How often should you change your oil?

That number comes from an era of different oils and different engines. Modern synthetic oils and tighter manufacturing tolerances have extended intervals substantially, and many manufacturers now specify well beyond it.

Your owner’s manual is the authority here, and many vehicles have an oil-life monitoring system that calculates the interval based on how the car is actually being driven rather than on mileage alone.

Most manuals list two intervals: normal and severe. "Severe" sounds like racing or towing through mountains, but the actual definition catches a large share of ordinary drivers.

If your driving is mostly short trips around Capitol Heights and DC, you are almost certainly in the severe category. Short trips never let the engine fully warm up, so moisture and fuel dilution stay in the oil instead of evaporating off.

Modern engines specify a particular oil viscosity for a reason. Variable valve timing systems, in particular, use oil pressure through narrow passages, and the wrong viscosity affects how they work.

Using a heavier oil than specified does not provide extra protection. It usually just makes the engine work harder, especially at startup when most wear occurs.

Oil degrades sitting still. It absorbs moisture, and additives break down. A car driven only a few thousand miles a year still needs an annual change.

And if you find yourself adding oil between changes, that is a separate issue worth investigating. An engine losing oil is either leaking it or burning it, and both are better addressed early.