by Marc Stern

Created on: August 04, 2009   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

Here's an interesting analogy, there are about as many opinions on how to fry an egg as there are on when you should have your oil changed! Think about this for a moment, and you'll see it's true.

The factory manual tells you one thing; your mechanic tells you another, even your brother-in-law may chip in with still some other information. So, whom do you believe?

If you're like most people, you probably figure that the people who built the car should also have the best information on when to change the oil or oil and filter. Or, if you have a distrust of anyone from a factory telling you what to do, you may take the word of your mechanic above anyone else. Or, if you really want to take your chances, you believe your brother-in-law. If he's actually a mechanic then you're probably listening to some good information, but if he's not, then take a close look at your car's owner's manual and you'll have a good guide to changing oil.

It used to be that I'd recommend an oil/filter change every 3,000-3,500 miles and that's still pretty good advice. The only problem is that with the price of a quart of oil, this can get expensive rather quickly when you figure in the mechanic's hourly rate unless you go to a quick lube-and-go and the cost of the filter.

So, if your car's manual indicates that it's best to change the oil every 6,000 to 7,500 miles, then chances are good you're on solid ground, especially if you have the filter swapped out at the same time. The best time to have your car's oil changed is when the engine is totally cool, as in the morning, so if you can leave your car off for service in the evening you'll be better off (although getting to work might pose a tad of a problem). However, if you can't let the engine cool down totally, at least drop the car in the morning and schedule an afternoon pickup. It will take a good two hours for the engine to cool sufficiently and for the oil to drip down from all of the galleries and internal parts into the pan so that you can have it changed.

One of the reasons you are able to go further between oil changes is the move toward synthetic oils. These oils are built to withstand today's engine heat and don't have the waxes and gums that standard oils have so that any laqs and deposits that might have built up from your standard 5W30 just don't build up anymore. Also, with engines running as hot as they do today (there are a lot of fours on the road and they tend to run hot) any nasty gums

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