So, my dealer insists the oil be changed every 2500-3000 miles. That can’t be right, right? Please tell me if I can change it less frequently. It is important to note I have put nearly 12,000 miles on the car in 8 months. Any thoughts?
Unless things drastically changed in two years, if they are using synthetic oil, the suggested period is 7500 miles. With regular oil, it is 3700 miles.
That’s what they recommend on my Legacy, anyway.
If the conditions where you live are not terribly dusty and/or humid and if your car sees a lot of highway use then I’d say you can go 5k miles; less if the conditions above apply.
I would hope that you’re in the habit of raising the hood on a regular basis and checking the oil level. There’s an obscene number of engines being damaged or completely trashed due to this oversight.
The answer can be found in your glove compartment.
I believe it is more like every 7.5k miles. Double check owners manual.
Someone who drives as much as the OP does is able to stretch oil change intervals to a greater extent than someone who does a lot of local, short-hop driving. The Subaru Maintenance Schedule (which should be sitting in the OP’s glove box, apparently un-read) specifies 7,500 mile oil change intervals for this engine.
However, unless the OP is using synthetic oil, I would suggest that he/she aim for no more than a 5k mile interval–if this car is going to be kept for the long term. Yes, you can go 7,500 miles, but my personal feeling is that this is only a good idea for the owner who plans to get rid of a car after just a few years.
Anyway, the OP needs to consider another factor, in light of the fact that this is an AWD vehicle.
That is the factor of regular, consistent tire rotations. The mfr’s maintenance schedule specifies tire rotation every 7,500 miles, in order to protect the AWD mechanism from damage.
If the OP has his/her oil changed…let’s say…every 5k miles, then the tires should be rotated at every oil change. I usually have the oil on my Subarus changed every 4k miles, so I get the tires rotated every second oil change, at ~8k miles. The exact interval for tire rotation is not important, as long as it is consistent, and as long as you don’t go as far as…let’s say…10k miles, as differences in tread wear can be pronounced by that point.
So–my suggestion is to use one of the following schedules:
Change oil every 4k miles, with tire rotation every other oil change
or
Change oil every 5k miles, with tire rotation at each oil change
or
Change oil every 7.5k miles, with tire rotation at each oil change. For this long an interval, I strongly suggest the use of synthetic oil.
But–no matter which interval you choose, make sure that the interval for tire rotation is consistent, otherwise you risk expensive damage to the AWD system, and this damage would not be covered by warranty, as it would constitute owner negligence.
And, please open the glove box, take out the booklet titled Warranty and Maintenance, and begin to follow that carefully. That way, when you are ready for the “big” maintenance intervals at 30k, 60k, 90k, 120k etc, you will be prepared for the long list of services that the dealership recommends, and you won’t have to come back here to ask what needs to be done at those intervals.
Read the owner’s manual and follow the instructions there. Also ask the dealer why they think they know more than the manufacturer who designed and built the car and has a lot more experience with the car than any one dealer.
Frankly it sounds like the dealer is just scamming you, unless the owner’s manual agrees with the dealer.
They probably need a new motor for that boat sitting out back of the dealership.
“Also ask the dealer why they think they know more than the manufacturer who designed and built the car and has a lot more experience with the car than any one dealer.”
It’s the Dealers that must deal with outraged Subaru owners lined up outside with premature engine problems…3000-5000 miles…You can’t go wrong…
If you choose a >3k interval check the oil level. Some cars burn it even brand new. At 3k miles not so much down in level but at 5k or even 7k you can be left with little oil left as it takes a beating with less liquid in there.
Hey VDCdriver- I’m pretty sure that this community page is so that people who have questions can ask and people who can assist, do. If you feel my questions are ridiculous, don’t waste your time answering. Maybe you can talk to the people in your life in that condescending tone, but don’t for a second think it’s okay in the general population.
Clearly the manual says something different than the dealer or I wouldn’t be asking, though I’m not sure why I feel I need to justify myself to you. Please do not respond to any future post I may have.
Well, “erin”, I will respond only to state that you grossly misinterpreted the intent of my post.
There is an old Chinese proverb that says something to the effect of…
Give a man a fish, and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you will feed him for a lifetime.
I was, in effect, attempting to teach you how to fish.
If you don’t wish to follow my advice, then you can feel free to come back and ask questions at any time. However, in the long run, you would probably find it much more convenient and less time-consuming to use the excellent information source that was provided by the vehicle’s manufacturer regarding scheduled maintenance of your car.
It’s your choice.
I read through VDC’s post thoroughly and saw nothing in there that was condescending or would suggest that your question was ridiculous. He gave you a lot of very good advice, and did so in a pleasant manner. I’d suggest you read his post again with an eye toward learning from it.
I’d also suggest that by telling VDC to not respond to any of your future posts you’re shutting out someone aho often has the correct answers to people’s problems. You just may find yourself stuck at some future time when he could have helped you.
+1
On other forums, when one asks a question that has clearly been covered by the manual, you’d be told to “RTFM” and that’s it, besides being flambe’d afterwards…
Most people here and certainly VDC have been known to be very nice and helpful. Your comments were totally uncalled for.
Hi, just wanted to pop my head in here and say that when I was reading the responses to this thread, I too misinterpreted the tone of your reply, VDC. It makes sense with the explanation you made, but I don’t think it was extremely far-fetched for Erin to interpret it that way. I’m not going to remove or edit any posts or anything.
I had the opposite happen when I went to the Mazda dealership for an oil change. The service manager said he recommended 6 months/5k miles when I went down for a 4 month oil change. 6 months is for the regular version of my car. The turbo model calls for 4 months, and 5w30 oil.
When they changed the oil my invoice said 5w20 and they added some kind of additive to my oil that I never requested. Needless to say I went back to the old shop I was using for my last car ever since
@subaruerin
The dealer likes your money more than they like you. I would find another mechanic to do all the work in the future. If they give you this kind of advice when nothing is wrong, try to imagine the stories they will come up with to take your money when you have a problem. If you don’t know a good mechanic, ask everyone you know for one. You will eventually have a few names mentioned several times. Those are good places to check out. I found that when I stopped going to the dealer for maintenance, my problems stopped, too.