How often should I change my oil?

[Sunni Man]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

Forget all that nonsense about changing your oil every 3 months or 6 months.

It's bogus......and your just wasting money.

Only go by the miles........and 3700 miles seems reasonable for an oil change. ...

 

[HenryBHough]

Only go by the miles........and 3700 miles seems reasonable for an oil change. ...

Not a bad thought except in climates where a vehicle is left outdoors overnight at very low temperatures then driven a short distance and parked. It's not the oil breaking down that's the issue; it's the accumulation of highly corrosive condensate.

Synthetics definitely are good much longer than 3700 miles but I can't speak to how well they deal with the cold weather problem.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

You should change it at least as often as yo change your engine. I have found it is really hard to get the oil from the old engine into the new one.

 

[Moonglow]

try a straw....

 

[Sunni Man]

Only go by the miles........and 3700 miles seems reasonable for an oil change. ...

Not a bad thought except in climates where a vehicle is left outdoors overnight at very low temperatures then driven a short distance and parked. It's not the oil breaking down that's the issue; it's the accumulation of highly corrosive condensate.

If your in that cold of a climate.

Just add some "Lucas Oil Stabilizer for cold weather" when you change your oil.

They sell it for both conventional and synthetic oil. ...

 

[Sunni Man]

Synthetics definitely are good much longer than 3700 miles but I can't speak to how well they deal with the cold weather problem.

Lubrication experts say that synthetic oil is better for engines in extreme cold climate conditions.

Because it leaves a protective film between the pistons and cylinders that conventional can't match.

So there is less engine wear during extreme cold weather start ups. ..

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Only go by the miles........and 3700 miles seems reasonable for an oil change. ...

Not a bad thought except in climates where a vehicle is left outdoors overnight at very low temperatures then driven a short distance and parked. It's not the oil breaking down that's the issue; it's the accumulation of highly corrosive condensate.

Synthetics definitely are good much longer than 3700 miles but I can't speak to how well they deal with the cold weather problem.

My car is in a garage overnight, but when I'm at work five days a week it is parked outside during the day for eight hours. The lowest temperatures I recall this past winter during the day were in the teens.

I'm thinking I will change the oil every six months, which is going to be about every 15-1600 miles. Maybe I should throw in an extra one mid-winter.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

I would go by the owners' manual for the warranty. Note: the car may have an oil monitor.

 

[RandomVariable]

I use 100% synthetic & change the oil filter every 6,000 miles & oil & filter every 12,000 miles. If you use conventional oil, change oil & filter every 4,000 miles. Engine stays shiny clean down inside if you do it that way.

I'll second this one. Synthetic is awesome stuff. It probably doesn't matter too much if you change your oil regularly but if you ever go way beyond a scheduled change synthetic will keep you covered. I change my own oil so I feel the oil and synthetic is always smooth whereas conventional can really breakdown if it is run too long, or too hot.

 

[Noomi]

I have a Hyundai i30, and I am told that I need the oil change every 7,500 ks because I only drive 'short' distances'. That works out to be every three months - apparently, unless you take it for a really long drive, the oil won't heat up and will clog the pipes, and get all dirty and gross.

I haven't been able to get a straight answer either - just check the oil once a month, and if it looks like it needs changing, do it yourself.

Do it myself? Are you kidding? Good grief, Noomi. How many people do you know that change their own oil, especially women? Let's narrow that down...how many people who are women and work full-time jobs plus do most everything around the house with no help from their husband...change their own oil?

Don't be silly.

Get a friend to change it for you. If he knows what he's doing, that is. No reason you should pay to get it done if you can get it done yourself.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I have a Hyundai i30, and I am told that I need the oil change every 7,500 ks because I only drive 'short' distances'. That works out to be every three months - apparently, unless you take it for a really long drive, the oil won't heat up and will clog the pipes, and get all dirty and gross.

I haven't been able to get a straight answer either - just check the oil once a month, and if it looks like it needs changing, do it yourself.

Do it myself? Are you kidding? Good grief, Noomi. How many people do you know that change their own oil, especially women? Let's narrow that down...how many people who are women and work full-time jobs plus do most everything around the house with no help from their husband...change their own oil?

Don't be silly.

Get a friend to change it for you. If he knows what he's doing, that is. No reason you should pay to get it done if you can get it done yourself.

Yeah, right. It's not like when I was 25 years old and could get just about any guy to do anything for me because of the remote possibility that I might bestow sexual favors upon them.

 

[Politico]

Of course you are getting conflicting answers. The key is you bought the car new. You change the oil after the first 1500. After that you only need to change it every 5000.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

Read the owners manual it'll tell you exactly when to change the oil and do regular maintenance.

 

[Missourian]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

Read the owners manual it'll tell you exactly when to change the oil and do regular maintenance.

And it will tell you exactly WHAT to put in it.

 

[HenryBHough]

I got my first new car ever in my life. It's a Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and I love it. So I want to take care of it.

I seem to have trouble getting a straight answer about how often to change the oil. Here's the dilemma...I don't put a lot of miles on the car.

The car had 75 miles on it when I got it October 18, 2013. Now it has about 1600 miles on it. I'm only putting about 250 something miles on it per month.

I think the manufacturer's book says change the oil every 3700 miles or so. But then people are always saying you should change it every three months, regardless of mileage? I mean REALLY???

My plan is to change it every six months at the current mileage I'm putting on it. Shouldn't that be okay? That means I'll be changing the oil about every 1600 miles or less.

Read the owners manual it'll tell you exactly when to change the oil and do regular maintenance.

And it will tell you exactly WHAT to put in it.

Which, it being a lease, you'd best heed or if anything goes wrong it may be blamed on your having not changed the oil or using the "wrong oil" and you'll end up buying the vehicle whether you want it or not.

 

[guno]

I change my oil every 3000 to 5000 miles. It's not that expensive, and it ensures a longer life for your car.

With the newer engines 5000 miles between oil changes are fine, I use synthetic, on my blazer 1998 I have 268 thousand miles and no problem and the engine runs great. My 2008 HHR has 120,000 and has a readout that tells you what percentage is left before oil changes , i usually get 7,500 miles between oil changes, I swear by synthetic and do the oil changes myself and not the bulk oil they use in fast oil change places

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

I change my oil every 3000 to 5000 miles. It's not that expensive, and it ensures a longer life for your car.

With the newer engines 5000 miles between oil changes are fine, I use synthetic, on my blazer 1998 I have 268 thousand miles and no problem and the engine runs great. My 2008 HHR has 120,000 and has a readout that tells you what percentage is left before oil changes , i usually get 7,500 miles between oil changes, I swear by synthetic and do the oil changes myself and not the bulk oil they use in fast oil change places

Maybe I'll switch to synthetic oil. I'm not going to a "fast oil change" place, I've had my problems with them and quit going to those places years ago. Everytime I'd get my oil changed, there'd be something wrong with my car. And, of course, they'd swear they didn't do it, except for one time, I don't remember what it was, but there was no denying it was their fault.

I probably should go to the dealer, but I called them and they said it's not required. There's a very reputable place very near my house and the dealer is much further away. It's actually a tire place but they do oil changes, etc. also. Very reputable, and they back up their work.

I bought my awesome Nokian studded snow tires from them. Last time I went there it was because I noticed that the coolant tank was empty, although I wasn't getting a low coolant warning. So I took it to this place and they checked the coolant, verified it was low, filled it up, verified there were no leaks, checked all my other fluids and topped them off. No charge. Not sure why no charge, maybe because I had spent $900 on tires there a couple of months earlier.

It was kind of a jaw-dropper to be told "no charge," in a society where we're mostly getting reamed with high charges for everything. Especially the healthcare/health insurance industry, I've been noticing lately.

 

[HenryBHough]

When servicing a leased vehicle ALWAYS get a detailed invoice showing compliance with the lease terms (date, mileage, what was done, what products used) and ALWAYS keep the receipted invoices. You may not need them when the lease expires but if you're called upon to produce them and can't then be ready for some very high costs.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

Okay, finally looked in the owner's manual. Not an easy book to navigate. I decided to use the recommendations for severe usage since I'm in a cold climate and drive only in the city with frequent stopping and starting, etc. It says:

Engine Oil and Filter (2.4 GDI): Every 3,750 miles or 6 months
Engine Oil and Filter (2.0 TGDI): Every 3,000 files or 3 months

What the hell is 2.4 GDI and 2.0 TGDI? I must have 2.4 GDI because when I called the dealer I remember them saying every 3750 miles. (probably wonderingi why I couldn't just read the book! )

Oh, and for normal conditions it would every 7500 miles or 6 monhs, but for the 2.4 GDI, whatever that is, it would be 7500 miles or 12 months. Really??? Oil change only once a year? That surprises me. But I'm going with the severe conditions recommendation of every 6 months.

Nonetheless, I am overdue for my first oil change if I am going with the severe conditions. I got the car on October 18, should have had the oil changed by April 18. Actually, I don't think my driving conditions are all that severe, really, so I probably haven't abused the car. Getting the oil changed is high on my list of priorities, I'll have it done within the next few weeks for sure!

 

[Jarlaxle]

The 2.0 is turbocharged. Both engines are GDI: gasoline direct injection.