When getting your oil changed in your automobile...?

Question

How many miles over the recommended 3000 mile mark will it take to do real damage to your vehicle?

Answer 1

That is a really difficult question to answer accurately. Due to so many factors that affect the durability of the oil. Often it take the oil thousands of miles to accumulate enough contaminents to saturate the filter and oil with carbon by-products and particulates to render it compromised.

Operating conditions, such as speed, load, temperature, quality of oil, environment  (dusty, wet) all play into  it. Once the oil becomes saturated and diluted by contaminents,  the debris can begin damaging the bearings, and surface finish of internal parts. The oil allows the particles to be suspended in it, until it can be filtered out or replaced.

New engines do not need to be"flushed" or have oil changes more frequently. That is an urban myth, if anything they are cleaner than engines built in the past due to better production techniques.

A general rule is that a newer engine will have a longer interval due to tighter clearances and less wear, as the engine builds up mileage and wear, the oil change interval also fall.  

Answer 2

it won,t hurt to go over the mark some. you have a idea by looking at the oil stick.

Answer 3

You can go over, but I wouldn't go over 1000 miles , good luck.

Answer 4

With newer synthetic oils, your car will probably take up to at least 5,000 miles between changes without being a problem.

I generally try to change ours between 4200-4500 miles, and I've never run into engine trouble.

Answer 5

probably 10,000miles. just change the oil when the manufacturer says it is so much easier. when the engine is running-in little bits of metal shard off and can cause damage but unlikely to break engine in short-term

Answer 6

10-thousand.  Oil just gets dirty, it never wears out.     If it is a new car, it is more important that you do the first couple changes on time because of metal particles of the new engine running for the first time and the pieces fitting together....after that.If you change the oil filter you can go for a longer time.

     The additives break down by 5000 miles.  Changing the oil takes out the dirt, and the moisture(fog, smog, mist) with it and refreshes it.  Kind of similar to drinking water out of a glass of water that stood on the table overnight, or one freshly poured.

Answer 7

If you're doing mostly highway mileage, you can go further than the recommended interval for an oil change.  Also, today's motor oils are more durable than they used to be.  As long as you don't run low on oil, you should be able to go 20,000 miles or more before you do real damage to the engine.  But if you're going to go that far, use full synthetic motor oil.