The Oil Change: What You Should Know

Everyone “knows” you are supposed to get an oil change every 3,000 miles or every three months, whichever comes first. Of course, like most conventional wisdom, there is only a kernel of truth in this knowledge. In fact, most people don’t know a lot about why we need to switch out the oil our cars run on, only that the experts and manufacturers say to do it, so why not just believe that? Well, you can save a lot of money sometimes by learning a little bit more than what “they” tell you.

One of the biggest questions people have is whether they should be using natural oil or the synthetic variety. The synthetic variety certainly costs more, so it should be better, right? In fact, this is one situation where that is precisely the case. Synthetic can give your car better mileage and many auto manufacturers recommend it to sustain the life of your vehicle. Some say you can get away with going twice as long without a checkup if you use the synthetic variety, so it is definitely something to bring up the next time you bring your car in for a lube job.

So what about the shop itself? Where should you take your car when it comes time for an oil change? If at all possible, you probably want to avoid taking it back to the dealer. Dealerships make a lot of money from their mechanic end, and they have the inflated prices that come with knowing they are often the default choice for many drivers. Check around and see if there are any good national chains that are offering bargains. If not, try an independent mechanic. If your primary concern is saving money, try looking online or in the newspaper for coupons and specials.

And what about the filter? Most experts agree you should change out the filter every time you go in for an oil change. They don’t cost a lot of money so it just makes sense. If you don’t, you’re cutting the effectiveness of the process by at least 10 percent and no one wants to do that in this economy. That doesn’t mean you have to do every little thing your mechanic recommends. Auto maintenance is a business like any other and up-selling is a part of that business. The more you learn about your car, however, the better you’ll be able to tell the difference between salesmanship and real talk.