is it absolutely necessary to change oil every 3 months.

Maxine L. Baker
by Maxine L. Baker
I only drive maybe 30 miles a week and mostly around town. I drive a 2000 Saturn wagon with 141659 odometer reading. It does not use oil. Thanks
  7 answers
  • Becky P Becky P on Oct 02, 2012
    talk to any man and they will say yes. I drive anywhere from 5500-6000 miles a year. I change the oil around 5000-5500 miles, so it ends up like once a year. Unfortunately, I should do it more often since it takes that long to put the miles on it, but I am cheap. I have a 2007 mustang that is just turning 5 years old next week, and it has 28,000 miles on it. It runs just fine.
  • 3po3 3po3 on Oct 02, 2012
    I recently asked my dad this question, as I am in the same boat - not a lot of miles in three months. My dad used to race Porsches, and is a big car geek. He says every 3,000 miles, regardless of the time. He said even that is not crucial in many cases for newer cars, especially if using the expensive synthetic oils, but it's still safe. With over 140,000 miles, I would baby the Saturn and change the oil every 3K. Just my opinion.
  • I have to stand alone on this. with a new car, every 3,000 miles yes. But after it breaks in that time can be extended to five thousand or even a bit more if the car is not driven hard. The 3 thousand mile was developed many years ago when oils broke down faster. however with new engineered oils they continue to lubricate way beyond the 3 thousand mark. I do not own any cars, I and my family only drive trucks. All of them when new get the 3,000 mile oil change. But once they hit the 25,000 point its every 5 thousand mark. I drive my pickup hard. Pull large horse and work trailers every week to one place or another. I do not have leaks, smoke or any burning of oil on any of them as a result. I do however after pulling our 40 foot horse trailer a long distance of over 20 hours each way change the oil when I return. That extra cost is cheep insurance to keep the engine running a long time. Truck currently has over 200,000 miles on it. Not bad for a 06 model. In your case Maxine, I would change my oil twice a year. Spring and fall. One of the reasons also for changing oil is to remove moisture as the oil will absorb it. If you were driving on a trip every few months and putting on some mileage this extended driving drys out the oil and extends its ability to prevent corrosion. But with short trips the engine just does not stay hot enough long enough for it to evaporate any moisture that gets trapped inside the engine. As someone who files planes, the worse thing you can do is to let the plane sit or just fly around the patch as they say once a week. Corrosion in the aluminum engines due to moisture is very real. And by flying them on longer trips not only drys out the moisture in the oil but extends the life span of the engine as well. Which is important as aircraft engines cost from $40 grand and up. Not something you want to change to often.
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Oct 03, 2012
    If got a 97 Tacoma with 259,000 mile Regular oil changes WILL keep your motor happy.
  • Jeanine Wester Jeanine Wester on Oct 03, 2012
    For a Saturn... yes. Baby it. We've owned several and my husband's a mechanic and auto shop teacher. The thing will run forever if you take good care of it. All of the ones we've owned have burned major oil though so make sure to keep an eye out for that if you own the car for several more years. Just keep it filled with clean oil and they're a great cheap car to own! I love them.
  • Lisa Lisa on Nov 03, 2015
    At 30 miles a week, I'd say you can definitely get by with 2x a year oil changes. I drive 45 miles PER DAY, and have mine changed 3x a year, but my car is a 2013.
  • UpState UpState on Jan 11, 2016
    Rid of old oil always prevents sludge. No car wants to drink sludge. Change it about 5K.