I have a 99 Suburu Forester. I get high maintence oil changes using Castrol high mileage premium oil. Do I really need to get an oil change at 3000 miles or can I wait for 5,6,7000 miles?
For that type of oil (not synthetic), I like to run 5000 miles between oil changes. The 3K oil change interval is too low, given today’s quality oils.
Check your owner’s manual, and I think unless your driving qualifies as severe service, some interval between 5000 and 7500 is recommended.
Oil change intervals are discussed in length here on a daily basis. To get an answer to your question, click that “Search” tab above and type in “Oil change” You will find a hundred or more posts that will answer your question.
Happy reading.
transman
In the end forget what your father told you, that applied to his '57 Ford, modern cars are different animals, read the manual.
I would say 5000 miles is a good average figure for mixed city/highway driving. Are you using high mileage oil because you have oil leaks? Or are you buying “extended drain” oil?
High Mileage oils are standard oils with some additional compounds to stop leaks. It does nothing to change the drain interval. Your manual will tell you more.
Why do you believe you need to have it changed at 3,000 miles?
Somebody disagrees with me no matter what I say. I don’t think it’s wrong to change the oil at 3,000 miles. I do think it’s a waste of money for most driving patterns. But, if it makes a person feel better about himself, why not? And, I do think that is the current basis for the 3,000 mile oil change.
This fall I let my Mobil-1 oil go for 8800 miles, and to learn for once and for all time, what was right, I had the oil tested at an oil lab, and discovered it was still good – for my driving pattern, which makes all the difference in the world.
So, in the future, my goal is to change at 7500 miles or so.
Because of some Toyota cars having sludge problems, I have decided not to repeat with natural oil. But, I am curious how it would hold up. Maybe some day I will try dino oil, and have it tested at 3,000 miles just to see. There is so much discussion, and so many different opinions, I realized I had to find out for myself, and I did.