# Oil change, how often?



## Zhenbuxianghua (Feb 17, 2017)

The old rules have been 3k/3m and my car's manual says 5k/6m. I drive about 3k miles per month(sometimes even more). Don't you find it cumbersome to change your oil every month? I mean I do it myself but I hate to jack the car up and get dirty. 
So a while ago I decided that I only change oil once every 2 months, maybe around 6~7k miles. So far it seems my engine holds up pretty good. I don't use synthetic oil either since the only reason you should use synthetic is that the synthetic is way more stable so you can leave oil unchanged for longer period of time. A friend of mine change oil once per year(full synthetic) but he drives only about 10k a year. I figured since I change oil every 60 days there's no need for synthetic. 
Also the oil filter, I only change the filter every other time I change the oil. It's hard to get to the filter in my car. 
Any thoughts?


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## SuzeCB (Oct 30, 2016)

I'm in a 2014 Prius. Toyota says full synthetic every 10,000 miles.


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## swingset (Feb 26, 2017)

Your rationale is strange. You change the oil more often, so you don't need synthetic. Uh, if you use synthetic, you don't have to change as often - do you just like to work extra?

Here's a tip. Pretend you're changing the oil every 60 days, but don't, then in 120 days change it with synthetic, and a new filter since you do it every other time, and you'll be better off.

The filter is full of contaminated oil, if you don't change it, guess where it goes?


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## PrestonT (Feb 15, 2017)

I get an oil change by the manufacturer specification. It's about once a month for me. This is no longer your ride, it's your work tool, and you need to take care of it to stay working.


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## Coachman (Sep 22, 2015)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> Don't you find it cumbersome to change your oil every month?


I got my oil and filter changed at the Walmart service center this morning. Fifteen minutes and $20.


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## Awesomeness101 (Jul 19, 2017)

Every 10k with synthetic


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

5k Max on regular oil. Max!

Use Walmart brand full syn if cost the issue, I've used it for years with 7,500 intervals in my kids cars, works great.

My car uses 0W-20, Walmart oil not available.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

I think 3000 miles is pretty standard.


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## R James (Apr 25, 2017)

My car (Honda Civic) tells me and it seems to work out to about every 7K.


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## Tr4vis Ka1anick (Oct 2, 2016)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> I don't use synthetic oil either since the only reason you should use synthetic is that the synthetic is way more stable so you can leave oil unchanged for longer period of time.


Synthetic oil is also better for the engine when starting it in cold climates. Not only cold climates but just cold starts in general before the engine is warmed up. Most wear will occur during cold starts in well maintained engines.

At least consider using synthetic during the middle of fall, winter and part of spring for where you live.

Visual test starts at 5:31


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## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

https://uberpeople.net/threads/save-money-why-not-do-your-own-oil-change.200966/


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## Spotscat (May 8, 2017)

My old 2012 International ProStar. Oil changes every 25,000-30,000 miles (5 times per year).


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

ChortlingCrison said:


> I think 3000 miles is pretty standard.


Only if you're using crazy cheap crappy oil , even then you could probably go 5k miles


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## Snowblind (Apr 14, 2017)

> I use 100% synthetic with a 25k miles oil change interval


I don't see how the Oil Filter last that long. Even a extended Filter.
Sorry.


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## Masta Plann (Jul 29, 2016)

It all boils down to filter mesh design, flow and contamination retention capacity. The filtration industry is huge, with applications in tech, aviation and automotive to mention the least.

Yep, there are advancements believe it or now.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Zhenbuxianghua said:


> The old rules have been 3k/3m and my car's manual says 5k/6m. I drive about 3k miles per month(sometimes even more). Don't you find it cumbersome to change your oil every month? I mean I do it myself but I hate to jack the car up and get dirty.
> So a while ago I decided that I only change oil once every 2 months, maybe around 6~7k miles. So far it seems my engine holds up pretty good. I don't use synthetic oil either since the only reason you should use synthetic is that the synthetic is way more stable so you can leave oil unchanged for longer period of time. A friend of mine change oil once per year(full synthetic) but he drives only about 10k a year. I figured since I change oil every 60 days there's no need for synthetic.
> Also the oil filter, I only change the filter every other time I change the oil. It's hard to get to the filter in my car.
> Any thoughts?


Full synthetic is a must dude.

Oil filter every time, theyre dirt cheap unless you drive a bimmer, and affordable enough online even then


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## ReyesMX6 (Dec 31, 2016)

swingset said:


> The filter is full of contaminated oil, if you don't change it, guess where it goes?


I believe the filter is actually full of contamination because that is what it is for, to filter out contaminates. The oil is cleaned by going through it, to a certain extent, and moves through the system constantly. Oil doesn't sit in the filter once it gets dirty as if it's in "time out" until an oil change.

Although I believe one should change their vehicle oil filter every oil change because it's cheap, it will not necessarily be wrong not to. Some manufacturers actually show "change engine oil" but don't say anything about "and filter" every so many miles in the maintenance book. Filters can last longer than the oil by design, they have built in bypass valves to prevent engine starvation, so unless your car is out of oil a dirty filter isn't going to ruin your car. It will just allow the dirty stuff that's already in your engine to circulate through it until you change it. However, if your car is producing so much contamination that your filter is clogged in a 5ooo mile oil change you are probably on the brink of a catastrophic engine failure. Again, I still believe you should change your filter with the oil for cheap insurance in any vehicle, especially if you do Ride-share since the wear on your vehicle is higher than normal use.

With that said, the manufacturer suggestion is "out the window" for OP. I agree they should probably be using synthetic and changing oil every 3-5000 miles due to high idle times and stop and go traffic, unless all your uber rides are highway. The issue is oil viscosity and since you are constantly running the vehicle the oil viscosity changes, making the oil thinner and weaker. As this happens you can run the risk of burning oil or not having sufficient lubrication inside the engine for the pistons, bearings and so forth. Conventional oil may break down faster, historically it was the 3000 mile oil, but in recent years this has't been so much an issue up to 5000 or even 7500 miles with improvements of oil manufacturing. However, brand of oil may be the difference.

In other words OP, change your oil every month like the manual says. If your vehicle was new or had a manufacturer warranty, by not changing the oil and having proof of it the dealer may decline warranty repair. All depends on a lot of "what ifs", but if Uber driving is your livelihood, or necessary, you may not find saving money on oil changes worth the risks.


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## Kembolicous (May 31, 2016)

Spotscat said:


> View attachment 166360
> 
> 
> My old 2012 International ProStar. Oil changes every 25,000-30,000 miles (5 times per year).


Is that the Cummins or Max Force engine?


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