Who Came Up With 3,000 Mile Motor Oil Changes

by admin on June 10, 2010

Where the heck did the 3,000 mile oil change interval come from?  That number has been around for at least 50 years.  Someone had to be the first to say “you should change your oil every 3,000 miles”.

Times have changed!  Gone are the days of short commutes living near your place of business.  People seem to live farther and farther from their place of business and employment.  This means more miles and more driving and more consumption of oil….

Well gone are the days of traveling mostly on dirt and gravel roads.  The daily commute now is relatively dust free compared to years ago.  Dust and dirt raise hell for an engine.  This creates a severe operating environment for engines and engine oil.  With most of the dirty driving behind us as more and more roads are paved gone is the need to change oil as frequently.

Do you remember when you were excited your engine lasted 70,000 miles.  This is a recent change but seems like it was only the 1980s when vehicle longevity improved.  Engine materials and manufacturing tolerances improved and when that happened it increased to capability of extending oil changes with the right oil.

Where is the 3,000 mile oil change now?  I don’t know because I am not seeing it in the manual for any of my vehicles.  I am seeing a lot of oil bottles that have higher numbers than 3,000 on them.  So who is still propagating this 3,000 mile oil myth?

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