The single most important thing you can do for your car is to get regular oil changes. There are many factors figuring in to how often you should get your oil changed. Your owner’s manual is a great place to start. Most manufacturers recommend them preformed between every 5,000 and 7,000 miles. Those recommendations are based on ideal driving conditions however, and considering most drivers can’t achieve that, the manufacturers encourage owners to use a “severe conditions” maintenance schedule. This suggestion changes the recommended schedule for oil changes to every 3,000 miles.

There are other factors to consider as well for making your decision on how often to change your oil. Extreme driving conditions such as stop-and-go traffic, hot and cold weather, towing a trailer, or driving in very dusty conditions will also increase the need for more frequent oil changes.

If your vehicle takes synthetic oil, the frequency for oil changes is often less frequent. Manufacturers recommend oil changes every 7,000 to 10,000 miles for these vehicles, but if you follow the “severe conditions” maintenance on them, then 5,000 is more realistic.

A new oil filter should always be put on when an oil change is done.