Is that okay or should I go back to the rule of thumb and change it every 3,000 miles?
How often should I change my car oil?
This question has been booted around since oil change places started popping up in the '80s.
If you own a vehicle that is used every day, is driven hard, or in dirty conditions (such as a taxi or limousine ) then yes I would suggest you go back to changing it every 3000 miles.
If you just use it for your work commute, and or trips back and forth to the grocery store, then 5000 miles is fine.
If your car is still under warranty then I would suggest you look at what they suggest and follow that rule. Don't want to give them any reason to void the warranty.
How often should I change my car oil?
look in your owners manual that will tell what the manufacture recommended oil change intervals are
I like to think of a car like a puppy. while your car is still fairly new you can go longer without changing your oil as often but once you start reaching 100,000 miles you should start changing it every 3000 or when you start losing performance. I ran about 4 miles a day with my dog but now i just take it out for a walk.
As long as you don't make a lot of short trips and you don't live in an area that's particularly dusty, then you can go 5,000 miles.
Oil is cheap. Go back to 3000. And have it done by a mechanic at an independent shop that does under car stuff. He'll do it for about $32.00. Changing it yourself w/filter costs you about $16.00. So for $16.00 more you get to have your car go up on a lift where you can check everything under your car and ask as many questions as you can squeeze in before he replaces the pan plug.
synthetic - 5,000 miles or so
conventional- 3,000 miles or so
if you bought the car used and don't know the history of the oil changes do it every 2k miles for 2 or 3 oil changes then go to conventional or synthetic
continue using Mobil 1
change it every 3000 miles
