What happens to the oil after three months if you haven't driven the 3,000 miles? My little window sticker shows that another oil change is do after 3 months or 3,000 miles. Do you really have to get it changed? I checked the engine oil and it is darker than when it was filled in May, but the level is still full and I have been out sick a lot with bronchitis and haven't driven even 2000 miles in the last three months and would like to save the $26 for another month or so, but not at the expense of a new engine. Any advice or ideas?

I always wait till the 3000 mile marker which is about 4- 5 months. DS is a mechanic so he keeps an eye on it for me.

I'd spend the 26$... I've had my current car for over 10 years and 207860 miles, and minimal maintenance, just by changing the oil regularly. I had my last car for 12 years by doing the same thing; If you haven't driven the full 3000 miles you could go another month. You shouldn't base an oil change on the fact that you aren't losing oil.... your car shouldn't lose oil unless there's a problem

Just wait until the 3,000 miles is up unless you do a lot of driving on dirty, dusty roads.

My dealer told me every 3000 miles is fine, and I only drive about 5000 miles a year, so mine gets changed about every 6 months, and the mechanic at the dealer said that is fine. My son is also a mechanic and says since I drive at least 10 miles with each time I am out, the oil has time to warm up and not cause condensation in the engine. It is those short 1 or 2 mile trips that are hard on the oil and engine.

I drive about 3,000 miles a year & change the oil just once a year as recommended by my mechanic. It's a 1996 with 39,000 miles on it & runs beautifully.

I change it as close to the sticker time on the window as possible!

It is YOUR decision, it is YOUR vehicle. However, a little bit of maintenance will go a LONG way to keep your vehicle in good shape so that you CAN keep it for a LONG time. The resale is better if the motor runs well too!

TreeFrog

I have had my car for 14 years! Car is 15 years old, with 188,000 + miles on it! Have the oil changed every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Only minor other issues and problems with the car in all that time. LOVE my car and hate the thought of getting another one.

I go by miles, not by time.

Way to keep the cars. Don't you think that's going green? I'm proud of you all. Mine is only seven years old with 40k miles. My oil change schedule is every 15k miles. Such an easy car to maintain. I'm in agreement with all of you. If we maintain, we can keep these cars longer and they'll serve us well.

That might be an expensive wait for you . the oil should be changed when it is dark.

I use the mobile synthetic blend which is good for 5,000 miles it's a little more expensive but excellant oil! My dodge Durango is now six years old and I have had the service men tell me my motor still looks brand new! No leaks and I have about 120,000 on it.

My husband drives at least 80 miles round trip to work 5 days a week. He's changing his oil every 5 weeks! Ouch He drives a 2000 Honda Accord and gets good gas mileage - he's at 187,000 so far.

And add the miles to run up to the nearest store (10 miles round trip) for milk, eggs, cigarettes, GAS!

Add going out shopping on the weekend another 80+ miles round trip ......

The results of living in the country in the middle of nothing!
Small town with expensive everything!

Changing your oil is the least expensive way you can extend the life of your vehicle. Oil changes are important! However, they are based on mileage rather than time, as the oil breaks down with usage. If you are concerned about how much time has passed since your last oil change, check your oil. It may be dark, but should look clear. If it looks black, change it!!!! If in doubt, change the oil. It won't hurt a thing. If your vehicle burns oil, be sure to check frequently and keep it in the full zone on the dip stick.

engine oils should be changed ever 3K to 5K miles depending on the type of oil and year of car.
The old vehicles should be changed more often because technology has changed a lot in the past 10 years.
Oil breaks down even when the vehicle is not being used. An acid is formed in the oil during this time and will eat your engine (As me how I know?) causing minute pin holes in the engine block and oil seepage.
To be on the safe side, change the oil as soon as you can. Do not let it go excessively past the mileage or date.

My hubbys know tons and theres no reason you have to change it now! By the way if you were to look at your oil even say 3-5 days after a fresh change it will already have turned dark! from the high temps. :-D 8-)

Thanks for all the responses. I wouldn't jeopardize the engine life of my vehicle, but I also don't want to waste perfectly good oil because the car companies want me in for maintenance before I really need it.

Thanks, that's good to know about the color.

The oil does get old after 3 months, so the best thing is to change it then even if you haven't racked up the mileage. BUT that's the optimal thing to do. There's still plenty of room between optimal and risking your engine. I'd say you could go six months every now and then without a problem.

If you're going to go longer than three months, do it in the summer. Cold winters are more stressful on the engine, so that's when you should invest in more frequent oil changes.

By the way, I've read many times that you don't need to change the oil every 3000 miles, that most cars nowadays only need it changed once every 5000 miles. (Nowadays means anything made from the late 1990s onward.)

my husband was a stickler for changing the oil every three months. i have a 2003 buick and it gets changed every 3 mo. since i don't have my husband to check things i have a dependable auto mechanic that i trust to check everything under my hood each time i have the oil changed. sure takes a load off my mind.

We change ours every 3,000 miles not by time