how often should you get an oil change? 3000 miles? 5000 miles?

Question

I have a good conditioned year 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage (an avg. car that gives me a good 25mpg).. i've been getting oil changes every 4000 miles, and all seems fine..

can i go 5000 or more miles without an oil change?

is that safe or harmful to the engine?

Answer 1

Depends on your driving. If you do a lot of city driving (stop-and-go), tow a trailer, operate your car in hot and/or dusty places, then change it every 3000 miles. If you do mostly highway driving and do not tow trailers, then you can safely go to 5000 miles. BUT under no circumstances should you go over 7000 miles withough changing it. Also, if your car is under warranty, change it when the maintenance manual tells you to, otherwise you may void your warranty, should anything happen.

Answer 2

Why does it need to be changed every 3000 miles? Unless you use your car as a taxi or haul loads up mountains everyday the 3000 mile oil change myth is just that: a myth and a complete waste of money. Changing every 5000 miles (or whatever your owners manual reccommends) with a quality oil is more than enough. This has been proven time and time again -- even by consumer reports.

Answer 3

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RE:
how often should you get an oil change? 3000 miles? 5000 miles?
I have a good conditioned year 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage (an avg. car that gives me a good 25mpg).. i've been getting oil changes every 4000 miles, and all seems fine..

can i go 5000 or more miles without an oil change?

is that safe or harmful to the engine?

Answer 4

Depends on how you are using the car.. Lots of short trips and cold starts.. I would do 3000.. Long trips and lot's of highway speed driving, 5000 no problem. I am guessing that you are just using regular dino oil. If you were using a full synthetic like Mobile 1 you can go 5000 city and 7500 highway.. I use the new Motorcaft semi synthetic.. about $2.50 a quart as a good compromise. See what your owners manual calls for as to weight of oil and use what they recommend.

Answer 5

you know i just read something on this aol news yesterday that it depends on how you drive the car,whether you should either go the 3000 or can go 6000. when i bought my car a 2001 hyundai accent the manual said it can go 7500 miles so i have it changed usually about 3 to 5000 miles whenever i get a chance to. it is better to just get it done every 3000 miles if you can afford to and have the time, so if you can, just change it every 3000 miles. if your 1000 over its probably no big deal if you do a lot of city short distance driving you should have it done every 3000 miles if mostly highway, its not so rough on the car.

Answer 6

Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine. Changing the oil frequently will increase the life of your car's engine. Change your oil as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Some oils contain additives that reduce friction and may increase a vehicle's fuel economy by 3% or more. Choosing an energy conserving oil could reduce your annual fuel costs. Look for the Energy Conserving API label. This symbol indicates that the oil is certified to be a fuel efficient oil by the American Petroleum Institute.
Take care.

Answer 7

conventional oil, is reccommended every 3000, synthetic oil I think is 8000. it all depends on how far you drive it at a time and how long you want your engine to last. When your engine gets hot and cold, it gets condensation in the oil. So if you just drive around town all the time, 3000 is plenty, if you drive on the interstate a lot, then you could go more. but once again, it also depends on how long that you want the car to last you.

Answer 8

3000mi or 5000km or 3 months, which ever comes first. Any longer the oil can chemically break down and reduce lubrication. Even with synthetic oil, change it every 5000km. The only thing synthetic oil has for it, is that all the particles are the exact same as they were manufactured. it does last longer, but it is not recomended to go further on it.

Answer 9

I'd go with 3000, oil is the life of the engine, changing is the least expensive thing you can do to a car

Answer 10

If you use a good synthetic oil like Castro you should only have to change it when it no longer appears clear. I change mine when it starts to get that not so new hue. Look at some new oil and then check the oil on the dip stick, if they don't look the same, it's time to change. It depends alot on how hot your engine runs. The hotter, the sooner for the discoloration of the oil, and hense, the oil change.