Oil Change for Beginners

With various oil change franchises from coast-to-coast offering oil-and-filter jobs for cut-rate prices, it's getting tougher to rationalize changing your vehicle's oil yourself as a way to save money. So, if you get dirty and grimy, you don't necessarily save any money, and when you're through you have to find someplace to get rid of the old oil, why bother?


Maybe for some quiet therapy. Maybe you enjoy working on the car. Maybe you just want the certainty of knowing exactly what kind of oil and filter were used. Whatever the reason, here are some tips that might help you with your next oil change.

Slick Info
The first consideration is the oil-change interval. The owner's manual for one late-model vehicle lists an oil-change interval of 7,500 miles, or 12 months, whichever comes first. It also indicates to change the filter every 15,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.


However, many people think the oil should be changed more often. To maintain the vehicle's warranty, you need to maintain the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval. But different kinds of driving may require more frequent changes. For example, for that very same car, the owner's manual instructs an oil-and-filter change interval of 3,750 miles or six months if it's being operated under severe conditions, which are defined as:

Severe Driving
> Driving less than five miles per trip, or less than 10 miles per trip in freezing weather.