One of the biggest concerns those of us in the automotive service industry hear from our customers is when they should have their vehicle’s oil changed. There is so much conflicting information out there about this automotive service, especially here on the Internet. Meadows Automotive takes a few things into consideration to help us determine the best time to change your automobile’s motor oil. It doesn’t always boil down to every 3,000 miles, and this is what makes the information confusing.
Things That Are Convoluting the Issue
For decades, the rule of thumb for oil changes was every 3,000 miles, but this changed when synthetic motor oil was introduced to the automotive service industry. One of the benefits of synthetic motor oil is your vehicle can go longer between oil changes, but even this isn’t set in stone in terms of mileage durations. Some vehicles can go for 7,500 miles, while others can go for 10,000 miles. German manufacturer BMW even claims some of its models don’t need their oil changed until 15,000 miles.
This makes oil changes very confusing. You don’t know when you should have your oil changed much less whether you should change from conventional to synthetic motor oil. This, too, has its own arguments and conflicting information. You may have heard that you should switch to synthetic no matter what because it’s better. You may have also heard you don’t need to switch to synthetic unless you live in an extreme climate or drive a high-mileage vehicle. Ugh! What to do?
Clearing Up the Confusion
We can’t clear up the confusion in this blog post because every vehicle is different. We don’t mean the make and model only. We also mean the mileage, driver, commute, and vehicle’s history. When you have your oil changed boils down to several factors that are personal to you. They include
- The manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific year and model
- The manufacturer’s recommendations for the oil type
- How many miles you have on your automobile
- Whether your automobile has a history of oil-related problems
- Whether you drive your vehicle hard or easy
- How bad your daily commute is
- How often you drive on difficult roads and tow things…
… among other factors. So, to determine the best time to change your vehicle’s oil, bring it into Meadows Automotive in Waterford Township, MI. We will customize your automobile’s oil-change schedule with you. Call us today to schedule an appointment.
