Hello everybody,
I bought a 2017 Camry LE back in 2/2017, and that dealership told me I need an oil change every 5k miles. The following year, 2018, I bought a 2018 RAV4 LE and this dealership told me that I only needed an oil change every 10k miles. Which dealership should I believe? For both cars, I have been changing the oil and rotating the tires every 5k miles. I don't quite trust the 10k oil changes.
Thanks in advance!
What makes you think that car dealerships are even capable of telling the truth? The manufacturer of the vehicle is the only authority, not the dealer.
You should always consult the owners manual in regards to oil change intervals. Many vehicles have gone to 10K oil changes unless they are in a commercial or heavy duty usage as well as harsh environment situation. Some dealers are saying you have to come in at 5K to drum up work and try to upsell you in my opinion.
10k is way too long to wait. the additives in oil eventually break down and oil becomes thicker and less efficient... 5k is much more better idea. i personally do my own oil changes every 3800 miles (6000km) with Mobil 1 as my car is now 10 years old.
You can change the oil as much as you please but these are the norms
Depending on vehicle age, type of oil and driving conditions, oil change intervals will vary. It used to be normal to change the oil every 3,000 miles, but with modern lubricants most engines today have recommended oil change intervals of 5,000 to 7,500 miles. Moreover, if your car's engine requires full-synthetic motor oil, it might go as far as 15,000 miles between services! You cannot judge engine oil condition by color, so follow the factory maintenance schedule for oil changes.
https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/how-often-should-you-change-engine-oil
Apparently California did some lab tests on oil taken from motorist cars, and they found that the oil would last MUCH longer than manufacturer recommended intervals. The oil life indicator on my car is more closely correlated to engine run time, than it is to distance travelled. It always seems to run out around 200 hrs (usually more than 6,000 mi).
THAT would be info Dealers and Repair shops would NOT want to have broadcast to the general public for sure! Much of the sales are derived from 'Finding" other suppose defects while getting the oil change done. People who are not savvy with their car are prone to being victimized by unsavory operators for work that is unneeded. I'm getting off the subject here..sorry bout that..but it is what it is....
do every 5k with quality synthetic. i wouldnt even go to the dealer for oil changes. just buy mobil1/castrol on sale and pay an independent shop to drain and fill. i wouldnt want cheap bulk oil with no additives going in my car.
For the truth, look at the manual. Cars differ.
It is possible they are both telling the truth. I imagine one dealer uses conventional oil and the other synthetic, but I would not let one go for 10K even on synthetic. What I've done on my gas powered vehicles for years now is use Royal Purple synthetic, change the oil filter at 5k and top of the oil to replace the loss from the filter change, and then do a full change at 10K. So far it has worked well for me, no engine problems on those vehicles.
Newer cars have different oil needed like synth etc. and some even say to do it every 15k. If would not listen to any of this and change it every 5k miles. Your owners manuel also includes directions. Scotty's word is not to make it wait for more than every 5 6k miles, and if it is highway miles, then to do it every 7 or 8k.
Do what you are currently doing.
Really depends HOW you drive. Lots of highway miles, go 7500 on synthetic. Lots of city, go 6 months MAX or 3000 miles. Thats why 5000 miles on synthetic is a good solid approach.
By the way, most are not called "Dealerships".....they are called "Stealerships"
I remember in 1974 when Mobil 1 synthetic oil first came out they did tests with taxi and police vehicle where they never changed the oil for 100,000 miles, just added as needed and changed the filters I believe every 25,000. After testing the oil they put the old oil back in again and kept running them. When I first started using Mobil 1 the recomendation was to change every 25,000. Makes you wonder if the oil has changed since or the profit insentive. Seems to be groups that are making synthetic mileage recommendations lower and lower. Just a thought. 