I drive a 99 Taurus. I live in a small town so I don't drive 1,000 miles a month. In the past I have been getting oil changes every 3 months, but if I don't drive 3,000 miles in those 3 months do I really need to get my oil changed?

I drive my car everyday just not a lot. How frequently should I get oil changes regardless of miles driven?

there is 2 schedules for oil changes - 3/3000 and 5/5000 depending on service use. if you do short drives you need to stick to the 3/3000 whichever comes first to prevent engine failures due to condendstion in the engine and moisture buildup in the oil.

It also depends on if you use conventional oil or the newer more advanced synthetics. The synthetics can go for much longer. Around 7-8000 :)

i ignore the 3 month option especially since i routinely drive my cars long enough to get water evaporated out of the oil. but i make sure every 3000 miles it is changed

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guess again that depends on the climate and driving style - I'm in michigan and with our temp changes and humidity - you would have a milkshake instead of oil by then.

We have about 1300 vehicles in our fleet and use 15w40 and change at 4 months or 4,000 miles. We have had no oil related engine failures. We don't even have the famous Ford timing chain noise. Must be doing something right:wink: .