Remember the days when it was assumed that every 3000 miles, you had to change your car’s motor oil? It was the mantra from everybody. It was automatic. Well not anymore.
Sure, many car manufacturers still designate 3000 miles as the mandatory oil change mileage, but many more vehicles are mandating longer time frames. Some folks used to even change their oil more frequently than 3000 miles. Some as early as every 2000 miles. The feeling was that if 3000 was good, I’ll treat my motor even better, allowing to operate at peak performance.
Modern vehicles have a service indicator light that tells them when to change their oil now, so it makes it much easier for the driver to determine when to get the service, eliminating the need for the local oil change shop’s reminder sticker on the upper left of the windshield.
Twenty percent of 2012 survey respondents change their oil between 3,001 and 4,000 miles, 22 percent between 4,001 and 5,000 miles and 11 percent over 5,000. Obviously this makes it much easier for the consumer.
Why have the mileage requirements changed in recent years? This can be attributed to advancements in both the modern automobile engine, as well as the oil itself. Some synthetic oils on the market today last significantly longer than traditional oil. Some engines actually don’t need their oil changed for up to 50,000 miles! This is obviously a great feature for peace of mind. Although most are still in the 3000 to 5000 mile range.
So the next time your car is due to go up on a car lift for a service, pay attention to the mileage. You will be surprised at how infrequent the need is.
