What are the Long term ill effects of not changing the engine oil in a car frequently ?

Question

I am supposed to change the oil in my car every 3 months or 1000 miles. (as much as I hate) I could not follow that routine. Sometimes I change after 2000+ miles or after like 6-8 months according to my convenience. In know this is bad and will affect the gas mileage, etc. what are the others ? Once I change the oil do the ill effects caused due to my tardiness vanish OR is there any Long term damage to the car.. Advance thanks

Answer 1

It's OK to wait for 3000 miles or even 5000 miles if you drive a lot on the freeway.

It is important to remember that oil breaks down over time and short trips are harder on the oil than long trips, which is why there is a time recommendation as well as a mileage recommendation.

If you drive 5 miles every day, you man only put 500 miles on your oil in 3 months, but there could be as much wear on that oil as 5000 miles on the freeway.

So 3 months OR 3000 is a good rule, but I wouldn't worry too much if you go a little over now and then.

Answer 2

I don't know what kind of car you have, but I have a Ford, and they recommend oil changes every 4000 miles or every 3 months. The oil changing service that I use recommends every 3000 miles or 3 months. My truck has over 120,000 miles on it now with no oil consumption or problems, so this plan works. If you go too long between changes, the oil will pick up particles of carbon (from burning fuel) and will have gone through many heat cycles. If you do a lot of town driving, that is harder on a car as well. Most vehicles from 1990 on have cleaner burning engines and therefore have less oil pollution. When you change the oil also change the filter - this will give you a complete fresh start, but if you have been tardy, the wear that has been caused by the suspended particles of carbon will be irreversible.

Answer 3

Oil viscosity breaks down in heat. The longer your motor oil is exposed to this the worse it is for the car. Imagine you were hot and you got no water. The longer you went the worse it would be and then kidney failure and then death. You have the ability to heal your self. Ever see a damaged piece of metal heal itself? The damage is permanent.
So your car is the same way. Here is my suggestion use synthetic motor oils like Mobil 1 or Castrol syn-tech. They last 7000 miles. Also use a very good filter designed for your car and synthetic oil. Remember it is mileage that matters not time. If your car is driven less then just change according to mileage.
You won't have to worry and can change less frequently. Synthetic oil cost more but it evens out and you don't have to change oil.
On my 2004 Jag X type it is not required to change the oil any more than every 10,000 miles. It of course uses a synthetic oil. The dealer does it free.

Answer 4

You should change oil AND filter every three to six thousand miles. The problem with not doing it is that oil gets dirty, even with a filter and the combustion process contaminates the oil with acid. Let it go long enough and the filter clogs so there is no filtration of dirt and metal particles and the acid builds to the level that it eats away engine components leading to early engine failure. If you are having to add oil frequently then you either have a leaky gasket somewhere or the acid and dirt have worn components to the point that your engine is burning oil. If you see a bluish smoke coming from your exhaust you are burning oil.

Answer 5

Simply put, OIL is the life blood of the internal combustion engine. It lubricates, reducing friction, and preventing wear. The longer you wait the more your oil breaks down, reducing the effectiveness. It does play a small part in economy as well. Changing your oil is the most important thing you can do for your car. Damage done is damage done. Wear is wear. If you want to keep your car health, change your oil on time.
Have a fun day.

Answer 6

Um, it's every 3,000 miles, so if your changing every 1,000 miles and miss it by another 1,000, your still well within recommendations. The oil and filter are the life blood of the engine. If you let the oil get too many miles on it, the ability of the oil to lubricate your engine decreases, leading to additional wear and eventual failure of your engine. The filter keeps any particles iin the oil from continuing to circulate and cause wear in the engine. If you don't change the filter, it becomes clogged and the oil bypasses the filter.

Answer 7

There will be long term damages if you don't change it like you should. Changing it doesn't just make it all go away. The more often you change it, the longer your motor is going to last. If you don't change it like you should, you could end up needing a new engine, and that won't be cheap. Do you have a few extra thousand dollars to spend on a new motor?? You'd be better off just changing your oil when you should.

Answer 8

Oil has many additives in it. Some of these will evaporate over time rendering the oil ineffective( this is why 3 months is recommend) Oil also gets beaten up and dirty so a change is also needed to keep it fresh.

Answer 9

it's every 3,000 miles and yes you hurt the valve guides & seats and you can tear up the bearings in the lower end and no the ill effects do not vanish, changing your oil every 3000 miles is the single best thing you can do for your engine.

Answer 10

you can kill your engine.....

on average, change the oil and filter every 5000 to 7000 miles....3000 is the oil and service centers way of making money.

If you take notice of BMW....now offering free oil changes for life....they are doing them way over the 3000 make...why because they are footing the bill. every 3000 miles....not necessary.