is it ok to top off or change the oil after 3000 miles? My husband said that I was 2 quarts. low so he added two quarts. My question is should we have just changed the oil completely or just added the 2 quarts?
asked Jul 24, 2018 at 17:51
8 Answers
You should generally go by the manufacturer's instructions, the car's handbook should specify the change interval - but I don't know of any modern car with that low an interval. Therefore you should top it up unless you're near the interval.
Saying that, if you've lost a significant amount of oil in that time, I'd want to be investigating why...
The 3000 mile oil change interval is a US-specific consumer deception so widely practiced that it has become accepted wisdom. It creates enormous revenue for dealers and garages. Outside the US, most people change their oil far less often. In fact, manufacturers such as Ford routinely specify oil change intervals of up to 10,000 miles or even more for international markets. During that period it is wise to monitor and top up oil levels but unless there is evidence of discoloration, you should normally find after that period that oil is still 'honey coloured' with only slight darkening from contamination. As the owner of a 2L Ford Mondeo with 172,000 miles on the clock which has had regular services but only oil changes at 10,000 mile intervals. Fingers crossed, it still seems to be in perfect mechanical order. Of course, you would be doing a full vehicle service at those 10,000 mile intervals, not just changing the oil.
Aging vehicles will consume oil at a higher rate. Generally if you're topping up more than a litre every thousand miles or so, that's indicative of a wear issue that will probably result in an emissions problem due to oil burning.
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The new Ford Transit Custom has a 2year/36,000mile service interval Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 10:20
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1What the heck engine doesn't turn oil mostly-black after 500 miles? I've yet to own a car that doesn't have that occur. I always perform Used Oil Analysis if I want to actually tell how much life was left in some oil. Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 13:48
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Diesel engine will turn the oil black pretty quick, but in petrol engines it can stay clean looking long past 500 miles if the filter is new and there isn't crud in the bottom of the sump Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 14:31
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The 3000 mile oil change recommendation is a holdover from the days when motor oil had no detergent additives reinforced by most people/manufacturers using significantly undersized filters. It will get you longer engine life, but these days you'll wear out other critical parts that cost too much to replace before the engine goes anyway.– PerkinsCommented Jul 25, 2018 at 22:56
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it will always be cheaper to fix an old car than buy a new one. You not only have $5000 a year (estimated) in payments, you also have higher insurance and license, etc. I drive a 2000 customized ford focus zx3 and I've spent 4x more than I paid for the car in repairs (including a tranny swap from a newer model) but the car drives great and I love it and I still am in the black compared to car payments. As a side note, black oil doesn't mean ruined oil. The detergent additives are designed to suspend impuritites in it and this discolors is pretty fast. Commented Jul 26, 2018 at 5:15
based on the no information you gave, no manufacturer recommends changing oil every 3000 miles. Some go as high as 7000 (Toyota) but 4000 is fine for city. If you are losing oil however, you are either leaking it or burning it. If you are burning it, then that opening is a two-way street and hydrocarbons from ignition will be polluting the oil. How bad did it look? Did it smell burnt?
by no information, I mean you didn't tell us make/model etc.
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2Some manufacturers go higher than 7k miles, such as Jaguar's which have a 15k mile recommended oil change interval. Definitely agree with your premise, though.– Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦Commented Jul 24, 2018 at 19:52
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4Anectodal evidence suggests that 30k kilometers or two years (whichever comes first) are not uncommon suggested intervals in European markets. That's roughly 18.5k miles. Commented Jul 25, 2018 at 12:46
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1My focus ST has a service interval of 12.5k miles. 7000 seems really low to me.– James TCommented Jul 25, 2018 at 13:05
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I would change the focus at least that often. there have been reports of engine failures in the newer focuses. Commented Jul 26, 2018 at 5:10
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1@AlexanderKosubek Not anecdotal evidence! My 10 year old Fiat has manufacturer recommended 30k km or 18k miles service intervals and oil changes - and the 18k mile service is "minor" by the usual standards of non-dealership garages in the UK. Commented Jul 26, 2018 at 13:38
If you had the new oil and filter ready, then I would have changed the lot completely.
But, if you were in the middle of a trip or going somewhere - topping up to the correct level was a good solution as well.
One of those how much time, how much money type situations...
The worst decision - driving it without topping up...
answered Jul 24, 2018 at 18:20
What type of vehicle? Year, make ,model, miles? Most normal vehicles do not need an oil change every 3000 miles. Every car since 1995 should be able to make it to 7000 miles easily on synthetic and 5000 easily on standard oil. Do not trust shops if they say 3000. Also be wary of dealerships having you change earlier than needed. My cars manual says 7500 miles and the dealer kept trying to tell me it must be every 5000. I change my own oil but I wasn't going to lose an argument when they are blatantly lying or just don't know what they are talking about. Check your cars manual or find it online to find the right amount miles before changing your oil.
If its a truck do you pull or haul a lot? Trucks that haul or pull will require more frequent oil changes. Enviroment can dictate that as well. E.G. Dusty air
Were you driving somewhere at the time of topping it off? If you weren't at home or unable to stop at a shop then yes topping it off was the better choice versus going without the proper amount.
Were you at home when your husband noticed and/or you also have a new filter and new oil ready? If you were low on oil AND you had the equipment to change it AND it was time to change it then he should change it as well instead of topping off.
When was the last time (months or miles) your oil was changed? If it's been longer than 6 months and you were that low, then one of two things. Either you are burning and/or losing oil. Or whoever filled it up last time didn't do a good job OR even possibly you are that rough on a vehicle
Is this the first time that you or your husband has noticed this? Has this happened before already and did you actually notice? If you are not sure and you just happened to check the oil then follow this. Place a clean, UNSTAINED piece of cardboard on the clean, dry, ground under your car where the oil pan or oil filter is. The bigger the piece of cardboard the better as oil can come from lots of places. This should allow you to see if you are losing oil through an EXTERNAL leak.
If you do not see any oil but you continue to monitor your oil level and it still going down then you are most likely burning it. There is an INTERNAL leak and its getting mixed with your fuel. You can tell by the amount of blue,white smoke coming your your tail pipe.
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"service engine soon" alerts for oil changes trigger sooner. My toyota van has a "maintenance required" alert on the dash that triggers at 5000 miles. Commented Jul 26, 2018 at 15:09
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is that so? How? Our shop needs a scanner to just turn the light off on most vehicles. Commented Oct 11, 2018 at 14:22
You should do both (maybe). Topping off oil and changing oil are done for two different reasons and should be handled separately.
All piston based engines burn some amount of oil. The oil is used to lubricate the cylinders and in the process is drawn up into the combustion chamber and a bit of it burns off during the ignition cycle. Newer engines burn far less oil than whats now considered vintage cars. Some older engines its expected to burn in the range of 1 quart every 1000 miles. To ensure that your engine runs properly your car generally requires a specific amount of oil (read off the dipstick). This ensures that the lubrication systems, piping, and sump have enough oil for the system to operate and the scavenge pump to work. Since you are constantly burning oil you need to routinely top it off this is done to ensure proper operation. If your dipstick is low (or below the low mark) you should top off immediately even if you plan on changing the oil soon proper oil quantity is important.
Oil changes are a bit different. The general wear on the cylinders causes metal to very slowly shave off the sides and end up in the oil system. The fact that most systems are not perfectly sealed also allows particulate matter into the oil system. As this builds up it can clog your oil pump, oil cooler, or other lubrication areas. As such this needs to be routinely flushed and perhaps more importantly you need to replace the oil filter which is typically done during a change. The filter helps to remove particulate matter and can, over time be clogged.
As everyone else has mentioned check the book for the specific car to find out when you should change the oil.
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Oil filters have a bypass valve for when the element gets too dirty. They will never stop oil flow. That does allow dirt to fly around freely though... Commented Jul 29, 2018 at 4:21
Oil needs changing from time to time because its performance degrades with time, high temperatures and contact with engine metal parts and air.
The question really boils down to whether your oil is still of acceptable quality after 3000 miles in your engine. And this depends on:
- What engine you have
- What type of oil was put in it
- Your driving style (gentle, racing, towing etc.)
- How much time has passed since the last oil change (say if you change oil and drive only 100 miles in 1 year you will most likely need to change it — engine does not preserve oil quality!)
To have an idea of what quality your current oil is, you can:
- Refer to the car user manual and look for recommended oil change intervals (provided that the type of oil you have in the engine is the one recommended in the manual); OR
- Buy an oil analysis kit, take a sample and send it to specialized laboratory. They will tell you for sure how acceptable the oil still is.
So, the answer is:
- If your oil is still good enough, just top it up;
- Otherwise — flush and change (along with oil filter).
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don't forget that it also depends heavily on whether or not you are using synthetic. It degrades much slower than natural oil. Commented Jul 29, 2018 at 4:19
3,000 miles or even 7,000 miles between oil changes seems absurdly short to me.
My current car has a recommended service interval of 18,000 miles. That's when the oil and filter get changed. After 7 years and 80,000 miles it still runs fine.
Check the oil-change intervals specified in the manufacturer's handbook or service booklet.
As others have said, losing two quarts of oil in a short time means you have a leak or are burning oil (e.g. through worn cylinder rings) - that needs investigating and repair.
My husband said that I was 2 quarts. lowso I assume they didn't pull that out of thin air.