The Most Important Part of Car Maintenance

When you get your oil changed, they put that little sticker on your windshield to remind you when it’s time to get your next. The sticker always gives you a mileage of 3,000 miles or 3 months into the future, whichever comes first.3,000 miles was the old standard, but car manufacturers have improved their products in recent years. Do you really have to have an oil change every 3,000 miles?

Most automakers now recommend getting an oil change every 7,500 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. However, for “severe” driving they recommend changing your oil every 3,000 miles.  What’s “severe” driving? “Severe” conditions include driving in hot, cold, dusty, and ocean-side environments, towing a trailer, making many short trips and city driving. That’s a lot of drivers!

We all know that over-maintaining your car is a waste of money, but oil change are cheap. You should be able to get your oil changed for about . It’s certainly worth an extra per year if you drive under any of these “severe” conditions. The alternative is that your car could require expensive repairs down the road, or worse, that it won’t last as long. With proper maintenance, newer cars will easily last 200,000 miles or even more. The longer you can put off replacing your car, the more money you save. What if you could pay your car off and then save the money that you’re no longer using for car payments. You could get your next car free and clear!

Some people fail to get oil changes because it’s inconvenient to be without your car. But an oil change should take less than an hour if you go when the shop isn’t busy. Since an oil change is such a simple matter, every repair shop does them. You can get an oil change at your local car dealership, service station, or even WalMart. Getting an oil change done while you’re shopping or working makes it much less time consuming. There are even specialty shops that will guarantee to have you out in less than an hour! And many shops are trying to make their waiting areas more pleasant and convenient. Many offer coffee, free wi-fi and television.

It’s a good idea for most of us to get our oil changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months. It’s cost effective, easy and a very good idea. So pick a shop and get into the habit. When your car is long since paid off and still running well, you’ll be glad you did.

Jazelauto.com designs car dealer websites to drive more online traffice to dealerships.