How Often Should You Change Your Car’s Oil?

By Brian Turner

A constant source of confusion, arguments, and customer dissatisfaction at dealership service counters often involves maintenance intervals and specifically the difference between what car makers recommend and what the dealership is suggesting. Automakers of every stripe have been extending their service intervals recently in an attempt to win more customers.

After all, who wouldn’t want the benefits of not having to visit an automotive repair facility as often? Some of these extensions can range up to 24,000 km between engine oil changes and even further on vehicles equipped with automated oil change reminder systems. By promising fewer maintenance services, car makers can offer lower operating costs giving them a leg up on the competition.

But most dealership service departments as well as independent repair shops and regional and national chain auto-centres promote service intervals as small as 5,000 km or every four months. Who’s right and who’s wrong?

Carmakers will reason that due to improved design and construction, their products require less maintenance. Service techs will say thinner engine oils and lighter weight vehicle materials mean more fluids contamination and therefore changing oil and having other fluids examined on a regular basis makes good sense.

There’s no question that extended service intervals have a negative effect on repair shops’ bottom lines, but if your favourite mechanic is right in recommending more frequent visits, aren’t the carmakers risking losing customers due to premature power-train failures?

As with most things in life and under the hood, it’s a matter of balance. Most Canadians keep their rides far longer than the warranty coverage provided by the manufacturer. And carmakers not only consider the risk of losing clients after they buy, but also those that may be driven away during the shopping process when the competition offers a less costly maintenance schedule.

The short answer is, if you plan on keeping your vehicle past the warranty, having an engine oil change and inspection done at least twice a year or every 5,000 to 7,500 km is cheap insurance. One of the worst sources of contamination for engine oil in our climate is water. Cold weather operation and short run times on light-weight engines can combine to increase the amount of condensation.

This will let moisture accumulate in various internal areas of the engine. Longer engine warm-up periods due to freezing temperatures can also increase the amount of raw fuel and carbon levels in engine oils. Getting an oil change also means having a knowledgeable pro inspect a host of other vehicle components and systems and thereby getting the chance to take care of a problem before it leads to an expensive headache or roadside break-down.

Even synthetic oils are prone to contamination, so their use, while providing other benefits, doesn’t mean extended service intervals.

If you want to keep a rein on maintenance expenses, look for combined inspection, tire rotation, and oil change specials. These are offered by dealerships and small garages alike and can help to keep repair bills at bay by only doing maintenance and repairs done when they’re truly needed rather than by some arbitrary schedule.

Tire Pressure Sensors for Winter Tires

There has been some discussion lately about the practice of using winter tires and dedicated rims without tire pressure sensors on vehicles equipped with such a system. Carmakers have taken note and some have gone as far as providing gentle reminders to their customers and retailers alike that defeating this safety feature isn’t something they condone.

One of the reasons most customers shy away from purchasing a second set of sensors for their winter wheels is cost. Buying these sensors from the automakers could range from $75 to $100 each. The good news is that many OEM suppliers have dropped their prices and popular aftermarket companies such as Schrader Valves now carry replacements for many different makes and models with prices as low as $30 each.

If you’re going to forgo the convenience of a working tire pressure monitoring system for our winter months, then you should purchase a good tire pressure gauge and be prepared to use it at least twice a month.