Do you really have to change your oil every 3,000 miles?

The relationship between a car and its primary driver is a complex association. While some car and truck owners love their vehicles, other owners feel the opposite. Most people remember their first car and their favorite car and would love to have a garage big enough for all the cars they have owned in a lifetime. Jay Leno may have the right idea, drive a different car every day. But whether it’s love or hate we have for our vehicles, we must take care of them. Cars and trucks need maintenance. While engines seem confusing to the majority, the need to change the oil and the oil filter and air filters are ingrained into all owners from rust buckets to super cars

Change your Oil and Filter Every 3,000 miles?

A maintenance campaign possibly underwritten by quick oil change businesses stressed that the oil and the oil filter should be changed every 3,000 miles. This sounds too much like your dentist saying you should brush and floss after every meal.

Car engines have gone through a revolution in the past 30 years. Today’s engines are engineering marvels. A Ford or Chevy produced this year is as fine a machine as a BMW or Porsche from 30 years ago.

Pennsylvania Started the Age of Petroleum

America was the originator of petroleum and products made from the original oil wells in Pennsylvania. Visit Oil City, Pennsylvania and you will be amazed to see a small city dedicated to the refining of petroleum products. Oil has changed, too. Now synthetics are more popular than the organic types and offer longer periods of protection between oil changes.

How Often to Change Oil, Oil Filter, and Air Filter

What is the proper time or driving interval to adhere to when changing filters and oil used in the crankcase of all cars and trucks? The simple answer is to combine information gained from the owner’s manual with common sense. The owner’s manual is the car owner’s bible. It should be read and paid attention to. Within its pages are the secrets to proper care and instructions for the maintenance of your vehicle.

The Internal Combustion Engine

The engine of your car is not a closed system, it needs air to circulate with fuel to propel the car. The filtering system on the car must be changed when they no longer function. Many factors are at work in this complicated equation; heat both outside and inside the engine will take a toll on performance and the life of the engine itself. Conditions below freezing can destroy an engine in hours. The average outside driving conditions must be added to this equation. Terrain creates strain on your engine, if you drive in hilly conditions, you must not lug (drive at low revs) the engine. Poor road conditions put an added burden on both suspension and the air filter system of your car. Dusty dirt road conditions, which are the usual driving surface for a sedan designed for paved conditions, are a further cause for alarm. Driving a mighty SUV in town might he harder on your back, but the SUV, designed for off-road, will handle all road conditions. 

Summary

Follow the oil, filter and air filter changing recommendations in the owner’s manual for your vehicle. If you encounter any hard driving conditions, make the adjustment and change oil and filters more frequently than recommended in the manual.