When To Schedule An Oil Change

How often should you schedule an oil change appointment for you car? Some people say every 3,000 or 5,000 miles and others say every three months you should schedule an appointment. None of these answers are technically correct, it all depends on the make of your vehicle and your individual driving conditions.

Here are some suggestions on how to know when to schedule your next oil change:

Check your owner's manual. The best advice is
to check what your manufacturer recommends. Start with the manufacturer's recommended mileage interval or time interval and viscosity. Depending on your driving climate, your manufacturer may recommend getting your oil changed more frequently. If you live somewhere with harsh winter weather, your manufacturer may also suggest using a different weight of oil. If you lost your owner's manual, go online to download it.

Ask your local automotive service location. Many mechanics suggest 3,000-mile oil change intervals for many cars, because of what most vehicles go through on a daily basis (i.e, traffic, constant stop lights, etc.). Of course, depending on your vehicle type, manufacturer suggestions and driving conditions, your mechanic would be able to suggest when it would be best to schedule an oil change. Cunningham's Automotive offers basic, annual and major maintenance plans for their customers.These preventative plans will help to make your car more valuable in the long run.

Many newer cars also provide an oil life monitoring system for you to reference when trying to schedule an oil change appointment. Some are just basic reminder systems, based on mileage which trigger a maintenance light when the vehicle hits a predetermined mileage range. More advanced versions use sensors to predict the actual life of your oil based on your driving conditions.

Schedule your next oil change appointment with Cunningham's Automotive. If you're unsure when you need your next oil change, give us a call at 610-847-6006 and we would be happy to help!