I have a 2003 Subaru WRX, how often should I change the oil?

Question

I spend 95% of my driving on highways, going typically 70mph. The manual says every 7500 miles, but oil companies say 3000 miles.

Answer 1

Using very good oil then 7K is alright (unless you are driving hard on the highway)
Using cheap oil then 3K is alright.
Using REALLY cheap oil - don't start the car it already needs to be changed (lol)

FYI: oil breakdown and wear are closely related - pushing those numbers lowers the life. The harder you drive it, the more often you need to change it.

Answer 2

I'm going to go against the grain here and say no, it's not worth it, and here's why. Unless you are building it to be purely a race car, you will rarely be in boost enough for the inlet tempts to rise high enough, and you won't be on the throttle for long enough at a time to justify a front mount. An upgraded top mount intercooler like those offered by APS, TurboXS and Helix are all 2.5-3x as large as the stock intercooler, so they will easily support the airflow you would need with the bigger turbo. I personally think the top mount can work just fine for the vast majority of people, and that the only people who really get the front mounts, are people who want the attention (Look at my giant intercooler in the grille, yo!), or those who do nothing but race where there's no traffic impeding airflow into the core, IE drag racing. Just a couple tips from what I've seen on other WRXs about the rest of your mods: Keep the turbo size sane, or you will hate driving it if the turbo is too big. Don't bother with cams, they are expensive to buy, expensive and difficult to install, and don't make enough power to justify the costs. Headers are the same way, they just don't make enough power to justify the cost. And I would wait on the intercooler until you actually upgrade the turbo, as either a top mount or a front mount on a stock engine will be a waste of money, because it won't be capable of doing much over what the stock one did.

Answer 3

Every 3000 miles

Answer 4

it depends on how you drive first off id replace it every 3k to 4k and if you use an oil that is senthetic then 5 to 8k ( senthetic oil will cast a arm and a leg :-) ok not so much but yes it is steep. make a big hole in you poket. but ill go with it aspesaley for a wrx 1 or 2 so do you self that favr. and save in the long run.... but a good oil is no good with a cheep filter so get a good filter too. il adhear to the oil co. do you see the car manuf. test driving the car like we are i think not the car gets tested in a dust free room. no hard working no hills so be smart do the good thing for your car.. look after it as you do your self..here in south africa we will pay R700,000 for the wrx 2 = to $ 13000.00

Answer 5

I dont think that make and model really have much impact on how often you need to change the oil. the guideline is 3000 miles, and as much as you drive, I would have to say that you need to do it every 3000. I dont think you will make it much further than that.

Answer 6

You're ok w/ 7500 miles, as long as you put in REALLY high grade or synthetic.
Typcially, 4000-5000 is ok, especially w/ regular oil.

You're definitely ok to let it go longer if you use synthetic oil though. More expensive, but worth it for older cars.. you're probably ok w/ normal oil and every 4-5000 though.

Answer 7

It's a Subaru, you can wait for the 10k mark if you want. Just be sure you change that timing belt every 60k. That's an interfering engine.

Answer 8

um usually the rule of thumb is every 3000 miles.

Answer 9

3500 miles is what we recommend on all Subaru's at the dealership.

Answer 10

You should change it every 3k because of the turbo.