by Garrett McKinnon
VehicleMD Staff Writer
Originally published in Winter 2009 Issue

It can all be a bit confusing. The service sticker on your windshield says to come back in three months or 3,000 miles. But your oil change light doesn't come on for about 6,000 miles. Or you saw that commercial on TV that says using such-and-such an oil can let you go 7,500 miles between oil changes. What’s the right answer to the question, “How often should I have my car serviced?”

In a nutshell: It depends.

The long and short of such a complex topic is that there are almost as many different types of service recommendations as there are types of vehicles on the road. Each company that builds cars has its own ideas on how often those vehicles should be maintained, and many of those ideas are contradictory. The only real way to know how often to have your car serviced is to read through the owners manual. But who has time to do that? (And who would really want to!)

So to help you sort things out, we’ve come up with a few quick questions that can help you determine what service interval is right for you.

1. How do I drive?
In years past, most automakers recommended two distinct types of service recommendations, “normal” and “severe.” The only problem is that most of us who live in urban or suburban areas predominantly drove in conditions that fell into the “severe” category (like stop-and-go driving, frequent short trips, etc.) even though we considered ourselves “normal.”

Today, automakers have attempted to eliminate that confusion by either recommending a single service interval for all conditions (like Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and others do), using a computer program to estimate when you need to have your vehicle serviced (like GM, Honda, Mercedes and newer Chrysler vehicles, which use a dash light to indicate the need for service), or using very specific language to differentiate between the “normal” stop-and-go urban driving the vast majority of us do and the “special operating conditions” (as Ford terms it) that require more frequent service intervals.

Examples of “special operating conditions,” as defined by manufacturers like Ford, Nissan and Hyundai, include:
• Repeated short trips of less than five miles in normal temperatures or less than 10 miles in freezing temperatures.
• Stop-and-go traffic in hot weather or low-speed driving for long distances.
• Driving in dusty conditions or on rough, muddy or salt-spread roads.
• Towing a trailer or using a camper or car-top carrier.
• Use of E85 ethanol fuel more than 50 percent of the time.
• Driving on uphill, downhill or mountain roads.
• Driving as a patrol car, taxi or other commercial use, or vehicle towing.

We admit, the terms can be a bit ambiguous, so when in doubt, it’s our recommendation to stick to a shorter interval to keep your vehicle in tip-top shape. Which leads us to our next question:

2. How much do I love my car?
A lot of the issues revolving around vehicle service intervals simply come down to honestly answering that question. People who love their cars and want to keep them in the best shape possible will definitely want to stick with shorter service intervals—possibly even shorter than recommended by the automaker. Why? Simple. Peace of mind.

Your car is an investment. For most of us, it’s the second largest we’ll ever make. And, in today’s economy, most of us are planning to hold on to the cars we have and drive them for a few extra years rather than trade them in. If that sounds familiar, definitely consider keeping your service intervals shorter. After all, it’s not all about the actual oil change. Frequent service also allows your car to be inspected several times per year, giving technicians an opportunity to catch and fix small problems before they become big, expensive problems.

Speaking of money, our next question is:

3. How much do I want to spend?
Several VehicleMD staffers drive European models that have a single service recommendation, but the mileage for that recommendation is such that we might only have our cars in for service once or twice per year. Which is why more than one of us has decided to step up the protection level for our car by investing in synthetic motor oil and up-scale oil filters.

Sure, they cost more. But it comes down to the peace-of-mind factor. If we really want the best protection for our cars (and we do), then it only makes sense that we’ll spend a little bit extra to keep them running perfectly. (One of Nissan’s three service interval recommendations is a shorter interval called “Premium Maintenance” that is targeted at drivers who want to take the utmost care of their investment.)

Spending a little more on maintenance now can save you big money down the road when it comes to repairs.