How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

Routine oil changes are essential to keeping your vehicle in good condition for years to come. How often should you change your oil? It depends on how old your car is. Older cars need an oil change approximately every 3,000 miles, while new cars can go 7,500 miles to 10,000 miles before needing an oil change. You should check your owner’s manual for a more precise estimate of your car’s recommended oil change frequency.

Oil Change Frequency Guidelines

7,000 miles through 10,000 miles is a broad guideline for how often you should change your oil. Every car is different, and some need to be changed sooner than that. Where you drive, and driving frequency also plays a role in how often you should get your oil changed. Debris build-up will damage your engine, so it’s important to get your oil frequently changed when you often drive or off-road. Some things that affect car oil change frequency include:

• Commercial use
• Racing
• Heavy towing

How Often Should I Change Synthetic Oil

Synthetic oil doesn’t need to be changed as frequently as regular oil. Oil change intervals can stretch between 6,000 miles and 16,000 miles so make sure you check your owner’s manual for your make and model’s oil change schedule.

What Happens When Your Car’s Oil Isn’t Changed?

Your engine picks up dirt and debris while driving through and , and your car oil absorbs most of the contaminates and spreads it to the rest of the car parts. Because car oil plays such an important role in lubricating all the moving parts of your car, it’s important that your oil is checked regularly and clear of dirt and debris.

Neglecting your car oil can lead to the following:

• Check engine or oil change lights are lit up
• Knocking sound
• Dark and dirty oil
• Smoke emitting from the exhaust pipe
• Overheated engine

Schedule an Oil Change at Jackson Family of Dealerships

Jackson Family of Dealerships offers rotating service specials to lower car maintenance costs for car owners. Learn how to check your transmission from the convenience of your garage at Jackson Family of Dealerships’s service center. Contact us to schedule an appointment at one of our service centers today and enjoy superior customer service and vehicle care. We’d be happy to answer all of your oil change-relate questions like “How long does an oil change take?” or help you learn more about your vehicle’s tire pressure monitoring system.