My dad's advice about changing oil every 3,000 miles was a total lie

I grew up watching my dad change the oil in his Ford F-150 every 3,000 miles like clockwork. He swore it kept the engine running forever and that anything longer was asking for trouble. Fast forward to last year, I bought a used Honda Civic and kept following that same rule for about 18 months. Then my buddy who's a mechanic saw my receipts and laughed. He told me modern synthetic oil can easily go 7,500 to 10,000 miles between changes. I checked my owner's manual and sure enough, it said 7,500 miles for normal driving. So I wasted probably $200 over that year and a half on extra oil and filters for nothing. Has anyone else had a parent's car advice turn out to be outdated?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason_lewis326d ago

Wait, your dad took a Ford F-150 to 3,000 miles every time? That's wild. My dad did the same thing with his old Chevy, but I figured out quick that modern cars are completely different animals. That $200 hit stings but at least you caught it before another year went by. Your mechanic buddy probably saved you hundreds more down the road.

wood.faith26d ago

My buddy Mark used to follow his grandpa's advice and do his Tacoma every 2,000 miles. He only found out from a guy at the parts counter that he was basically burning cash for no reason. @gracec16 I think it's less about the money and more about realizing stuff our parents learned might not apply anymore.

gracec1626d ago

Is it really that big of a deal though, @jason_lewis3? At worst your dad's advice cost you a couple hundred bucks over a year, which is basically a few nights out.