Q & A: Changing oil timeline

Frank said...

Well, I know you're supposed to change your oil every 3,000 miles/3 months. But I only drive about 200 miles a month, mostly in 10 or 15 minute chunks - mostly cold starts, mostly city driving. What's the rule I should be sticking to? Can I get away with every 6 months?

When should I really be changing my oil, bearing in mind I don't like spending time, or money, unnecessarily.

Thanks!

Hi Frank!

That's a fantastic question. What do you do if you (like most drivers) don't fall within the guidelines that your user manual gives you for checking oil? I mean who wants to spend loads of money and time changing perfectly good oil?

I say it's perfectly fine to change your oil less often as long as you keep an eye on it. I know I only change my oil about every 6-9 months. I rarely drive and when I do it's long distances (long distances help keep an engine clean). 

What you want to make sure you do is check your oil (See How To Check Your Oil here) and check it regularly, like 4-6 weeks. The longer it's been since your oil has been changed the fewer weeks I would leave between oil checks.

There are three things you want to look out for when gauging if it is time to bite the bullet and get your oil changed

1. Look at the oil level - (I show what to look for here) It is imperative that you keep an eye on your oil level and ensure that it does not get too low. 
2. Look at the color - Your oil should be the color of dark caramel as well as translucent. When you wipe the dipstick off on your rag it will show either a dark translucent caramel brown color if it's newer or as it gets older it will get darker and darker and become a thick black color (kinda what you think about when you see oil in the street). The darker it is the more it needs to be changed
3. Look for sediment - if your oil looks sandy or grainy when you wipe the dipstick on the rag than you need to change your oil. These bits will really hinder the efficiency of your engine when it's running.

As long as your car is passing these three tests then I say it's ok to pass the three month timeline and get a little more milage / time out of your oil. Just remember to keep checking your oil regularly and you should be good to go.

How To: Check your oil

This is one of my favorite things to do with my car (well actually SUV but that's for another day). Not in the way where I wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed because it's "check my car's oil" day but rather because it makes me feel like a confident car owner. Even more so because my husband doesn't know how to check the oil (shhhh don't tell him I told you!)

Why checking the oil is important:

The oil is crucial to the engine because all those little moving parts that make the engine turn (and thus make your car move) need the lubrication that the oil provides in order to move.

If the car doesn't have enough oil in it the engine will seize (freeze up) and not work any more - and probably not ever again. This is why everyone makes such a huge deal about oil

Check your manual to see how often your oil should be changed and stick to it. It will help the life of your engine and ensure that your vehicle runs more efficiently.

The reason oil is checked and changed is because it tends to get dirty and slowly burn away and you definitely don't want it to run out.

I personally don't change my oil my self. I really have no desire to get an oil pan, crawl under my car and drain it. It's messy and so much easier to take it to an oil place and let the professionals handle it.

I will however, check my oil to make sure it's not too low and I'll top the oil off (add a little) if it is low.

Now for checking your oil!

The very first thing you need to do is make sure your car is parked level. Like any liquid oil will pool if the car is parked at an incline (or decline) and this will throw off your oil reading. Also you don't want to check your oil right after your car has been running. Let it sit a bit so that the oil settles.

Oh and get a paper towel or old rag!

Then open your hood - you can get a "How To" on opening your hood here

Locate the dip stick (little red or yellow rubbery circle thing) which will be somewhere around your engine.

It'll look like this

Grab your paper towel with one hand and pull the dip stick out with the other. When you pull the dip stick out it will be a long thin piece of metal and might be bent in to a funny shape - this ensures that it can reach down to the oil tank. 

Wipe the end of the dip stick off with your towel and put the dip stick back in the little hole all the way. Pull the stick out again and look at the tip

You'll notice the little markings - these are to help indicate how full or empty your oil tank is. My oil came up to the first mark above the hash marks. If it was closer to the hash marks I would use that as a cue to top off the oil a bit. But for now my oil is good to go.

If you need to top off your oil it's super easy. Buy a quart or two from your local home store (check your manual for the type of oil your car requires) and head back to your engine - you will want to make sure that you engine has fully cooled down before you head on to the next steps

Use your towel to twist off the cap with the little oil picture on it

And pour the oil in! Try not to spill the oil as you pour it in (you can even use a funnel for this part if you think it will help). But if you do spill some don't worry if you smell burning oil the next couple times you drive.

Replace the cap as tightly as you can get it. Then close the hood and you are set!

I recommend checking your oil every 4-6 weeks if you drive loads.

Again this isn't the same as changing your oil. This is more of an in between maintenance thing. For changing take it to your local dealer or oil shop. They'll do it quick, cheap and clean