We can’t say it enough: oil, oil, oil! Oil is the lifeblood of you car, it keeps the parts of your engine running clean, running smooth, and running cool. Oil will simply keep your engine newer longer. Most owners don’t really appreciate how much difference a simple thing like oil can make in the life of their cars. A lot of us drive the majority of our yearly miles in the summer, and summer is when the car’s engine is most likely to wear.
For my family’s cars, I follow these two rules: first, I change my oil completely about every 3,000 miles or 3 months. Yes, I know, the owner’s manual suggests changing your oil every 7,500 miles or so. But let’s face it, the people who write owner’s manuals are more interested in selling you a car than helping you maintain it, so – I’m your mechanic, who are you going to believe? Second, I also check the oil before every long-ish trip, say, maybe 100 miles round-trip or so, that way I can keep it topped off perfectly. Hey, it’s worked for me and my family, so I know it’ll work for yours!
