When should you change the oil in your new car or truck?

That depends.

There are two reasons you may need to change the oil in your new vehicle.

Too Many Miles

The first is when you have driven a certain number of miles. The exact number depends upon your vehicle, so you need to check the manufacturer’s specifications.

Those instructions are in that Owner’s Manual you read when you got your new car. You read it right? OK, maybe most of us don’t look at that except to figure out how to change the clock when Daylight Saving begins or ends. But the correct mileage for how often to change the oil for your specific vehicle is in there, too.

Older vehicles might have said to change the oil every 3,000 miles, but most newer vehicles will tell you to change at intervals from 5,000 to 10,000 miles. Check on your car’s specifications to be sure.

Too Many Months

The second is when it’s just been too long since the last time you had the oil changed.

How long is too long? Again, that varies, but is typically between 3 and 6 months depending on your vehicle. Check to be certain.

Why would you need to change the oil if you’ve only driven a few miles over that time? Like us, oil ages. Oil, even the newer synthetics and blends, can degrade over time. It loses the qualities that keep it working – it needs to be smooth enough to reduce the friction between all of those moving parts in your vehicle’s engine AND it needs to do a good job carrying excess heat away to maintain the health of your engine.

Most working adults who drive back and forth to and from work five days a week, and drive to stores for shopping, and drive to restaurants and entertainment venues hit the ‘miles driven’ limit before they hit the ‘age limit’ on their oil. But with COVID-19, many of us are working from home and having groceries and food and other purchases delivered, and skipping out on the trips we might have made, and we just aren’t driving as many miles as we did in years past.

But your vehicle’s oil still needs to be in good shape, even if you’re only driving a few miles a week right now.

Check the miles driven and how many months are suggested by your vehicle’s manufacturer for your specific vehicle. Follow those instructions, and get your oil changed when it is needed. You and your vehicle will be glad you did.

Need an oil change? Here at Elder Cedar Creek Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we can help with that. Whether you need traditional oil, high mileage oil for an older vehicle, a full synthetic, or a synthetic blend, we have what you need.

Give us a call at (903) 713-8676 or drive on by to visit us at 309 N Gun Barrel Ln, Gun Barrel City and we’ll take care of what your car or truck needs to keep getting you down the road and back again.