ENGINEER EXPLAINS HOW OFTEN TO CHANGE OIL & FILTER // UPDATED CRITERIA-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS!

Automotive Engineer David Chao once and for all explains exactly how often you should change your oil and oil filter - based on engineering principles. David provides 3 scenarios (Criteria A, B, & C) so that you can decide where you fit in, and therefore decide on the best outcome while minimizing cost. Watch the entire video to find out how to determine the best frequency for oil change for your internal combustion engine vehicles.
Automotive Press is owned and managed by David Koichi Chao, a global expert in the field of automotive evaluation, engineering, and strategy. With over 35 years of engineering experience, David is able to review vehicles from unique perspectives utilizing technical and specialized methods. David is a board member and a director at AJAC (Automobile Journalist Association of Canada).
David is known around the world as an authentic specialist of Lean/Agile Thinking, and travels all around the world to review vehicles and teach latest engineering methods. Born and raised in Japan, David has an engineering degree from University of British Columbia and post-graduate education from MIT and Harvard Business School in Boston.

[@AutomotivePress]

Thank you everyone for your comments. A number of people have asked for a data as a backup - but you have to remember that when it comes to predicting the durability of engines, the best way to do that is to take the engine apart. You will then clearly see the residue of the oil, condition of the inner components etc, and often times the condition of the engine itself does not correlate with the condition of the engine oil. So it is very deceiving - and dangerous - to assume that the engine is in good condition due to the good condition of the oil (through data and analysis). People like AMD from Car Care Nut, myself as an automotive engineer, and Mr. Takumi Kurosawa (Nissan GT-R engine leader) have all taken hundreds of engines apart and correlated the condition to the frequency and type of engine oil used. That's the best type of "data" and most accurate way to predict the engine condition (you can see it). Because I have taken apart hundreds and hundreds of automotive components apart, I know exactly what needs to be done to take care of automobile components and parts (not just engine), and my recommendations are based on these experiences. My two good friends AMD and Mr. Kurosawa will back me and support me as they have the same insights and ideas as in this video. I hope this helps you understand how I came up with my recommendations. At the end of the day, you are free to decide what to do based on your own experience and knowledge. I am simply sharing my insights based on 35 years of working with cars inside and out.

[@dproulx222]

Criteria A - Maximum Longevity (10 - 20 years) - 400,000 to 800,000 kms - or even longer. Change oil every 3,000 miles / 5,000 kms (6 months or earlier) Criteria B - Good Longevity (4 - 10 years) 160,000 to 400,000 kms Change oil every 5,000 miles / 8,000 kms or once a year or earlier - whichever comes first. Criteria C - Minimum Frequency (1 - 4 years) 40,000 - 160,000 kms People leasing or financing - who don't value longevity are recommended to follow the interval in their owners manual. Oil is able to keep its lubrication properties for a very long time. However, oil does get dirty and air and gas contaminants do get into the mixture Hence, why time is just as important as distance. I have huge respect for David, AMD from The Car Care Nut Channel and every mechanic who offers sensible advice. I live in Alberta, Canada and drive a Corolla Hybrid. I use a 4 month oil change interval. January - April May - August September - December I drive less than 15,000 kms annually (suburban 60% & highway 40%) Car has been rust-proofed and PPF added because the Alberta government has a ton of salt and sand added to the roads during the long winter months. The same applies to much of Canada. Toyota Corolla Sedan owners are advised to use 0W-16 oil... The weight is written on the oil cap. Criteria A - Phenomenal owners Criteria B - Fantastic owners Criteria C - Are not bothered about the longevity of their vehicles and less likely to maintain them - Zero respect. Thank you David & The Car Care Nut

[@garymaclean6903]

Are you trying to say that engine oil analysis does not give good information on the condition of the oil? You seem to also be saying you cannot tell how good the oil still is based on these tests? Are you saying this evidence, that you can also 'see' the actual test results, such as amount of contaminants, amount of wear particles, etc., somehow isn't reliable in predicting both whether the oil is still in good condition, or how much longer it will protect your engine? What actual evidence are you basing such a claim on? Long-haul truck companies routinely use these engine oil services to evaluate their oil's condition. Are they wasting their money?

[@briankalagher6687]

Thanks for this comment. There is something that has been bugging me with oil analysis. Like it might be missing some important things? I feel like we tripled the oil change mileage and at the same time added direct injection, turbos, and some questionable fuel with ethanol. I don't think oil capacity has increased much at all. Which all points to it being harder on the engine oil. I also feel that longer drain intervals will lead to more oil leaks but I have no proof of this. A major oil leak is almost as bad as an engine failure if it costs me $7000 to take the engine out and fix it. It just seems too easy to keep doing 5K oil changes instead of that. Thanks!

[@AutomotivePress]

@@garymaclean6903 Thank you for your comments, I appreciate you've taken the time to reply. However, you've completely misunderstood what I was trying to say. Yes the oil analysis will tell you the exact condition of the oil itself. However, at 3,000 or 5,000 miles, the oil would still be in good condition and would not have deteriorated enough to be a concern. Testing at these mileage would be waste of time. I would say beyond 7,000 miles the actual condition of the oil would matter. But unlike long-haul truck industry, you would not normally need to test the oil to see how long "you can keep driving" while keeping the same oil. You would normally try not to extend that much just to save a few quarts of oil - this might matter to long haul trucks but in automobiles, the cost of oil is cheap enough that you can change them out while the oil is still in good condition. I have taken engine apart, tested oil, tested various parts, and examined data to know this as a fact. You cannot compare long haul truck industry methods to modern consumer oriented automobiles where you don't need to prolong the oil until the oil is almost end of life.

[@ROGZI3L]

Thanks for the information. What's your recommendation on a car that isn't driven on the road but I start it every few.monyhs so it runs and keeps seals from drying out. It sits with synthetic

[@jonhansen4745]

Great advice on how to make an engine last. Personally I don't care if I'm planning on keeping my vehicles basically forever or if I'm going to get rid of them every 50,000 miles. I'm going to treat every vehicle the same. I want to know when someone purchases something I bought new, broke in, and maintained, that they're going to buy something that could last another quarter million miles. I don't care if that person is a grandkid or some stranger I'll never meet. It's just the right thing to do.

[@dproulx222]

Agree 100% Much respect to the people who take care of their vehicles. Especially those who change their oil at frequent intervals as outlined by David and AMD from the Car Care Nut channel. Furthermore, the people who change their cars more frequently generally have higher incomes. So an extra oil change per year shouldn't put them in any financial hardships in the first place..

[@bertblue9683]

Agreed. Everyone should have this mentality. It's poor behavior and shows lack of compassion to your fellow citizen to do otherwise.

[@dbown1959]

Thank you for your post, there are a lot of people who will never be able to buy a new car and they are so lucky to buy a used car from people like you. I think your post is as important as the video itself, if not more.

[@derek2479]

100% agree. I'm disappointed that a channel like this would even encourage screwing over used car buyers.

[@jonhansen4745]

@@derek2479 I don't believe that is what David is advocating and I definitely didn't mean for what I wrote to come off that way.

[@Kdavis8377]

2007 4Runner. Oil and filter change every 5k and transmission flush every 60k. Currently 343k miles. Runs and drives as good as the day I got it. Burns no oil, no leaks, transmission is milky smooth. Wouldn’t hesitate to jump in and drive it from Georgia to California and back. Just a great vehicle made in a place where they value work ethic.

[@TheBandit7613]

Time to switch to 3000. Just from wear and tear it's getting more blowby which is introducing more unburned fuel into the oil and contaminating it faster. Go for 500,000 and more... I have 435k on my cheap Hyundai, changing every 3000 and trans oil every 30,000 My trans oil changes are simple drain and fills. Drains one gallon per change.

[@bertblue9683]

You've bought the sweet spot of peak Toyota engineering. 2006-2009

[@TheBeatenPaths]

Awesome!!! I'd be interested in knowing how often you change your transmission/diffs/transfer case fluids. And at what mileage did you do the first changes?

[@Kdavis8377]

@@TheBeatenPathstranny every 60k, all diffs every 20k, I lube all the lube points every oil change . Seen many 5th gen’s with 150-200k miles still running strong as well.

[@poppyneese1811]

On the transmission do you do a flush total fluid Change or what’s in the pan?

[@derek2479]

I'm an "A" guy. I've always bought new, kept them for 10+ years, although nowadays I use synthetic and go for 4-5k miles. I am disappointed in the "C" recommendation. This is why I don't buy used. The attitude is basically "I don't care if who gets it next will have a long-term car. I got mine.".

[@tubedude92]

couldn't agree more..very well said 💯

[@njackson18]

I was thinking the same thing. Basically C is encouraging bad maintenance.

[@JHKCF]

Why is it bad to use the manufacturers recommendation? Unless they want the car to fail so you have to buy another one. If that’s the case why would you be a repeat customer if the engine failed prematurely on their recommendation?

[@nowayout8639]

@@JHKCF Basically every driver have different driving conditions which does not fit the ideal manufacturer oil change interval. You may have short trips like driving to work every day for 5 minutes which does not allow the engine to fully warm up. You may be a driver that does mostly city driving and that effects the engine oil. On the other hand you drive mainly highway driving which is good for the car. Then weather plays a part in which dusty and extreme freezing condition or very hot desert condition will effect engine oil wear. So the 10,000 mile oil change the manufacturer recommended is not ideal for that driver that drives short trips mainly in the city. On the other hand the driver that drives mainly highway for an hour every day the 10,000 mile oil change in mostly warm weather above freezing would be good for the engine.

[@davepaturno4290]

​@nowayout8639 There are historically two schedules of maintenance for oil/filter changes. One is for those who drive in clean conditions and on longer trips. The other schedule is for what is considered to be harsh conditions with short trips and lots of dry dust and or sand.

[@CeasarBergonia]

Own two Lexus, 17yrs old and 13yrs old. Change oil and filter every 6mths or 5000miles, with mobile 1 full synthetic. No engine problems at all, to include no oil burning. I use the same interval for my son’s Prius Prime. Other than 1 hr of time, the cost for oil change is about $40 (I do my cars oil change. Can’t trust jr. Mechanics). That’s cheap for worry free engine.

[@charley95sheridan44]

Couldn't have said it better myself, I also own 2 Lexus's with Mobil 1 stacked to the ceiling in my basement. Oil is cheap and motors are not. I just bought a dozen Toyota filters recently. In my 45 years of driving, no one has ever changed my oil but me.

[@ernie451]

I'm from England, i change my oil every 10,000 miles i have no issues either

[@matthewronson5218]

Lexuses.

[@noahdunaway]

@@charley95sheridan44 I agree, I’m 73 and the only person to change the oil in all my vehicles, even the numerous new vehicles I bought I have never let the dealership give me a free oil change. When I lived in town with a lot of short trips I changed oil and filter at 2k miles and after I moved out in the country I started going to 3k miles. I also use Mobile 1 0w40 European blend oil which has a very good additive package that I prefer, also it’s just under $5.00 per quart when you buy it in the 3 jug carton from Wally World.

[@jimliu2560]

A lot of people who don’t have garages (condos, apartments , townhomes) are forbidden to do any car work….. leading to longer oil changes…

[@Haawser]

In a previous job I got to visit the lab where a very well known brand of oil was formulated and tested. The chief engineer told me that if I wanted to have virtually zero engine wear I should take the recommended service interval and halve it. So 12k miles becomes 6k and so on. I followed his advice and my last car was 19 years old when it had to be scrapped due to rust. But the engine still ran like a sewing machine.

[@TheRealSykx]

You wasted your money on excessive oil changes when you should have been spending it washing the car so it wouldn't rust

[@Haawser]

@@TheRealSykx Trust, 19 years of salty winters is not bad. It wasn't the exterior body that rusted, it was everything underneath. Brake lines, exhaust, springs, brackets, subframes, ABS rings etc. Wasn't worth replacing all of it.

[@enzoh7763]

​@@Haawser ,, same here , 19 yrs of rust on mechanic components. Doing another round of rust removal this summer and will do some protection again . Any suggestion on the protection ?

[@Haawser]

@@enzoh7763 Waxoil or Dinitrol is easy to apply. It's just not as permanent as I'd like. Have to redo the stuff every couple of years. But worth it.

[@factsnotfeelingssendit5961]

​@@enzoh7763spray diesel with a oil mix 70/30 70 diesel

[@elizabethwhite4606]

David, my 4Runner’s have lasted many trouble-free years as I have always changed the oil and filter at 3,000 miles. Thank you for your expertise and recommendations.

[@DanielJohnson-ec8rk]

3,000 is what I did for decades while using conventional oil. With full synthetic it’s a waste of money and go 6,000

[@nightingaleofsorrow9349]

A 4Runner can run forever! Every 5-6,000 miles is fine! You would be surprised the engine will be just fine! 🚙

[@srf6161]

I use Amsoil signature and go 10k....never had a problem

[@albetherechillin]

Nothing wrong with doing it more often. Props for being on top of it.

[@smedleybutler1969]

@@srf6161 It is better for your car to use a cheaper oil and change it every 5000 miles!

[@user-oy4cz9uo3n]

I'm glad to hear you quote AMD, the Car Care Nut, as I follow his recommendations to the letter for my Toyota. Thank you!

[@metzmatu8409]

I too follow AMD and learn alot from him. 👍

[@BangBang-hk4rg]

AMD is the man! 👍

[@Shawn-ky2tw]

Ahmed is the man and his recommendation is a flat out 5k interval.

[@luckyguy600]

Except for a few things like what oil to use. But hey go by the manual as best as your conscience can manage it. OW- O8, OW-16 ... sorry no can do.

[@kirtg1]

​@@Shawn-ky2tw if you can, what is Ahmed's channel...thanks

[@nj2mddude205]

I let the dealer from whom I purchased my 03 Toyota Sequoia change the oil every 5k miles. I purchased the lifetime oil change plan, which cost me only $500 and a $10 environmental fee per oil change. At 301k miles, the 4.7 L engine is still going strong.

[@DavidSmith-qg4dd]

Nice video

[@michaelclark9762]

Not bad. You're currently at less than $19 per oil change including the environmental fee.

[@garydale8874]

Have had several dealers, cheat, and not change filter, have caught several doing this, so change myself now

[@michaelclark9762]

@@garydale8874 Some manufacturers and service managers recommend only changing the filter every other drain interval [not me, I don't do that].

[@garydale8874]

@@michaelclark9762 They might recommend that, but when I am paying them to do both, they should.

[@JBotman52]

I have a 2003 Highlander V6 with 160,000 trouble free miles. I change the oil every 5000 miles. I like this number and recommend it to friends because it is easy to keep track of. Whenever the car hits the next 5000 mile increment it is time to change the oil. I also keep a spreadsheet of all maintenance ever done but find the 5000 mile increment easy to remember.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Mostly long commute every day on the Interstates? @@motleydude73

[@gardnerberry113]

Plus, 5k is also a good time to rotate your tires. I just bought a '23 Ram EcoDiesel (last ones!) and I'll do the first change at 1.5k, then 3k, 5k and every 5k afterward. My Retirement Ride, lol! 👴🏻

[@MikeKayK]

@@motleydude73 What brand oil & filter do you use? How many months does it take you to hit 10k miles? Is it mostly highway miles or stop and go? Long trips or short trips? Do you live in a colder or warmer climate? Lead foot or drive like a grandma? Top tier gas or not? Planning to keep the car until 250k miles or 450k? All of these make a difference. Remember there's no one right answer for when to change the oil to minimize risk of issues, it's completely conditional based on those and other factors. On top of that it's simply about risk, there's no 100% guarantee of issues (or lack of issues) regardless of how often you change oil, or when those issues will arise. This is why it's a never ending "debate." People think THEIR way is THE way for everyone.

[@MikeKayK]

@@motleydude73 Nobody does? Dude how many people think it's "normal" for higher mileage cars to burn oil?

[@metalrooves3651]

this is the BEST EFFING REPLY HERE!these anal people changing oil at 3.234 miles because they have time on their hands,and 3,235 miles is too much!@@motleydude73

[@jmyers6175]

If you are driving stop and go suggest changing every 3000 miles. Highway driving 40 miles or more a day every 5000 miles. 😊

[@70diezel]

Thanks David for your expertise. I change my oil and oil filter in my Toyota at 5,000 miles.

[@noonyab3780]

You should be changing the oil in your Tesla every 1k if you want it to last. 5K is far too long for a Tesla!

[@70diezel]

@@noonyab3780 I don’t have a Tesla. And Tesla suck. I drive Toyota, the best.

[@glenndarragh4417]

Another thing to keep on top of is cooling system maintenance. With many if not most modern engines one overheating incident is all it takes to cause major and expensive damage. Gone are the days when you could just let it cool down, chuck some water in the radiator and all is well.

[@user-jk5nz9cd2k]

yes, eventually antifreeze loses it's corrosion preventing capabilities. My F150 is now using a different coolant than what was originally in it from factory.

[@tommurphy4307]

only if you use the right coolant and water- the interval is 100K on newer cars now.

[@markstrickland8736]

Toyota owner's manual says 5,000 miles under severe conditions. They define severe as a hot climate, a cold climate, or a lot of stop & go city driving. I have also read that it should be changed at 6 months, regardless.

[@Resistculturaldecline]

Yep, what they (and others) call severe is actually the average owner's usage.

[@mikeprice8307]

10k these days. I leased a Corolla and they wanted to change it at 10k intervals

[@OhSoddit]

@@mikeprice8307 One of the (growing) problems is "MARKETING". It's a sales pitch, to offer longer-interval servicing as a requirement (hence cheaper and less inconvenient to the owner). The executives go to the engineers and ask what is the MINIMUM oil change distance to get the vehicle *past warranty* - not necessarily what is optimal for an extended life of the vehicle. (In fact, it's in their interests for a car to "fail early" - so you go and buy another one, rather than keep it 25 years!!). What 'sounds best' to a new buyer, 3,000 mile / 6 month changes, or 10,000 mile / annual changes? Most experienced mechanics will advise oil changes at HALF the manufacturers recommended distance.

[@bertblue9683]

Don't go 10k

[@Resistculturaldecline]

@@bertblue9683 A lot of modern cars will be dangerously low on oil by 10k, in addition to the oil being full of fuel and contaminants by them. Unless someone drives 90% on the interstate sitting on cruise control 200 miles a day, 10k just isn't a great idea.

[@markcole6475]

My typical oil changes consist of 3000 mile or 3 months for good conventional oils. 4000-5000 miles or 6 months with good synthetic oils. I’ve been a heavy line tech with Ford for 15 years and worked at independent garages for 14 years……have seen a lot of damage from people not changing their oils frequently enough….typically it was lack of proper oil changes or lack of oil that caused 90% of all my work concerning internal problems….even repeatedly changed engines in customers vehicles for not changing the oil again after the first engine replacement …..some people just never learn.

[@charley95sheridan44]

Nailed it! 👍

[@mem1701movies]

What if a garage put 5w30 in a Ford engine that called for 5w20?

[@OhSoddit]

@@motleydude73 Specs on my VZ Holden are 5w30 or 10w30. I'm running 15w40. (it is a WORN engine). It runs quieter, and uses less oil. No change in fuel economy.

[@markcole6475]

@@motleydude73 that’s not good practice at all…..any oil will get contaminated with fuels and lose lubricating abilities… I worked in the automotive field for 30+ years and retired from it recently ….heavy line tech….every engine I knew of that people were changing oil at long intervals had engine problems at some point…..Amsoil , mobile 1 or whatever the so called best oils were ..

[@metalrooves3651]

i dont know what KMs are....we are an american youtube channel here.@@motleydude73

[@jaimieconroy36]

Thank you, David. Your recommendations for oil change intervals are good reminders for all of us that doing proper maintenance is the best way keep your car running in top shape. I follow AMD, AKA The Car Care Nut, and watched almost every video. His technical reviews are among the best. From what I have seen, frequent oil changes can prevent castrophic failure no matter how long you plan to keep it.

[@dystopia-usa]

Engine longevity & wear/tear (as well as carbon sludge accumulation) also depends on how the vehicle was driven, whether top tier fuel was used & even whether or not engine uses at least some partial port-injection instead of 100% direct-injection (aka likely carbon sludge magnet). Lots of long, open highway miles, or mostly short trips and/or city-driving stop/go traffic miles can each have a lot of impact on engine health.

[@TheRealSykx]

@@DaveP-uv1ml it's less about pressure and more about air velocity and temperature. The air is moving fast enough and hot enough to burn off the carbon deposits at those higher RPMs

[@TheRealSykx]

@@DaveP-uv1ml I would mostly be repeating myself here.. a carbon deposit is not fully oxidized carbon, fully oxidized carbon is CO2, which is a gas.

[@tommurphy4307]

a good, hand-built motor should last 500K minumum, but you'll have to build it yourself if want to do it affordably.

[@lennylipe6434]

2017 RAV4 with mostly highway miles with a road warrior job. Full synthetic, the oil didn't even start getting dirty until 6,000 miles. I added half cup of Seafoam or Marvel Mystery to the crankcase the day before oil change and made sure it was warmed up fully. It is my suspicion that the sludge buildup in/on the piston oil wiper rings are what cause these engines to fail prematurely and start burning oil. As it was mostly highway miles, I usually changed oil at 9k-11k intervals. Call me crazy, but 205,000 miles currently and no oil burning issues. Toyota filters from dealer, oil is not black...maybe dark brown before changing. YMMV but I'm very happy with this vehicle.

[@dongjuang4196]

I think you are the wisest man not to do unnecessary frequent oil changes. Really crazy are those who change every 3000miles.

[@sawmanbigtreeslayer2360]

I have a 2020 Rav 4 with the 2.5 liter. I been doing the Mystery Marvel right in oil. Same thing. Oil looks clean at 5000 to 6000. I am using Mobil 1. 0W-16 weight with the high end Fram filter. I do notice that at 74,000 miles when you punch it in Eco mode it will redline like the transmission is stuck in 5 or 6th gear. I believe these have an 8 speed auto transmission. I have feeling that its not good on these motors to run right up to 6200 rpm. Creates a ton of heat. I wonder if that is why these engines fail at lower mileage? The Mobil one is rated for 10,000 miles. I have been doing it at 7500 miles.

[@user-ff5ge7hx2c]

You listen to to many videos and have a false idea of what's in your pan, if you change oil regularly there is NO CRAP in your pan

[@briankalagher6687]

Thanks David. I love this topic. Really appreciate your views as well as a few others like carcarenut, fordbossme, and motoroilgeek who all say similar things. 6 months and 5K is the most i will do if I'm doing lots of highway driving.

[@kimnach]

When I purchased my IROC (305) back in '88, I decided that I would change the oil & filter every roughly 1.5kmiles. I have done so for 35yrs with the only change being that I switched to synthetic about 7 years ago.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

So every 6 months or every 12 months (Sunday good weather summer cruiser?)

[@vicentee2687]

it weird to me when people say it's a waste of money you can never go wrong changing the oil plus oil changes are cheaper than a motor

[@willg.5168]

It'd be nice for that beaut to be ran on the highway every now and again to keep it exercised 👍🏽😏

[@nicholaspetre1]

These oil topics are very essential. It is also good when opinions are backed up practically and scientifically. If people have good oil change and car maintenance culture overall, the vehicle will have more potential to run longer without causing super expensive repairs due to oil burning issues and end up on the junkyards as a result of it. Thanks

[@OhSoddit]

A lesson I learned the hard way myself. Changing the oil at HALF the manufacturers recommendation (i.e. twice as often) is still much, MUCH cheaper than a rebuild or new engine - and will typically PREVENT the problems that require a rebuild or new engine. Manufacturers extend the service interval as a sales pitch (looks cheaper and less inconvenient to the buyer), and have NO interest in keeping your car healthy past warranty - if it kept running fine for 25 years, you wouldn't buy another one....

[@nicholaspetre1]

@@OhSoddit So much true!

[@frankg6578]

​@@motleydude73don't be a troll, you missed the whole point of this video.If you are comfortable with rank/criteria 3 then go for it. Don't spew your "absolute nonsense" crap here.

[@us1fedvet]

First thing: manufacturers recommendation on severe service schedule is my baseline. I typically do a 5k mile OCF using whatever synthetic OEM spec oil I can get on sale, a high quality filter, and the occasional lab analysis. I also do other fluids at 60k for trans, 90k for coolant, and brake fluid every three years. Service on 4wd transfer case and differential is approximately every 30k - 50k depending on the component. I’m not afraid to go longer on the OCF if on a long over the road trip and have done an 8800 mile change with lab analysis showing the oil still held additives and no degrading wear byproducts. Excellent summary sir. Grease is cheaper than steel.

[@nicholaspaul2458]

Hi David. Excellent simple explanation with your three categories. My dealer in Toronto recommends a 8000 K interval. I alter this by changing oil and filter myself at the 4K mark. Makes it easy to remember. I always use synthetic primarily as it is easier on the engine for cold winter starting.

[@pp21ca]

Thanks for the video! I just have my 2023 GX460 serviced for first oil change from the dealer. They told me to go back for the next service after 16000 kilometres. I was shocked. I guess I will go back to the oil change for another 8000 kilometres.

[@RJ2878]

Dealers typically follow manufacturers recommendations. Better if possible to learn to do yourself, then you make that call. The manufacturer makes their cash selling new cars.

[@jsfbay1]

@@RJ2878 Or take your vehicle to an independent shop if you can't properly dispose of the old oil. And, at an independent shop, you can ask them to use specific oil, whereas a dealer or an oil change shop will buy whatever the cheapest oil is (AMD from Car Care Nut surprised me when he said even the dealerships buy the cheap stuff and don't necessarily use their brand specific oil.)

[@OhSoddit]

I'll second the opinion for a "learn to do it yourself" (IF POSSIBLE). I have permanent partial disability (leg) and I can still do it no problem. I have a 2006 Holden VZ. If I'd KNOWN just how easy it is to do when I bought it, I'd have ALWAYS done it myself!! (For the Holden VZ, you don't even need to raise / jack the vehicle (can reach the sump plug with a socket wrench without ever being truly "under" the car), and the oil filter is easily reached from above (under the bonnet)). It took me 10 mins to watch a 10 minute "how to" video on youtube, and about 10 minutes to do the actual oil & filter change. Now obviously this depends on "your vehicle" / design as to how easy it is (or isn't), but if you CAN do it you'll most certainly be better off. Even if you need to buy any tools for this purpose, you'll soon recoup the cost in savings from dealer charges (hint, wait until auto stores have a "discount / sale" on oil or filters, and buy them CHEAP even before you need to do a change). If none of this is possible, I'd still recommend you locate and MARK the oil filter in your car (so you can be sure it's a different one when you pick your car up) - too many dealers have been caught out NOT doing the work they charge the customers for (and the "quick lube" places are even more shady). My car has "issues" at 220,000 km's (potentially facing a complete engine rebuild), I've been told by multiple mechanics if I'd had the oil changed at HALF the manufacturers recommended 15,000 km, none of those issues would have happened (I went 50,000 km's without a change and now it's "sludged"). Oh, and if you do stick with dealer service (I've had bad experiences), INSIST they change the oil FILTER as well - not "just the oil".

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

You need to ave proof of a professional doing the oil and filter changes re warranty. You can insist that the dealer do it "in between" their recommended service points if you are paying for it. Then there is no problem... they have changed the oil and filter...you have the receipts. If they do it as part of the service free re the warranty then they can do the next change for free at their stipulated 16k...you've done it at 8k... You get it done and pay for it at 24k They do it free at 32k etc. They can't argue with it....

[@jsfbay1]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq I thought that there was a law that said you could do the oil changes yourself - but keep the receipts. Maybe I'm wrong. Or maybe I'm thinking of the part where you do not have to take your vehicle to the dealer for service during your warranty, you can take it to your favorite private shop.

[@donzack9667]

My 2001 Grand Cherokee 4.7 v8 lasted 450000 miles. Mobil 1 every 3000 miles. Send an oil sample once a year to Blackstone laboratories in Indiana for analysis to make sure no coolant in oil. Never shut the engine off cold. Operating temperature very important. And keep driving.

[@user-yk5kg7kd4r]

How many transmissions did you go through?

[@85CEKR]

This is a really great video, alot of people guve their 2 cents without really giving any weight to what a person does with their car. I've got a 23 IS500 that I've already changed twice and it's only got 4000kms on it. Now that it's broken in, I don't plan on ever going longer than 5000kms. I plan on keeping this car basically forever as It might be the last if it's kind. I also have a highlander, which I plan on keeping 4-8 years. I change that between 8-10 thousand kms. I'm using amsoil in both cars.

[@bobhawkins3387]

You know, you touched on a point which will become more poignant in the coming years. And that is the possible scarcity of vehicles with ICEs. I am holding onto mine like they’re gold (they might be soon), and maintaining them to the highest degree. Plus, I’m tired of spending 50+k for a set of wheels.

[@85CEKR]

@bobhawkins3387 ya, I agree, I don't know what the future holds, but I think now more than ever, maintaining your ice's engine for the long haul is more important than ever.

[@metalrooves3651]

the brand is pretty well irrelevant !I buy the prettiest can..yelloow is good.Weights arent nearly as important as people think!THERE IS so much " mechanical mythology" involving oil!ONE GUY TOLD me mixing weights was like putting half inch marbles in with 1 inch marbles..the half inch will never share the load!!! His bud said " that makes sense"....I said...NO,I DOESNT!

[@5abivt]

When I bought my 19 bullitt new from the dealer I had changed it 8x by 4000 miles 😅

[@superminer66]

As a mechanic for over 35 years, I agree 1000% with what you said. Spot on.

[@TheBeatenPaths]

This proves a point I keep mentioning to friends & family. You have to know when to trust the owners manual and when not to. Also, everyone forgets about transmission/differential/transfer case fluids too. This gentleman's drain intervals applies to those fluids too!!!

[@michaelbrennan7148]

Thank you David. Much appreciated.

[@4af]

Need a transmission oil change interval video. Interview an Aisin transmission engineer!

[@thetayz72]

Agreed, we mainly just hear people harp on engine oil

[@enzoh7763]

Agree too . Since mine are over 10 yrs old , I do trans and gear oil change every 50k km. That is after 250k mileage . I wonder , is this "good" interval ?

[@samrapheal1828]

Hint: Use Factory oil (less problems w/Asian - Euro transmissions), an independent shop utilizes that strategy. Been a client of this shop for 28 yrs. Spent 20 yrs as a auto tech/machinist at a much earlier portion of my life.

[@RegCoulter]

David, Excellent video and your time and effort to make it is most appreciated. I need to ask a question. I recently purchased my 11th Honda, in this case, a 2024 Honda CRV Hybrid Touring model. I live in Saskatoon Saskatchewan and get really cold winters and very hot summers. Having purchased the vehicle at the end of October 2023, we had to endure a brutal December. While I park underground in heated parking, I still need to venture outside in those temperatures, park it, and leave it sit for several hours, before restarting to drive it home. The CRV has active grill shutters that assist with getting the engine up to temperature as quickly as possible, in addition to giving me cabin heat, even though the vehicle operates in battery only mode at times. My question is, should I trust the Honda Maintenance minder or go with my gut and change it more often. My concern is that the number of on/off cycles of the hybrid system means that I am more likely to not have the engine up to operating temperature for long enough periods of time to purge the crankcase of unwanted blowby and contaminants. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this question. As others have said, the cheapest engine is really expensive, however the most expensive engine oil is cheap. Thank you.

[@andymike6575]

Going off Blackstone UOAs I change my oil every 25,000 miles running Red Line (POE base) or Amsoil signature series (PAO base) heavy duty 15w40 and the 2 micron Amsoil bypass filtration system. At 25k it still has plenty TBN and anti wear additives left with minimal wear metals and fuel dilution. It probably would be safe to run 30k intervals but 25k gives me peace of mind. I’ll change the full flow filter every 12,500 miles. For that I use the Purolator Boss

[@fitnesspoint2006]

i understand there can be varnish build up from long interval changes even though the TBN and wear additives are good

[@andymike6575]

@@fitnesspoint2006 That’s a fair concern. I plan to pull the valve cover off soon at 80k and inspect. I’ll report back!

[@dystopia-usa]

I get my oil changed every 6-months because I usually only go out driving twice per week & only drive about 3200-3400 miles total per year. So my oil is getting changed every 1600-1700 miles. 😝 Probably overkill, but its not breaking the bank to change the oil/filter twice per year.

[@dproulx222]

You're a good person... Much respect.....

[@bobhawkins3387]

Can I buy your used car?

[@jere4524]

I'm a low annual mileage driver. I bought my 2014 Subaru Outback new, and I've put 46,000 miles on it in ten years, and I've put about 1,800 miles on it in the last six months. The oil looks dirty at 1,800 miles compared to my Lexus which always looks clean at the 6 month oil change interval. I use Wix XP filters and Mobil One on each vehicle. Neither car has been to a dealer except for warranty work. I do my own oil changes and maintenance, and by the way, I'm 76 years old....still crawling under the cars. 🙂

[@chadvholtkamp1]

Every six months since mine sits in the garage most of the time. I only drive a few thousand miles a year living in Chicago.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

But you drive in snow and rain and salt on the roads...

[@BrianNC81]

I had a truck that only got used 4-5 thousand miles a year and I would change it once per year with synthetic. Ran like new 17 years later when I sold it. Oil really doesn't go bad sitting in the crank unless you take a lot of short trips and moisture builds up.

[@khoayeuha]

Once before winter. Once after winter.

[@mikebee6530]

Thank you for this sir, I'm about to get a new/used car and want to keep it at least 10 years and this really helps me to know what pace to keep with maintaining it, I appreciate it

[@bobpickering1]

In the good old days, when cars and oil were both crap, it made sense to change oil and filter often. Cars and oil are both much better now. I bought a new Acura in 2006. Acura said 10,000 miles on conventional oil and 20,000 miles on the filter. I changed synthetic oil and filter every 10,000 miles. I sold it last fall with 223,000 miles on it. Oil analysis was fine. Performance was perfect. I never added a drop of oil. EPA estimate was 27-34 MPG when new, but I was still getting 35-37 MPG. Just how much better off would I be if I changed the oil over three times as often?

[@robertdavis9986]

Agree. I've used Amsoil signature series which requires once per yr or 25,000 miles. I"ve put over 250,000 miles on it without a hiccup. Car is over 20 yrs old...still gets 38mpg highway..and a Toyota.

[@MikeKayK]

You wouldn't be any better off, kudos to you for doing it right. But someone with that same Acura who lives in a very cold climate, makes mostly short trips, drives with a lead food, uses low quality gas and cheap oil & filters, will probably never need to do oil changes because they'll be constantly topping off with fresh oil as their engine burns through it. This is what people don't get and why this debate continues to rage on. How quickly your oil gets contaminated and breaks down is CONDITIONAL. It's not set in stone.

[@americanme3239]

Yeah.. but back in the old days.. we could afford a vehicle. 😅😂

[@redbaron6805]

Same here, but these rules of thumb are not vehicle, driving or environment specific. Certain cars will do fine with 10,000 oil changes if you live in the right area and drive lets say 50 miles to work each way. I have an Acura myself with around 150k miles on it and it still runs like new, and I change the oil every 10k miles with full synthetic oil. But, that car was driven for hundreds of miles at a time on the highway, and it was in a relatively mild climate. If it was used for a lot of local short trips, the oil change interval would be much better at 5k miles...

[@rustynail7866]

The EPA mandated pushing the longer period to cut down on toxic waste. Manufacturers would prefer it more often.

[@bmac9936]

Almost always keep my vehicles for 10+ years. Growing up in West Texas and New Mexico it was super important to keep the oil and filters fresh. The air filter as well and the box vacuumed out. A follow up on radiator care would be welcomed. Engines seem to have come full circle in their operation. It used to be important to warmup a carbureted engine and then it became less so with direct injection. Now with all the turbochargers it’s back to a warmup stage before pulling out.

[@froggy0162]

Warming up in the driveway has always been bad for engines. It prolongs the time running cold and a rich mixture washes oil off the bore. It’s best to get it warm as fast as possible and that means driving gently as soon as you start it and back out of your driveway. It needs 5 seconds for oil pressure to stabilise and get to all parts - that’s it. Obviously don’t beat on it until the oil (not coolant) temperature is about 50 degrees Celsius

[@mikeprice8307]

@@froggy0162 bs

[@froggy0162]

@@mikeprice8307A well argued and thoughtful response. I especially enjoyed your technical analysis and deep understanding of the engineering involved. Well played sir.

[@thomasroberts8024]

West Texas/New Mexico. My family had a farm 46 miles south of Portales for a few years. Dry-land, no well. Then moved 35 miles northeast of Clovis. Irrigation! But, centrifugal filtration along with the oil bath for the final stage was the going thing. People who've never had to dig the oily dirt from the bottom of an oil bath would not believe how much accumulates. And not just farm tractors. My '55 Pontiac also had the oil bath and you couldn't run too long without maintaining it. After I got something with a modern filter, it didn't take long to start dragging mom's vacuum cleaner out to the garage to clean out the box!

[@garyallman3039]

@@froggy0162 You can't drive gently from where I live. After the first 0.2 miles, it is up a steep grade with lots of turbo boost. Fortunately, my car is kept in the garage so it is at least 50F when I start it up.

[@petercrutchley6085]

Excellent summary and sound advice. Thank you

[@johneckstein6416]

2012 Hyundai Elantra 1.8 just turned 500K original engine , only used Amsoil top tier oil and Amsoil filter changed it every 11-12K it now uses two quarts between changes , no complaints.

[@moonlightaurora2943]

That's awesome. Wonder if it's valve seals or rings, amazing oil.

[@JuanDeLaGarza-gq3lp]

I’m a second generation auto mechanic and can expertly advise that what the engineer is recommending is spot on. I have never had to replace a properly maintained engine but I have replaced a couple of hundred engines that were poorly maintained. It always costs more in the long run to go cheap.

[@werquantum]

This is the most logical explanation on the topic I’ve seen.

[@islanddon865]

I concur 100% with these recommendations. This confirms exactly the same recommendations from our Chief Shop Mechanic at one of my old Honda Dealerships. And Honda has built more engines that any other manufacturer. Thank you, sir.👍

[@captainmorgan7386]

Thank you David! Great information.

[@fugarte2862]

Interesting. I own a 2005 Honda CR-V with 92,895 miles. I just had my oil and filter changed at my local Honda dealership earlier today. They recommended I get my next oil change in 5 months or when I drive another 5,000 miles. Their recommendation and my expectation for this car lined up with what you discussed in your video. Your breakdown was appreciated. Thank you.

[@pliedtka]

The 2.4L used in CR-V is one of the worst Honda engine and every mechanic knows they will burn oil if the owner will go more 6000 miles/10,000 km on oil changes. While Toyota fixed the oil consumption issues in their 2.4L, by updating pistons and rings, Honda did pretty much nothing. I changed/rebuild dozens of those engines, at least 3-4 every year. In fact there's a one waiting for us this month - it will get low mileage engine sourced from Japan, since it cost the same head/valve job and installing new rings. The same goes for automatic transmissions - they hold less fluid and require more frequent ATF changes. 50k km is the norm. My recommendation max 5k miles OCI on synthetic oil. And if you live in southern US, 5W-30 since it boiling temp is usually higher than 5w-20 oils and doesn't get baked as easy in your oil control rings.

[@fugarte2862]

@@pliedtka Even more reason to stick to what the dealership recommended

[@18_rabbit]

except that older cars/engines benefit from MORE frequent oil changes than standard/original. Furthermore, increasingly over past 20 yrs of the lengthened OCI's, mounting evidence has risen of engines becoming damaged before they were expected to. E.g. in toyota or honda engines, not lasting anywhere near as long as other same engines do when oil changed more frequently and closer to original classic intervals of 3-4K if car is daily driver. Out of my dozens of high-caliber mechanics, they also say more frequent is better in most cases, partly bcuz various factors of engine systems in past 25 years, as well as reduced quality of engines vs 35 years ago, warrants more frequent OC's if u want the engine to last the often-possible extremely high mileages or high-years that Honda and Toyota can. It's cheap insurance that's for sure.

[@phxrsx]

You can go a year if you don't hit the 5000.

[@derrickjohnson5219]

That's exactly what I do the criteria a weather I own the vehicle five or fifty years I always change the oil within a six month period!

[@nachoangeloni6062]

I love this piece of advice. I'm criteria A and I currently have 2 cars. Both use synthetic oil and both get oil and filter change twice a year independently of mileage. I typically drive between 3000 and 4000 every semester. I organize myself and I perform my own oil change mid-year and I take to the dealership once a year so that they plug it in and lube doors/etc. Greetings from Argentina! Nacho.

[@paulbunyon6324]

25 year old Honda Accord, oil and filter changed every 3,000 miles and it still runs perfectly.

[@jdesaavedra0432]

The manufacturer recommendation will find those common failure points where cleanliness is critical. AMD just repaired a Tundra with a sticking timing chain tensioner.

[@charley95sheridan44]

That was a great video. I'm 3 hours from Amd's shop and only have him service my cars.

[@pliedtka]

How about some BMWs or Audis - not only chains are problematic but also labour intensive. Engines are very expensive for them, oil and chains relatively cheap.

[@abigialmr]

Have been driving for over 20 years, always change engine oil and filter when around 10k km. Using well-known brand fully synthetic for all my cars except 1 using semi synthetic. But that 1 car will have an oil change interval at 7000km. No major problem so far. Own several cars, each been driving for more than 5 years.

[@antoniobriggs9180]

‘’I bought a new ‘’2023 TRD OFF ROAD PREM’’….I had the oil 1st oil changed @ 1000 miles….next oil change will be at 5000.00 ..got underneath my 4 runner..1st. Thing turned my spare tire upside down so I can check the air in it and also sprayed rust on top of the spare tire. Then undercoat the rest of the truck. I will tell you this truck rides fantastic. ‘’Thank you …for all the reviews and videos on these amazing automobiles. Thanks. God Bless and many prayers to family and friends.

[@jpking0]

Don’t most new car engines come with a special factory oil with additives in it that help keep the engine lasting and help with break-in? Most mechanics I hear this information and that’s why it’s recommended for most new cars to not change the oil until 6000-7500 miles at least?

[@JacobMitchell-df7np]

Great video. I’ve been doing oil changes on my C63 about every 4,000 to 5,000 miles at least every 6 months to a year.

[@markcoopers1930]

If OEM milage intervals in your manual are based on OEM oil, and that OEM oil is already a full synthetic, I'd argue it's best not to grant any sort of leeway just because you're getting full synthetic. I typically hit the 6 months point long before I hit the milage anyway, so I'm saying that with no skin in the game 🤣 Many owners manuals also list a "standard usage" and "heavy usage" maintenance schedule. With standard being in the 10-12k miles/1yr, and heavy being half of that. And it's very easy to fall into the heavy usage category. Trying to convince my family they fully meet the criteria for heavy usage has been an uphill battle, even though they want to keep their cars to infinity and beyond.

[@dimmacommunication]

Depends a lot on the engine and also driving. The family MB needs oil change every 4 months 😭 due to fuel dilution

[@carlosavila1155]

I drive a 2023 Mazda3 2.5 S Select FWD Sedan. So far, I've taken it in for an oil change & tire rotation about every 3500 miles. My first oil change was before a road trip from Illinois to Arizona and back. My second oil change was after returning from the road trip. I'm due for my third oil change soon. The car runs great and has been reliable. Not sure how long I'm going to keep the car, but I prefer to maintain it often and reduce the need for expensive repairs. Thanks for the recommendations.

[@dproulx222]

Much respect for taking care of your vehicle... When you go and sell it with all the maintenance records the new owner will be able know exactly what fluids have been changed and when to replace the fluids that have yet to be changed. Thank you for taking care of your vehicle.

[@brian_SlingingHooks]

Thank you for the guidance. I am a Type A while the remainder of my family are Type B as newer vehicle owners. I do have a conflict with the scaled maintenance guidance. Poor souls that purchase a used car under Type C maintenance. I practice a Type A schedule for my own and family's vehicles ensuring they get the best maintenance value.

[@erickisel8668]

@AutomotivePress: Excellent information, thank you! Can you do a video like this on transmission fluid, differential fluid, transfer case, etc? EDIT: do these recommendations apply to turbocharged and direct injection?

[@fitnesspoint2006]

it its turbo change oil evey 1,000 miles and if you want to play it safe then change the oil every 500 miles

[@teddyg655]

Good video, thanks for clarifying the time interval regardless of mileage. But what if you take many short trips (2.2 miles, 4 times a week)? Should the time interval decrease to maybe 4 months?

[@gkauto1959]

With good warm weather approaching you should just buy bicycle, how long would a 2 mile trip take? ok when its raining or snowing, just drive, but if its nice out, why not give the bike a go?

[@mplslawnguy3389]

I would find some time once every week or so to take it on the highway for 30 minutes. Too many short trips cause a lot of problems, and you can mitigate that by getting your vehicle up to operating temperature for extended periods.

[@winstonjones7519]

Had a new '95 Chevrolet Cheyenne. Changed the oil right on time at 3,000 miles. Took great care of it. Spent only two nights not in my garage. Some nondriver destroyed it on the way to work one morning. Had 80,000 miles on it.

[@jebutah9705]

The number one beneficiary of this advice is the companies making and selling oil period, end of discussion.

[@crusinscamp]

I find remembering to do the oil change is critical. I've got five cars in my "family fleet". The cost of oil for the car is a fraction of the cost of the fuel I put in a car, it doesn't hurt I shop for oil on sale, get good quality oil filters inexpensively and change the oil myself. All that said, I like an interval of 3,333 miles. So, my entire fleet gets oil changes when the odometer ends in 3,333 miles, 6,666 miles and 9,999 (10K) miles. They're all on the same schedule, so I can tell at a glance when I'm due for an oil change on any of the cars I'm responsible for.

[@jerryyoung6494]

At first, I thought this sounded ridiculous. But the more I think about it, it’s awesome! I’m definitely starting this

[@bertblue9683]

When changing oil at 3,000 mi was the standard, it was easy to just add the first two numbers on your odometer and if it was divisible by 3, it was time to change your oil. 3000 3 + 0. 42,000 4+2 96,000 9+6

[@jimhill3546]

Thanks David, awesome breakdown for each oil change criteria :) 100% true results for "criteria A" with a 2001 Camry replacing oil/filter every 3-5 K kms since new and now the car has almost 500 K kms and still runs like the day it was born 😀

[@bobochan4699]

just wow!

[@ericsivilla4091]

I'm 100 percent on board with your advice.

[@prigs750]

I have been using Mobile 1 since it was 1st introduced. At that time, they sold it as almost a "lifetime" oil for the car. At 3-4K intervals, you did a filter swap and then topped up the oil level. Their sales point was that the synthetic never wore out, just got dirty, thus the filter change. I did have some oil tested at an oil lab and they confirmed that the oil was still in excellent shape when i changed it on the 4th visit. Any comments on this?

[@armedmariner]

Love this topic. Love the categories. Assume we can get a car to 500,000 miles. Assume oil changes are $40 per change. Assume you do it yourself. The differential cost to change it every 3,000 miles vs every 5,000 miles is only $2667 over the 500,000 mile life of that engine. If you drive 25,000 miles a year it will take you 20 years to get to 500,000 miles. It will cost you $11 a month more to change oil at 3,000 vs 5,000 mile intervals. I had a 2017 Ford F150 with the Coyote V8 5.0l engine. I changed oil meticulously trying to maintain 3,000 miles. When I sold it I had a spreadsheet of all maintenance I did on that truck. My mean time between oil changes was 3,400 miles. I had 157,000 miles on that truck. It ran as good as new and I am not exaggerating that. It had the old 6-spd trans and after 75,000 miles I started to suck and fill one quart of trans fluid every two oil changes. This turned out to be very easy to do once I set myself up for a quick “takt time” operation. At 157,000 I sold it and received TOP DOLLAR for the truck of $28,000. It was a basic XLT trim by the way. The guy who bought it now has over 200,000 on it. He is also maintaining it the way I did. We stay in touch and we hope to see that motor at least reach 300,000. I find that to be a very reasonable expectation. My old boss had an F250 with the 6.2l. He drove tons of highway miles. He also loves his truck and maintain 3,000 mile oil change intervals. That truck now has 330,000 miles on it. It is his daily driver. His bird dog owns the back seat and is his constant companion in that truck. David. Thanks for a great video. I hate when people tell me that their book recommends 10k mile oil changes. I try to explain why I shoot for 3,000 but they don’t understand the micro physics of sliding parts separated by an oil film. This I’ll never be able to convince them. That’s ok. I just won’t buy a car from them!

[@JHKCF]

I’m not arguing that changing oil every 3k is a smart practice. Why not every 2k? Wouldn’t that be even better? Why not every 1k? You don’t know that if you changed every 4k that it wouldn’t have still been running as good as new. We live in an economy where some people have to decide whether to spend their money on food or medicine. Luckily I’m not in that category, but if they go every 6k instead of every 3k, that doesn’t make them a bad person, or an uninformed person or even an unwilling person, maybe that’s all they can practically afford to do. Back in the day it was just the standard to go 3k. So was that interval necessary, or did the oil companies want to sell more oil? It reminds me of Proctor and Gamble way back in the day when they had like 90% of the shampoo market but weren’t satisfied. They decided to just change the instructions on the label to say “rinse and repeat”. So now people that followed the instructions used it twice as fast so they could sell more. Was it necessary? The engineer in this video even said, it’s not that the oil loses its ability to lubricate, it’s cause it gets too dirty. So maybe it would be helpful for the car manufacturers to put a color guide in the owners manual, and recommend a certain stage of oil color rather than a set mileage interval. Just a thought.

[@joevarga5982]

"I hate when people tell me that their book recommends 10k mile oil changes." I hate when people like you think they know better than the manufacturer. I've owned my 2004 Audi S4 since it had 13,000 miles. It now has 161,000 miles. I change the oil and filter every 10,000 mi. as recommended by Audi, with Mobil 1 full synthetic without issue. I'm even on the original timing chain guides and tensioners. Now tell my how I'm wrong.

[@willg.5168]

3000 mile o/c with highway driving? Do me the favor of saving that oil and I'll come and pick it up every 6 months so as to continue using that "clean" oil

[@joevarga5982]

@@motleydude73 It's easier to fool someone into believing that they need to change their oil every 3,000 miles than to convince them that they've been fooled.

[@armedmariner]

This all got pretty personal and if I caused any of that I’m apologizing. Oil gets dirty every time the piston hits TDC on combustion. The piston rings are totally awesome by design at how they help control the cylinder pressure but they CANNOT hold it all back. Dirty combustion byproducts come past the piston rings and make the oil get dirty. That “dirt” is carbon byproducts. That carbon is pretty abrasive. That dirty oil may still have lubricity within spec range but it is still dirty. David did say that Toyota race engineers think very short mean time between oil changes is better. I believe this is the reason. Yes it is still “slippery” but it’s also now dirty with carbon blow by and that means it is also now a bit more abrasive. I shoot a lot. I’ve studied carbon deposits in F-Class Benchrest rifles. Carbon deposits left uncleaned are incredibly tough to remove. Especially the “carbon ring” just forward of the bullet right before the lands. Carbon can build up there enough to not only open up shot groups but also produce excessive (dangerous) pressures. I’m wondering is someone out there can technically describe what an oil filter is capable of filtering out of oil? Does an oil filter reduce carbon in the oil from blow by? Or is it only good for larger particles? It would be awesome to understand pressure gradients across an oil filter at 2k, 3k, 4K, 5k up to 10k or even 15k. I would think that when oil pressure gradient picks up to a certain point that’s the time to change oil. I suppose that kind of pressure gauge could be installed. I just changed my F-350 7.3l gas engine oil today. I have 58,000 miles on that truck and my mean time between oil changes is 4,600 miles at this point. I am going to stick to that. Personal choice.

[@theredscourge]

Sure, the oil manufacturers certify their oil to last 10,000-20,000 miles depending on product, and they make high mileage filters, but I change my oil every 13 seconds just in case.

[@steverichdrummr]

Thank you, I am a do it yourselfer and I have great interest in these topics.

[@vegasfordguy]

I do synthetic oil changes every 5,000 miles on my vehicles along with an OEM oil filter. I have no trouble making it to 250,000 miles. I definitely agree with your advice. Even though modern engine oils are excellent, it's the contaminates that are suspended in the oil from the air taken in from the engine, fuel, carbon and others. A bypass oil filter will really help this as well.

[@davecamilleri9411]

It would be nice to add an addional category for those people that don't drive very much and make lots of short trips. They need to be changing their oil more often or yearly or max every two years, but it is hard to convince some of them.

[@lafaders]

I have a 2023 Acura tlx type s. Just reached 15k miles…the car is so much fun to drive. I change my oil every 2500 miles. I really love my car, it brings me a lot of joy so I go all out on maintaining her.

[@alichaudhry12]

Hey David, great channel car Care nut and I just came across another good one motor oil geek....I notice a lot of these guys go away from the manual when talking about doing a first oil change...1200 miles or roughly 2k kms...what are your thoughts on that and is there a special new oil from the factory that we should keep in there for longer?

[@rightlanehog3151]

David, The cheapest engine is very expensive but the most expensive oil is very cheap. I spent a premium to acquire a FIRST CLASS Toyota engine and I have no intention of using second, third or fourth class oil to lubricate it. I use the best oil on the market and follow the oil manufacturer's severe service oil change interval. After nearly 19 years my 1ZZ-FE runs as well as the day it left the factory. 😁

[@floydwilliams3321]

100%

[@PeterV-]

What oil do you use and say is the best on the market?

[@rightlanehog3151]

@@PeterV- Amsoil Signature Series.

[@Vermonstered]

So tires have gotten miles better, dampening technology and the oils they use have advanced so far, our engine building tolerances have gotten down to the point we're using 0w-10 or thinner among thousands of other improvements but we're still stuck using 1950's oil change intervals.

[@Tom-zn9cp]

First, let me say that I enjoyed your video; it was thorough and thoughtfully done. I am always intrigued by people asking how often they should change oil. By far, oil/filter changes are the least costly maintenance items an owner can perform, whether you do the work yourself or have it done. People go out and buy or lease a $30k, $40k, $50k, or more vehicle and then questions an $80 or $100 oil change. They hem and haw about the cost and they shouldn't. I change the oil in my 300k 2.4L Honda Accord every 5,000 miles and put in a quality filter. My 125k 3.0L Volvo gets an oil and filter change at 3,000 miles (European car!). Think about what a complicated piece of engineering the modern automobile is and the work it has to do to get you from point A to point B, and in the luxury to which we've all become accustomed. Oh, and as for the manufacturer's 10-20k intervals, that is just a load of cr@p and nothing more than a marketing ploy to get you into a new lease every two years because the service intervals are the length of the lease.

[@ba0700]

I’m 72 now and have always changed my own oil even when I’ve experienced frozen shoulder, impingement or shoulder operations making it painful to do so. Concern for and respect for the vehicle are my reasons.

[@brkbtjunkie]

I got a 2013 Lexus ES in 2018, I noticed right away that letting the oil go 10k, even the good Mobil 1 full synthetic, it came out so so black, I thought, this can’t be right. After that I started doing 5k intervals but now that it has 115k, I’m doing 3k changes. My LX has 243k miles and I baby it with oil changes every 2k mostly because it’s driven off road almost as much as it’s driven on road.

[@TheRealSykx]

It's just soot, in fact, it's good that it's in the oil and not depositing in the engine, that's one of the many benefits of modern oils. You really don't give modern oil enough credit.

[@willg.5168]

​@@TheRealSykxexactly!

[@willg.5168]

The oil being "black" is more than likely from the cleaning from the oil, as synthetic oil is detergent oil

[@notsodelusional]

David, do your recommendations change for PHEVs like the RV4 Prime? Especially, if the majority of the miles were in EV mode?

[@anonay7238]

This is a good question. I have done around 22k miles in my Toyota Yaris cross, serviced with oil change at 10k and 20k. Hybrid EV mode kicks in 50% of the time for most of my journeys. This means my engine has been serviced at 5k and 10k miles right?

[@verynick]

Yup, I’m wondering the same. I drive on my prime mostly on EV - 98% of the time lol so I assume I wouldn’t get oil change as often maybe 10k - 15k miles?

[@TheRealSykx]

Probably worth lab testing to get a good trend and interval going

[@tomnitkowski3823]

I just got a new 2023 GX460 and love it. Do you recommend an oil change at 1000 miles as part of the break-in process? I have a big Toyota dealer 3 miles away while the Lexus dealer is 30 miles away so less convenient. Is there any reason to NOT use the Toyota dealer for a simple 1000 mile oil change. I will go to the Lexus dealer for the 5000 and 10,000 mile services of course, Thanks

[@haroldobrien4322]

The only thing I would add is checking oil levels regularly too. All engines "consume" oil, some more than others. By the time one's low oil indicator comes on one could have already caused damage, .. even in not immediately catastrophic. At a minimum, one should check oil level once a week. If one is going on a long trip, check it before and during the trip. After a while you will understand the catachrestic of your car and can adjust accordingly. And, as long as you're at it, one's weekly oil checking routine should include checking tire air pressure too. Otherwise, everything mentioned and the recommendations are spot on. Changing one's oil regularly is the single best thing one can do for engine longevity.

[@ralphlazio505]

1998 Nissan Maxima. 285,000 miles plus running strong. Synthetic oil for the past 18 years every 5K miles. Running clean and perfect 👍🏼

[@ralphwood8818]

Took me about 20 years to put 250.000 miles on a 84 Subaru. Never drained the Mobil 1. Changed the toilet paper filter once a year or about every 12.000 miles and added a quart of new oil. A Caterpillar lab said the oil looks good for that many miles but suggested a filter change and a new quart of Mobil 1 every 6.000 miles. They found some caramelization. I removed the full flow fillter when the car was new. The engine was still running good but both head gaskets were leaking oil when I gave it away at a little less than 300.000 miles.

[@ralphwood8818]

I probably should have put an oil cooler on the Subaru . When in Dallas Texas traffic with the A/C on the temperature gauge was near the red. Wife called me once. The radiater split at the seam.

[@joelf.8660]

Hi David… First of all, Thank you for your video. Very informative. I too follow AMD @ Car care Nut. I purchased a 2024 Toyota Corolla and I’m planning to do a break-in oil change at 1k. The recommend oil is 0w8 oil and is very difficult to find and very expensive. Would it be possible to substitute 0w8 oil with 0w16 and would that damage the engine? 0w8 oil is a very controversial subject and would really like to hear your opinion on this oil.

[@rightlanehog3151]

I remember when 5W-30 was 'controversial'.

[@maintenancezone4451]

Go to non cafe country you'll be surprised

[@michaeljdestefano1208]

I appreciate that you made the video. The one part of the equation I thought was missing was the type of driving. Personally, I am and A/B guy who uses full synthetic and change my oil every 6 months with about 4500 miles. My Wife's car only gets about 3000 miles a year, I still use full synthetic and change it yearly. A friend of mine drives about 3000 miles a month with over 80% highway driving, he also uses full synthetic but changes it every 3 to 4 months. He kept his last car last car about 10 years. I am not an engineer but I don't think that should not put him in category C . Thank you!

[@mattwaters6987]

Great video and information. Thank you for sharing. 👍

[@noelsaw]

Thanks for making this video David! I just got a 2021 Lexus RX350 CPO which the factory has a “normal” 10k oil change interval in their included maintenance which I think is crazy. I am going to pay out of pocket for oil changes every 5k miles. Also another controversial thing I haven’t heard anyone talk about is that all current “L/Certified” used Lexuses are going to fall out of the certification because of the current airbag recall without resolution. My dealer gave me an equivalent extended warranty through Toyota but it’s not the “same thing” as what I paid for.

[@PSA78]

Millage is just one factor, oil temperature (actual driving time) is at least as critical and the oil might need very frequent changes with short time, as well as how dirty the environment is (there's a reason why they say that the best oil filter is a clean air filter). Best is to do oil analysis if it's available in the area.

[@aden3113]

You're right but I think these guidelines are meant to give the owner a safety margin. Sure if you take into account driving style and environment then you could probably squeeze a couple more miles out of the oil but most people don't pay that much attention (myself included)

[@PSA78]

@@aden3113 There's no safety margin in those numbers unfortunately, not without knowing the whole picture. Just like it can be completely unnecessary oil changes. It's was all generalisation without addressing any facts to help anyone, unfortunately.

[@aden3113]

@@PSA78 Is it unnecessary though? It's all just a compromise with regards to many different factors such as the longevity of the engine and how much money you're willing to spend on keeping it in good shape. The more frequently the oil is changed the cleaner the engine is going to be and the less wear and tear on the engine. The numbers are certainly a little arbitrary but not unheard of and should give good results if followed.

[@PSA78]

@@aden3113 Only to a point, if the oil and the additives are good and there's low level of contaminants then it's fine. If it's not, then it should be changed. There's just too many variables, that a generalisation between conventional and synthetic is made is just one of them, as what's called synthetic varies around the world and there's a rather big difference between different types as well. I'm sorry, but this isn't a video that really helps anyone.

[@hom2fu]

driving style - floor gas pedal, towing if a truck

[@cardo1111]

Excellent advice. Well explained and makes perfect sense. Oil still must be changed despite advances in synthetic stock and additive packages. I'm glad to see the recent push on KZbin for this as often overworked smaller engines, turbocharged, direct injection etc. have put a lot more demand on oil. Don't trust the manufacturer of your vehicle or the oil company 100% as they are always trying to sell you either their product over another or a replacement vehicle every few years, no such thing as lifetime transmission fluid either. Option 2 will work best for most of us. Nobody advocated for neglecting your vehicle and screwing the next owner, "worst-case" follow the owner's manual recommendations.

[@zahariafelix]

Hi David. Thank you very much for providing such a useful and comprehensive clip. Can I ask you one question please? I have a Honda crv 2007 petrol 2.0 automatic with 126000 kilometres on the clock. I am from Romania, and over here we have in the summer around 30 degrees and in the winter reaches to about - 30 degrees. I was thinking to use 5w30 in the summer and 0W20 in the winter. Acording to your advice I should use thicker engine oil in the summer and thiner in the winter. Do you recon that 5w30 for summer and 0w20 for winter is the best option? Thank you in advance for your help.

[@Rocinante1963]

Run full synthetic. Change ever 5,000 miles. You can't go wrong.

[@grndzro777]

So the moral of the story is DO NOT BUY LEASED VEHICLES EVER!!!!

[@dokada1]

I agree it would be better to buy new, instead of lease. But I have been buying off lease CPO Toyota and Lexus because of the lower cost and service history. Although only the manufacture's oil change interval was followed (A) early in it's life, I change oil with (B). Both of these vehicles. 2014 Camry (150K miles), 2008 Lexus ES350 (125K miles) consume very little oil and run great.

[@williamiwaniuk5561]

I would add a caveat that buying a leased vehicle or or a "program vehicle"/ demo or a used vehicle that is no older than three years can be fine, provided that the Carfax indicated proper oil changes and maintenance. In my life, I have never been stuck with a vehicle that was not cared for properly. Additionally, buying new does NOT guarantee success. As an example, I have experienced a Coyote engine that needed a quart about every 1,500 miles; according to the manufacturer, that usage is normal. I had a second Coyote in a different truck that never used oil during an entire oil change interval. I also had a 305 cu. in. that, after the 12k warranty was up, showed 2 adjacent cylinders with wet spark plugs.

[@jameshuddle5111]

Thanks for these informative recommendations. I have in the past used the 5k miles because it was easy to remember when my vehicle's oil and filter needed changing. New vehicles like my 2016 Ram diesel 2500 and others have an oil percentage of life left. What is your recommendation based on the percentage? I just had mine done with 40% remaining. I was at the dealer, and it did cost $192.00 I am not sure of the elapsed mileage.

[@bferguson9277]

Thanks Mr. Chao. I have 4cyl turbo cars, use synthetic and change the oil at 4k miles. I've often wondered if I changed the oil filters (top-mounted on the engines) halfway through the change cycle that I could get away with 6k oil changes. Probably capture more particulate but do little in the way of chemical contaminants.

[@steven4894]

The greatest video 📹 EVER! Thank-you! You helped me SO-OOO-OO MUCH! May Almighty God continue to Bless 🙏 you (and your family 👪) for all the things that you do! ❤

[@brianaustin1328]

I would add, if you change your oil every 3000 miles, don’t bother with buying expensive brand oils, buy the right viscosity of whatever is on sale. Same for filters.

[@thomasroberts8024]

Indeed. Costco has their house brand, Kirkland Signature, which varies between $3.09 and $3.99/qt depending on whether or not it's on sale. This oil is blended and packaged by Highline-Warren (formerly Warren Distribution, in existence since1922) and is listed in the American Petroleum Institute (API) registry as passing all the API and ILSAC requirements, along with the GM Dexos 1 requirements. A kind employee of Blackstone Labs which tests tons of oil samples annually says the results they find with Kirkland show it performs as well as any other good brand and the additive is package it contains is much like the popular brands. HE USES IT because of the good deal. I use it for the same reason! And yes, in my Lexus RX, not an old beater of some kind. The view down the oil filler pipe with a flashlight shows nice and shiney parts with no varnish of any kind at 55,000 miles.

[@brianaustin1328]

@@thomasroberts8024 thanks for the feedback!

[@averyalexander2303]

In general I'd agree, but make sure the oil still meets whatever specs are listed in the owners manual. Also, for severe usage such as extreme cold starts, racing, lots of hard driving, heavy towing, particularly hilly terrain, or maybe even lots of heavy traffic, using something a bit better than the cheapest oil you can find may be worth it for the added protection. Same is true IMO for boosted engines. Changing the oil on time is most important, but if ultimate longevity is the goal, I do think there is a time and a place for premium oils.

[@DeepOceanDiver]

Most filters have no return rubber valve.. It that's stiff cheap stuff not working/closing as it should, engine runs on start few sec without oil pressure at all..

[@enzoh7763]

​@@thomasroberts8024 ,, Thanks for writing that comment about Kirkland engine oil. Previously , I was using branded oil , Until covid event, They up their price and sales are fewer in between ,. So I just switch to Kirkland , Since I change every 5k km's . But ,, but the filter , Oem and others have price difference of less than 5% only . Good relation with parts people at "stealer-ship" , has its benefits .

[@MattyManRC300]

WOW! This was the exact video I was looking for! I want to keep my boosted Lexus RC as long as possible, and recently, i've started to change my oil from every 5,000 miles to every 3,000 miles at about the 75k mile mark, so i'm hoping that will help keep it last in good condition until at least 300k miles

[@nelsontan8353]

Thank you for sharing this information.

[@premraj2817]

You are 1000 percent correct don't bother about such criticism

[@franklinw2485]

What if you're a very, very low mileage driver? Like 1200 to 1500 miles per year (two or three days a week)? Do you still recommend every six months?

[@mrslcom]

Once a year

[@stoundingresults]

Supposedly the oil loses its chemical magic with age and the heat and cold cycles. Oil changes are cheap and fast it wouldn't hurt to change it more often.

[@CWB1863]

Great info, exactly what i'm looking for! I Own a 2014 F150 3.5L ecoboost, with 94k miles. I used to change the oil every 5K, but since it's getting up there in mileage, i've decided to change it every 3,500 with a brand new filter. I use the P1 Boss filter along with Valvoline Maxx life Hight mileage or Pennzoil Ultra or Platinum oil. However, i've been using the Valvoline more lately because it's much cheaper over the Pennzoil. Probably switch to the Pennzoil every third OCI.

[@Al404DVP]

Driving habits, driving conditions (Highway or city), climate, driving usage (off road, tow, commercial...etc), age of vehicle are all important factors missed here, with respect. I run a showroom condition 2015 AWD MDX in 🇨🇦 with 120,000km's on it. It's cold here and I do city driving mainly, I run full synthetic oil. The Acura maintenance minder is pretty advanced (It monitors many items) and I trust it. It kicks in at about 6,000miles (9,500km) and that's in line with the owners manual and what I believe personally.

[@georges.7683]

What about the Honda engine oil life computation displayed on the dash?

[@blessedinpark]

i would follow that. It was designed by the manufacturers engineers. I have a company truck in which i do just that, go by the computer notifying me of an oil change. About every 12K km. We keep the trucks for about 5 years in which the odometer shows approx 250K km.

[@Gebomartin215]

Love your videos. Makes perfect sense. Would you do a video on using different brands of oil? Pennzoil vs Castrol vs mobil vs Valvoline. Does it make a difference?

[@CadillacDriver]

The additive packages make the difference. I need Dexos and GF-6A in my Cadillac, the only oil that I know of with *both* is Mobil 3000 D1.