Hmm, when did I last change my oil?

The oil change. Ask any car aficionado about his oil change habits and you’re likely to get a very certain response. Some are ardent adherents to the 3,000 mile rule (every 3,000 miles or 3 months) no questions asked. Some will say something like “I drive a lot of highway miles, so I change it every 5,000 miles.” Rarely will you get a non-committal “Ahh, whenever I get around to it, no big deal.”

So what is the right answer? Is it a big deal? Are there any hard and fast rules? Is it any different for an alternative fuel vehicle? Take a read through our Great Oil Change Debate article and find out what the manufacturers recommend. Click the comments and let us know what you think about frequent oil changes.

photo © Scott Gable