Should I get an oil change now?

Question

My car is almost on 21,000 miles. My last change was at 19,000 miles. I'm supposed to get a change at 22,000 miles. I know I have a lot of mileage to wait, but I was told by someone that I should change oil at least every 3 months anyway. Well, it's been over 4 months.... should I get the oil change. I don't want to ask the Service Dept. at the dealer because they love ripping me off. If it helps any, I have a 2005 VW Passat 1.8T = expensive oil changes.

Answer 1

every 3000-5000 miles, depending on how you drive your car. If you do a lot of stop and go, or a lot of short trips, take it in sooner. If you do longer highway trips, take it at 5000... but don't go over 5000... changing your oil regularly is the EASIEST way to keep your engine in tip top shape. But ignore this, and you'll ruin your engine really quickly.

Answer 2

If it's still under warranty, do it as often as they insist to keep the warranty good. If not, know that "every 3 months or 3,000 miles" is a myth.

The only real way to determine whether oil is truly in need of changing is to have an oil analysis performed. Since most people don't want to bother with this, it's acceptable to err heavily on the safe side and simply follow the manufacturer's recommended change interval for severe service. There are still a few cars that specify 3K intervals for severe service, but not many. If you look at countries other than the U.S., the oil recommended change interval is much higher than even the normal interval specified by vehicle manufacturers in the U.S.

See http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm#Oil%20Change%20Intervals

Answer 3

Plus or minus 1,000 miles may not be crucial BUT:
1. Many engines burn oil. According to gm, for instance oil consumption of "1 qu or more per 1,000 miles is normal."
2. Again, depending on quality of your engine, oil ages at a different pace. This means that for some, it remains clean for 5,000 miles while for others - looks like dirt after three.
In any case, 3,000 miles is a normal interval for an oil change but don't go to kmart or midas unless you are looking for an adventure. These grease monkeys forget to put oil in the engine or do other crazy stuff much more often than most people realize. Go to a dealer that uses their regular technicians for maintenance work. It may not even be any more expensive than some jiffy lube.

Answer 4

You should change it every 3 months or 3000 miles for best results. My house mate has a 1972 Ford Grand Torino that his dad had. They both changed the oil every 3 months or 3000 miles (or just under) since it was new. It now has 496,000 miles on it and still has the original engine. It still runs great. If you take care of your vehicle, it will last a long time. Early oil changes won't hurt your engine, but late ones may over time.

Answer 5

You can get away with waiting until you actually hit the 3000 mile mark, just as long as you don't go too long. If you don't hit that within the next 2 months, I would get it changed. When your warranty is up, stop going to the VW dealer and go someplace like Jiffy Lube. I used to have a VW bug (2001) and I never took it to the dealer to get the oil changed.

Answer 6

The owner's manual will tell you the frequency. (My 2002 car specifies every 4500 miles.)

That guideline by the service stations to change every 3000 or 3 months is a bunch of hooey. It depends on your driving conditions (like stop-and-go) and your environmental conditions (like dust.) Oil contains additives, but they don't "expire." If they did, then the oil companies would have to put an expiration date on each quart. They don't! It is just a way to sell more oil.

3000 miles between changes is my minimum frequency. (Anything less else is wasteful.) Wait to 22K and sleep easy. You're fine.

...but check the manual to know their recommendations.

Answer 7

You'll be fine. The oils used today, you can actually go over the three thousand miles. Some brands are even making oils that can go in excess of 5 to 10 thousand miles.

Answer 8

The norm is 3000k miles. Just wait until the 22000. If you drive every day it will be ok, but if you go long periods of time without driving the car then the 3-month mark would be best

Answer 9

The recommendations are 3 months or 3,000 miles which ever comes first. You would be ok to wait but since you have a newer car I would get it changed just to make sure you are taking great care of your car so it will last as long as possible.

Answer 10

I have a 2003 Jetta and the owners manual and my dealership both recommended every 5000 miles (or 5 months) instead of 3000. I would wait if i were you.