Your car manual has a preventative maintenance schedule that you should follow. That might say 5,000 or 10,000 miles between your oil changes. So, why does your mechanic tell you to change it sooner? There are circumstances where you should change your oil every 3,000 miles, religiously.
Preventative Maintenance
The most common preventative maintenance is to change your car’s oil every 3,000 miles. But, will the mechanic tell you it is okay to wait until 10,000 miles? The oil change jockey probably will not. There are some circumstances where you absolutely should not wait until 10,000 miles to do your maintenance.
Reasons to Change Your Oil at 3,000 Miles
- You drive long distances in the hot desert
- Every day you start and stop a lot in heavy, city traffic
- You drive mostly in slow, heavy traffic in cold weather
- You often drive on dirt roads or in a lot of haboobs
- Your vehicle is used for towing cars, trailers or boats
- You have a turbocharged engine
The reason you need that preventative maintenance on your car in the situations listed above is because your car is going to need the additives that are in the oil. After a car runs around for 3,000 miles, those important additives that protect your engine are going to degrade. This is just fine for ideal driving situations. But if you are a little bit hard on your engine with your driving habits or have the less than ideal road conditions, it is best to error on the side of caution and get those oils changes every 3,000 miles.
If you drive like that little, old lady from Pasadena, then carry on. Get your oil changed every 10,000 miles or five years, whichever comes first. Your preventative maintenance doesn’t have to be urgent.
