't use synthetic oils, you can most likely do a lot more than 3k miles. Todays motor oil is much more advanced than the oils from years ago. 

Use the oil weight and type that it says in your owner's manual. If it tells you to use regular, synth blend, or full synthetic - use that. If it tells you to change every 7,500 miles - do that.

It's pretty simple.


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Lyber Dan said:


> Ya, I am always wondering about that...
> 
> Man I wish I could change my oil myself


It's pretty simple. Just get some rhino ramps for like $40 and do it yourself. It takes me about 15 minutes to change my cars oil with minimal tools.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

My Cost are $94 talking it to the Shop... If I had the equipment, it would cost  I really need to learn how to do it myself...
*Frequently Bought Together*










+

Total price: $35.34
Add both to Cart
Add both to List
Buy the selected items together

This item:Mobil 1 M1-110 Extended Performance Oil Filter $8.90
Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 5 U.S. QTS/4.73L. $26.44


----------



## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

Look on YouTube for oil change on your exact model... it may just have a video how-to that will help.


----------



## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Lyber Dan said:


> Also when the Valvoline person is tell you that you are running under severe conditions, just laugh at them. We are not taking the car to the track. Racing a car is *severe conditions.*
> 
> _*Keep safe out there and ride on *_


So is hours and hours and continual driving/idling.



Lyber Dan said:


> _
> 
> Most new cars don't need oil changes every 3k miles, if you are doing oil changes every 3k miles you are just throwing away your money. __**_


At100,000 miles is hardly a new car. 


Lyber Dan said:


> My Cost are $94 talking it to the Shop... If I had the equipment, it would cost  I really need to learn how to do it myself...
> *Frequently Bought Together*
> 
> 
> ...


It is so simple, you only need a few tools and a few minutes. A basic socket set will cost you 10-20 buck at walmart, make sure you get metric probably 15mm.
An oil filter wrench, make sure it fits your cars filter, a pan to catch the old oil and a funnel. That's it. You'll probably save money on the first oil change even after buying all the stuff you need.

It really is so easy, on a scale of 1-10. 1.5 maybe! Remove the oil pan bolt/plug, drain oil into bucket . Remove oil filter.
Put on new oil filter, hand tight. Put bolt/plug back into oil pan. Fill with oil. Run for a few minutes, check level, check for leaks. Do not over fill.

Tada! $70 saved


----------



## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Lyber Dan said:


> Ya, I am always wondering about that...
> 
> Man I wish I could change my oil myself


You can... I have faith. I taught my daughter how to change her own old when she was 17. Well, I made her learn how, but... it's really very, very basic. Just remember right tighty, lefty loosey ...lol.


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Truth. Long nonstop runs are BRUTAL for non-performance vehicles engineered for general consumer use.

Ran a rental 2015 Altima thru a 48-state vacation (+ ~10k mi...odometer went from 3.5k rec'd to 13.5k returned) --- that thing started melting thru its B traction/ C temperature junk tires within any 6 hours of continued operation (got fed up swapped em out and tossed em in the trunk after just a week) and just generally overheating regularly when driven and/or idled all day, day after day....despite almost never going on the freeways and sticking to 45-50mph country backroads 90% of the mileage

Btw it wasnt summer heat causing it, the worst overheats w/ AC blowing hot, brakes fading, and occasionally drive by wire going into RPM lock and not responding at all for like 30 seconds (fun!fun!fun!!) was at elevation 12k ft in Carson Nat'l Forest in New Mexico --- and that was all cold, with black ice laying around on the road despite it being August...



wk1102 said:


> So is hours and hours and continual driving/idling.
> 
> At100,000 miles is hardly a new car.
> 
> ...


----------



## Schwaeky (Feb 26, 2016)

Myself I had a bit of a bugaboo from personal experience against using synthetic oil. 

I've seen in certain vehicles where converting to synthetic oil caused excessive wear in the camshaft and premature engine failure, especially in a previous job driving commercial chassis GMC 5500 with the 8.1 liter Vortec (propane powered)

Bottom line if you're driving for Uber, routine checking of fluids is a must, but more importantly even if you do use synthetic and I know many do successfully, if you do use synthetic in the conditions which our cars get put in, given the excessive stop and go the most I would go on a synthetic oil change would be between 5000 and 7500 miles not the full 10,000 miles that the manufacturers rate it as good for. If like me you stick with dino oil, 3000 miles, do not pass go do not collect $200, get the oil changed. 

Myself in my 06 Lucerne I typically gravitate towards either Mobil super 5w30, but i am considering shifting towards Castrol 5w30 as my oil of choice, as I use Castrol 10w 40 in my Cutlass and my Caprice station wagon with no problems whatsoever.

As for 100k miles, technically hardly a new car but it depends on the vehicle actually some vehicles that 100,000 miles are completely washed up, chewed up and spit out. Other cars on the other hand are just barely broken in.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

Ok this is not the 80's or 90's cars we are talking about here. My is car 2012. Owners manual says if I used the correct oil, oil changes are at 7500 miles or 7 months minimum. Even up to 200,000 miles. The old school thinking of 3 months or 3,000 miles you're just throwing money out the window. Even my mechanic says I'm doing good. Also by "new car" I mean years, not millage.


----------



## Schwaeky (Feb 26, 2016)

Well conventional wisdom is OK when it comes to normal driving I don't agree so much with severe duty driving like we do with uber. Fair to say we put as much wear and tear on our vehicles as the taxi cab drivers and police officers do on theirs. The deficiencies there lay in. The oil as much as oil filter technology which Wile gotten better over the last several years still is less than ideal for that long a mileage.


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Dan The Lyft Man said:


> Ok this is not the 80's or 90's cars we are talking about here. My is car 2012. Owners manual says if I used the correct oil, oil changes are at 7500 miles or 7 months minimum. Even up to 200,000 miles. The old school thinking of 3 months or 3,000 miles you're just throwing money out the window. Even my mechanic says I'm doing good. Also by "new car" I mean years, not millage.


Best bet is to do whatever your owner's manual tells you to do. They're tell you the type of oil (regular, synth blend, or full synth), the weight of the oil, and the intervals. If they tell you to change every 7500 miles, you're safe doing that. They built the car, they know how it should be maintained. Oil changes every 3k miles is a thing of the past.


----------



## oobaah (Oct 6, 2015)

Here's my 2cents...

My car is a 2009 and it calls 5w30 dino.

I use 5w30 Mobil 1 FULL SYNTHETIC EP and change it every 10,000 miles

I check the dipstick every 2500 miles religiously, and have not noticed any oil loss so far.

As I always say...THE DIPSTICK DONT LIE.

I buy my own oil and watch as its being poured into the engine. That way, I KNOW what went in there.


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Schwaeky said:


> Well conventional wisdom is OK when it comes to normal driving I don't agree so much with severe duty driving like we do with uber. Fair to say we put as much wear and tear on our vehicles as the taxi cab drivers and police officers do on theirs. The deficiencies there lay in. The oil as much as oil filter technology which Wile gotten better over the last several years still is less than ideal for that long a mileage.


Unless your car is idling or driving slowly for 12 hours per day, every day of the week, and in severe weather, you're most likely not driving under severe conditions.

I've done this for a long time - both taxi and limo work - and have never blown an engine or transmission on any of my cars over 10+ years of doing this full time. I do exactly what the book tells me to do as far as regular maintenance goes.


----------



## RightTurnClyde (Dec 9, 2015)

Being a car junkie for all of my life, I've spent a lot of time researching this subject. Most cars labeled with 3000k mileage changes were designed/tested with standard oil used and are usually older vehicles. 7500k+ full synthetic. Some vehicles have 15000k recommended synthetic oil change rotations but also usually have much larger oil capacities (eg Mercedes cargo vans at 15qts+\-).

Be aware that in the US there is NO industry definition or qualification standards of what a Sythetic or Sythetic Blend oil is. Technically, if you wanted to sell "sythetic blend" you could take regular oil and add 1 drop of sythetic oil in it and you'd be good to go in the US. Also, most full sythetic oils in the US usually aren't. I use Castrol "European Blend" full sythetic which is a true 100% full sythetic in my sports car. In Europe sythetic oils are fully regulated and standardized. My Rideshare car runs on the best synthetic deal $$ I can get a Walmart (runs fine at 156,000 am I'm not picky in the oil
I've run in her) FWIW. For more information you could ever want to know about oils visit Bob The Oil Guy's pages online at:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm


----------



## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

oobaah said:


> Here's my 2cents...
> 
> My car is a 2009 and it calls 5w30 dino.
> 
> ...


Do they charge you less when you bring your own oil?


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

wk1102 said:


> Do they charge you less when you bring your own oil?


They do since you're only paying for service, but you'll need to bring to a mechanic and not some quick lube place. I'd imagine those quick oil change places probably require you to use their oil.

Just buy a couple rhino ramps and change your oil yourself. Takes 10 minutes to do with minimal tools.


----------



## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

EcoboostMKS said:


> Just buy a couple rhino ramps and change your oil yourself. Takes 10 minutes to do with minimal tools.


Oh I do, no rhino ramp required. I've only ever paid for one oil change in life.

I hate paying someone to do something I can do myself. Just did my brakes Tuesday, the second pick up I did after I did them was from a mechanics shop. The rider paid 400plus to have his breaks done. Mine cost 50.86 (forgot to use my 10% auto zone discount damnit) and about an hour of time. That including showing my son how to do them and having him do one wheel.


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

wk1102 said:


> Oh I do, no rhino ramp required. I've only ever paid for one oil change in life.
> 
> I hate paying someone to do something I can do myself. Just did my brakes Tuesday, the second pick up I did after I did them was from a mechanics shop. The rider paid 400plus to have his breaks done. Mine cost 50.86 (forgot to use my 10% auto zone discount damnit) and about an hour of time. That including showing my son how to do them and having him do one wheel.


Yeah... I'm the same way. Anything i can do myself, I do it. Sometimes a car just needs to be on a lift to do a job though and I have no choice, but all the maintenance type stuff i do myself - fluids, brakes, rotors, plugs, etc.

What do you do to do the oil change? Jack the car up and use jack stands? I highly recommend rhino ramps if you don't have them. Takes a lot less time than jacking the car up and they're cheap.

Check out rockauto.com too for parts. Better prices than autozone/aap and much better selection. I order all my stuff from them.


----------



## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

I pull the front tire on a couple of pieces 2×4 left over from an old project, put a piece of cardboard down and slide under. 

I do have a 2.5 jack floor jack so when I need to jack it up it isn't a problem. Those little Jacks that come with the car scare the hell out of me.


----------



## PHXTE (Jun 23, 2015)

wk1102 said:


> I pull the front tire on a couple of pieces 2×4 left over from an old project, put a piece of cardboard down and slide under.
> 
> I do have a 2.5 jack floor jack so when I need to jack it up it isn't a problem. Those little Jacks that come with the car scare the hell out of me.


That's pretty ghetto, what's your life worth? You can get a set of rhino ramps from Wal-Mart for $40.

And don't *ever* crawl under a car up on a jack without jackstands.


----------



## Walkersm (Apr 15, 2014)

Dan The Lyft Man I am curious as to who or how do you evaluate the life of your brake pads? The quick lube place tell you?


----------



## Schwaeky (Feb 26, 2016)

Easy enough to tell if u pull the wheels, brake pad rotor thickness is easy enough to see. Of course would use Jacks and jackstands...


----------



## USArmy31B30 (Oct 30, 2015)

Dan The Lyft Man said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I am just curious about oil changes. I have a 2012 Subaru Imperza, I'm almost to the point of 100K miles on my car (only 3.5k from Uber and Lyft since I am new ) Recommend oil changes are 7500 mile or 7.5 months since I use *Synthetic 0w-20. *These are the minimum miles and time frame to do oil changes. I know I can go longer on the miles, if I need too. But I take good care of my car so I usually go in around 7.5k-7.8k. I do my oil changes at Valvoline and I always like to get into the discussion with them, of the whole oil change bible of 3k or 3 months recommended for the manufacture. I'm like where does it say that in my owners manual? _Most new cars don't need oil changes every 3k miles, if you are doing oil changes every 3k miles you are just throwing away your money. _Trust me I wish I could do my own oil changes I would used *Mobil 1 5W-30 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor* its good for up too 15k . What do you guys do???
> 
> ...


You are correct! I took some autotech classes and our mastertech confirmed that you must follow the manual's recommendation. For example my Nissan Altima shows 5k miles 5w-30 motor oil, stick with the mileage and not the time specially when you are using FULL synthetic motor oil. You can stick with the mileage intervals unless the vehicle will be STORED and will not run for a long time OR was under above normal/heavy use on the race track on constant HIGH RPM/TEMP and or terrain on this case you may change the oil based on time. If you are changing oil before the manual recommendation then you are throwing your money away.

Always use motor oil that the OWNERS MANUAL RECOMMENDS. Using a different motor oil grade in hopes of a BETTER PERFORMANCE will more than likely HARM your engine than good. Example: a vehicle engine suited for 5w30 and using a thinner viscosity if 0w20 in hopes to increase mileage is a bad idea. Just because it is a thinner oil it doesn't mean it will make the engine run smoother. There are other considerations that the motor oil needed to better protect the engine such as polymer shear. Although other oil may be used TEMPORARILY prolonged use of motor not suited for your engine will cause premature wear. Research Fuel Economy Vs. Wear is a good read. You want to save gas or want good mileage? Ease up on the gas pedal and or buy a hybrid car...

The best way to increase your earnings is to learn how DIY simple vehicle maintenance such as oil changes $20-$120, ****** flushes $80-$450, power steering flush $50-$200, brake fluid flush $25-$50, coolant flush $25-$150, brake repairs$250-$600, spark plug changes $100-$300, light bulb changes, oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, AC repairs etc. etc. basic "remove and replace" maintenance. By doing these simple repairs you will significantly lower your yearly maintenance costs by more than half.

Most vehicle repairs are on youtube and or buying a repair manual. All it takes is a bit of research, the right tools, persistence and a bit of elbow grease...


----------



## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Google New York taxi cab oil test and you'll find info about Consumer Reports testing of oils and oil change intervals. This was done back in the 90s, but basically, every 3000 miles turned out to be BS, even in what was definitely considered harsh conditions.


----------



## Schwaeky (Feb 26, 2016)

Where are the end of the day what you do with your own car is your business my reason has more to do with the security of knowing that I will never have problems by adhering to my strict schedule of 3000 miles. More importantly in my case there are a few specific sensors that malfunction if there are noxious gases in the oil which tends to happen beyond the 3,000 mile mark. However, due to filter design not catching up fully, I would certainly recommend changing filters at said interval and topping off the oil level for sure, because filtration reliability drops off typically beyond the 3k Mike mark dramatically.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

USArmy31B30 said:


> The best way to increase your earnings is to learn how DIY simple vehicle maintenance such as oil changes $20-$120, ****** flushes $80-$450, power steering flush $50-$200, brake fluid flush $25-$50, coolant flush $25-$150, brake repairs$250-$600, spark plug changes $100-$300, light bulb changes, oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, AC repairs etc. etc. basic "remove and replace" maintenance. By doing these simple repairs you will significantly lower your yearly maintenance costs by more than half.
> 
> Most vehicle repairs are on youtube and or buying a repair manual. All it takes is a bit of research, the right tools, persistence and a bit of elbow grease...


I am going to try to change my oil myself  Subaru's are not too bad

Power steering/Brake is a little too complex for me. 

Brakes done at Midas so I have life time brake pads just have to pay for the rotors/labor cost.

Funny thing about Midas, I called them about a quote on changing my spark plugs. They told me I can "only" get the spark plugs at Subaru and they need a one of a kind tool that they would need to order. So I could buy the spark plugs and they can get the tool. Soooo I need to go to Subaru then for that service.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

Walkersm said:


> I am curious as to who or how do you evaluate the life of your brake pads? The quick lube place tell you?


Brake pads there is no time limit or miles. It's when you feel and hear the signs... Grinding/Sounds coming from the brakes, When braking, steering wheel shaking (replaced). They should be inspected every 15-20k. Replace when needed (PRN)

The quick Lube place tells me 3k even when they put the sticker on.  Laugh at them every time.

Owners manual about my oil, 7.5k or 7 months._* Minimum*_ They only problem is it's 0W-20 a lot of places don't carry.


----------



## Dan The Lyft Man (Dec 25, 2015)

Fuzzyelvis said:


> Google New York taxi cab oil test and you'll find info about Consumer Reports testing of oils and oil change intervals. This was done back in the 90s, but basically, every 3000 miles turned out to be BS, even in what was definitely considered harsh conditions.


Don't forget we are not taxis or Police. If you are racing to the next PAX. Just to get there as quick as possible. Yes you are going to grid your brakes to nothing quicker. Not to mention everything else in your car.

I had a really good Lyft mentor. He told me "Don't race over to pick up your passenger, Don't do any illegal turns,. Take your time. Most passenger are not going to care that you got there a minute early. "


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Schwaeky said:


> Where are the end of the day what you do with your own car is your business my reason has more to do with the security of knowing that I will never have problems by adhering to my strict schedule of 3000 miles. More importantly in my case there are a few specific sensors that malfunction if there are noxious gases in the oil which tends to happen beyond the 3,000 mile mark. However, due to filter design not catching up fully, I would certainly recommend changing filters at said interval and topping off the oil level for sure, because filtration reliability drops off typically beyond the 3k Mike mark dramatically.


You got any real data or studies that show oil filters start losing effectiveness after 3k because i find that very hard to believe. A quality filter should go well beyond 3k without a problem. Some of the long life filters they make these days can easily do 15k plus. I do recommend changing the filter with every oil change though. You're just throwing away money replacing them at 3k miles.


----------



## EcoboostMKS (Nov 6, 2015)

Walkersm said:


> Dan The Lyft Man I am curious as to who or how do you evaluate the life of your brake pads? The quick lube place tell you?


All you have to do is look at them. With some wheels, you can see without taking the tires off the car. With most wheels, just take the tire off and inspect. When the pads are getting low, it's time to replace.

I would not rely on sounds and screeches to tell me when it's time to change pads. Not all pads come with wear indicators, so if you're hearing scraping, you're damaging your rotors.


----------



## USArmy31B30 (Oct 30, 2015)

Dan The Lyft Man said:


> I am going to try to change my oil myself  Subaru's are not too bad
> 
> Power steering/Brake is a little too complex for me.
> 
> ...


Oil changes are one of the vehicle maintenance that are really hard to mess up. It is very unnerving at first just like any other tasks out there, but once you've done this, it is very rewarding! Just make sure you have the right tools and info for the oil change.

- Oil type and Filter
- Oil Pan Bolt size and torque specs
- crush washer (really cheap .02-.15 cents each)
- jack stands (don't rely on jacks)
Or
- ramps (make sure to buy chalk blocks from Walmart or Harbor Freight, you don't want your car to move while on the ramps )
- wrench or socket/ratchet wrench (extendable a plus for leverage at tight spaces)
- oil filter wrench (i like the CLAW TYPE not the wrap around, only use this to remove the oil filter)

- funnel (get the wide mouth and has extended tube under atleast 6" long to prevent spillage)
- know the amount of oil that goes in

That's all there is to it. Just a bit of google search and you are on your way to saving big money!

POWER STEERING FLUID
You will probably do this once or twice for the life of your car. But if you must, you can do this with two tools. One, a hose clamp pliers or pliers, and two a TURKEY BASTER. Find the small hose that runs fron your PS pump to the radiator. Remove the clamp and put the hose in the oil pan ( preferred a gallon jug to prevent spillage) turn on the car (have someone hold the hose until it squirts out all PSF.) Ifbyou have to do this yourself, use a heavy duty clamp to secure the hose IN PLACE. Once done, replace, fill the PSF RESERVOIR with PSF. Let it idle for a minute or 2. ENGINE OFF, Use the turkey baster to remove the PSF from the reservoir, dump it in the oil pan, when the PSR is empty, put new PSF in the reservoir. Repeat Process, Keep doing this until PSF looks clean (bright red) if you don't want to remove the PS hose to empty out the PSF faster, then you can do the TURKEY BASTER METHOD but it will take you a long time to clean out that old PSF.

BRAKES
I recommend change the rotors every time you change the brake pads. Turning the rotors is a waste of money and unsafe. Turning the rotors will make the rotors thinner (resurfacing) thinner rotors are prone to "heat spots" causing brakes to "shudder" or pulsates when breaking. Thinner rotors overheats faster and can also cause "brake fade" which prevents the vehicle to stop. Bigger heavier vehicles are prone to brake fades, but lighter vehicles may get away with turning the rotors (resurfacing) for normal driving conditions, steep hills and or racing conditions can be dangerous. New rotors and brake pads are good for 40k-60k YMMV and the parts are very affordable. ($180 for my Altima fronts and rear set of rotors with ceramic brake pads)

This task can be done by hand tools but air tools will make this task easier and faster. All you have to do is make sure to know the tools you are going to need and the proper brake caliper bolt torque specs for your vehicle. If you are using jack and jackstands, you should be able to install the brakes for 2 to 3 hours with just regular tools in maybe an hour to an hour and a half with the air tools. If you have a vehicle lift to give you that clearance to work on the brakes, you should be able to do this with in an hour.

SPARK PLUGS
There are some vehicles with spark plugs located in a very awkward spots which engineers probably not thought of the spark plugs to be changed for the life of the vehicle. Like for the 2008 Nissan quest, 3/6 of the spark plugs are located underneath the intake manifold. In order for me to change that out, I had to remove the intake manifold which is a pain. For your Subaru, All you have to do really is, find out what kind of spark plugs your Subaru is using and you could probably find the parts on either Pep Boys or NAPA. You could also order them online which you may save about 20 to 50% than buying from the STEALERSHIP  I avoided the stealership like the black plague!



EcoboostMKS said:


> You got any real data or studies that show oil filters start losing effectiveness after 3k because i find that very hard to believe. A quality filter should go well beyond 3k without a problem. Some of the long life filters they make these days can easily do 15k plus. I do recommend changing the filter with every oil change though. You're just throwing away money replacing them at 3k miles.


3k is nothing unless you beat the crap out of the car for 3k miles like drag racing, autocross, off road racing constantly on high RPM range. Normal stop and go is NOT harsh driving conditions LOL. I used to have the same mentallity for the 3200 miles/3 months maintenance until a mastertech answered all my questions including the gas OCTANE I use for my vehicle LOL. Stick to the owner's manual recommendation and you will be fine.


----------



## MotownUberDriver (Mar 2, 2016)

Dan The Lyft Man said:


> Hey everyone,
> 
> I am just curious about oil changes. I have a 2012 Subaru Imperza, I'm almost to the point of 100K miles on my car (only 3.5k from Uber and Lyft since I am new ) Recommend oil changes are 7500 mile or 7.5 months since I use *Synthetic 0w-20. *These are the minimum miles and time frame to do oil changes. I know I can go longer on the miles, if I need too. But I take good care of my car so I usually go in around 7.5k-7.8k. I do my oil changes at Valvoline and I always like to get into the discussion with them, of the whole oil change bible of 3k or 3 months recommended for the manufacture. I'm like where does it say that in my owners manual? _Most new cars don't need oil changes every 3k miles, if you are doing oil changes every 3k miles you are just throwing away your money. _Trust me I wish I could do my own oil changes I would used *Mobil 1 5W-30 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor* its good for up too 15k . What do you guys do???
> 
> ...


Grunch.

As for your comment about severe conditions... I actually am educated in this (somewhat), and I would like to enlighten you.

The most common thing people do that is bad for the car (and they don't know it), is short trips.

If you start the car, drive 3 minutes away, and shut it off, really bad for the engine and oil.

The oil doesn't heat up enough. The engine doesn't get warm. The easiest way to tell, is pull your dipstick. If you can smell gas, you drive short trips. You won't have to put the dipstick right up to your nose. It will be pretty strong.

It can also accumulate a whole bunch of gunk in the top end of the engine, from taking short trips. I have seen it before, it looks like solidified oil or fat. Nasty looking.

That is just one example.


----------

