Quote:
Originally posted by sororitygirl2
Not that I recommend it, but I've gone about 8,000 miles without having my oil changed before and never had any car problems at all... you should be fine, as long as there is oil in your car -- you don't have to change it, just pour a quart or two in with the dirty oil that's already there.
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oh please don't make a habit of this! my father would be having a panic attack if he caught me doing something like this.
the standard by the way is every 3000 miles OR 3 months. and the oil does get DIRTY. that is what can cause problems.
yes, maybe everything is running ok now. but if anything at all goes wrong you are looking at hundreds, probably thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
even if you do go every 3 months...that's about ($20) x (4 times a year) = $80 total yearly cost. WAY better than buying a new engine.
now, if most of your miles are "highway" miles, then you can stretch it (usually maybe twice as long - see your owner's manual). this means you are going steady highway speeds - NOT driving fast around town. when you drive your car for continous stretches, it's generally more efficient (that's why your gas mileage is better). also, stop and go driving is just harder for the car to adjust, more stressful on the engine, etc.
chances are, if you're a college student like me, most trips are just quick little drives to the grocery store, to campus, to go out, etc. a couple miles here and there. definitely need to be careful about regular oil changes!