Oil is the lifeblood of your engine. No matter which manufacturer or model you drive with a combustion engine, every vehicle must have its oil changed at regular intervals. An engine without regular oil changes will eventually clog up and fail due to lack of maintenance.
Originally, oil changes were done every 3,000 miles or every 3 months, but engines and oils have improved since then. With better quality oil and the introduction of synthetic oils, you can get more miles and months on the oil in your engine without worrying about damage. Many synthetic oils can get up to 10,000 miles between changes. Most manufacturers recommend closer to 5,000 miles between oil changes.
Driving Habits
Oil changes should be based more on your driving habits than anything. Those who drive high miles may get more miles from their oil since the engine heats up enough to remove any system condensation. If the engine stays cooler due to lower miles driven or because it is sitting for long periods, then your oil may break down faster and require more frequent changes.
Those who do not drive a lot of miles at a time also put more wear on their engine by starting the car more often and never getting the engine all that hot.
Check Your Oil
It is best to check your oil at least monthly to monitor the levels. Sometimes, small leaks or other problems may not be noticeable until they become a major issue and your oil pressure light comes on. That means a significant loss of oil.
For instance, you may not realize that your oil filter is leaking because the leak is small and unnoticeable. It still can cause a loss of oil. If you smell oil burning when you turn the engine off, you might have a small leak in the oil filter gasket, or it may not be closed tight enough.
When you do check your oil, look at the color of the oil. Brown and clear is good, but dark or muddy may mean you have sludge in it. It is time to change the oil at this point. Oil that has a milky appearance to it may mean that you have a coolant leak.
As long as you check and change the oil at reasonable intervals, you should expect your engine to last a long time.