Perhaps the most important service you can do for your car is the Oil Change Service. With that said, there is a lot of controversy over when to change the oil and the potential consequences with extended oil change intervals. A little history on engine design, the automobile, and the evolution of engine oil might be helpful. I will also tell you in this article WHY the Oil Change Service is the most important thing you can do to protect and extend the life of not only your car’s engine, but your vehicle too.

40 to 50 years ago, it was common to change your engine oil every 1,000 to 2,000 miles. Cars were not built as well as they are today, and to be honest, were not expected to last over 100,000 miles. That’s why the odometers in cars back then did not go past 99,999. Another thing to remember about the cars of the past, is that they required a lot of maintenance and broke down a lot.

Car makers around the world have made amazing advancements in engine design, automotive electronics, and all the other systems of what makes up the modern automobile. Oil chemistry has also greatly improved. The result? Today we have cars that outperform your parent’s automobiles, pollute a lot less, get better fuel economy, and can last 300,000 miles or more! With better engine designs and better oil chemistry, changing oil every 2,000 miles is not necessary anymore.

Now, hold on there! This does not mean you can neglect the Oil Change Service. Probably the most important reason NOTto extend the oil change service is that the Oil Change Service is more than just an oil change. At every Oil Change Service, we inspect the entire car from bumper to bumper, check the cabin and air filters, the tires and tire pressure, brakes, steering, suspension and all the other fluids. We also check all the vital functions of your car. What it comes down to is a maintenance service that ensures your safety and the safety of your family by making sure that your ENTIRE car is road worthy.

We recommend 3,000-mile intervals for conventional oil and 5,000-mile intervals for synthetic oil – For MOST CARS. There are high-end luxury models that can go more miles between oil changes, but please bear in mind that the oil filter on those cars is a lot larger than your average car and luxury engine oil capacity is up to 9 quarts or more, while your average car engine oil capacity is around 4 to 5 quarts.

Another area of concern is waiting for the dashboard maintenance light to come on to let you know your oil change is due. Those systems are not always accurate, and we have seen where people will drive well over 10,000 miles waiting for that reminder light to come on the dash, which is not good for your engine.

Here’s the bottom line: if you over-extend or neglect your oil change intervals, you will eventually cause engine damage. Today’s engines ARE better, but not very forgiving. Oil will still break down over time and will dissipate, lowering the oil capacity, which reduces the oil’s ability to protect the engine.

We have seen too many cases where engine damage has occurred simply because people have neglected their oil change service or have extended it well beyond the recommended interval. Also consider that we don’t live in a perfect world where the temperature is constant, with no hills and no stop and go traffic. All this adds to wear and tear on your engine.

The best thing you can do for you and your engine is stick to regular oil change services. This will save money in the long run, lower the odds of a breakdown, protect and extend the life of your car and will help keep you and your family stay safe on the road!