I was told, get an oil change every 3 months or 3000 miles. I get an oil change every 3 months to the date. I dont drive all that much so I never reach 3000 miles. If I get an oil change every 4 months, will that affect anything?

 

Hi,
I only drive about 5000 miles a year,even though my car is a daily driver.I change the oil and filter once a year.
Changing the oil every 3 months sounds over the top,not a bad thing to do, but not required either.Can't remember off hand what the manual says but it's probably more like a 7000-8000 mile interval.
Regards,Mark .

 

I've always stuck with the 3,000 mile change......I had a 94' Blazer w/199,000k when i sold it and never used a drop of oil....That thing was ran very hard, I have a 95' F-350 w/ a BB 460 that hauls 17,000lbs to the tractor pulls almost every weekend in the summer and doesn't use any oil in between. My Z28 used a little oil when i first got it and now doesn't use any in between oil changes. I've ran Valvoline High Mileage oil and a can of engine restorer in every oil change.........so until i see a very good reason to change my habits, I'll be sticking with the 3000 mile oil changes

 

Having looked at the manual for my '95 it seems you would only need to change the oil every 3000 miles if you were regularly doing very short trips,driving in extreme conditions,ie very cold or very hot weather or if you do a lot of city driving with lots of idling.Or if,as already stated,you pull a trailer on a regular basis.For "normal" driving conditions then every 7500 miles or every 12 months,whichever is sooner,is advised.

 

Owner's Manual:

Schedule 1:

For short trips (less than 4 miles), 10 mile or shorter trips in cold weather, extended idling or frequent low speed operation, towing, or in dusty area: Every 3,000 miles or 3 months.

Schedule 2:

ONLY if NONE of the above conditions apply: 7,500 miles or 12 months.

The conditions described in Schedule 1 produce rapid contamination of the oil with condensate, and the formation of acids and other harmful compounds. If you drive short trips, etc, change it every 3 months.

 

just to ad to this make sure you get your car up to running temp before you take your drive so that any condensation does get out of your oil and engine. especially for those that take short trips. better for your car and wallet in the long run.

 

You'll do more damage by letting it sit for an extended idle period, before driving, waiting for the oil to heat up. During that period, water in the ring blowby is condensing into the cold oil. That just slows down the oil heat-up process. The oil heats up slower than the coolant. It takes a good 10-15 minutes of driving for the oil to reach full operating temperature. Simply drive conservatively for the first 10 minutes.

 

hey man, the oil companies will tell you to do this every 3,000 miles b/c they want to sell you more oil. just use some good synthetic oil. I like Walmart's Syntec in my 98 K1500 with 200+++ miles and shell Rotella 10-40 synthetic in my TA

 

While synthetic oil may resist high temperature breakdown at high operating temperatures, its still going to be contaminated by the condensate produced by short trips. It needs to be changed just as frequently in an engine that is subject to low mileage, short trips. That's why synthetic in a car that isn't driven many miles is not a rational choice.

 

thanx for the info everyone!