Even if you have no idea what turbochargers, an alternator, orany other mechanical part of your car does, odds are you know that your oilmust be changed regularly. But the question is, how regularly? Most people, includingmyself, would say once every 3,000 miles or roughly three to four months. I don’tknow why that number is ingrained in my mind, but it seems to have become the generalrule of thumb for most automobiles for quite some time.The state of California, however, has decided to fight againstthis assumption with their new “Check Your Number” ad campaign. The purpose ofthis campaign is to encourage drivers to check with their car's manufacturer beforeheading over to Jiffy Lube for their next oil change. With today’s advancementsin technology, an oil change every 3,000 mile can be excessive and they want everydriver to check for the recommendation specific to their vehicle. Some BMWvehicles, for instance, don’t need an oil change until they’ve driven another15,000 miles! These drivers could be changing their oil up to four times morethan necessary, wasting both money and oil. Other cars pushing the 3,000 mile benchmark are the Toyota Tacoma only needing an oil change every 5,000 miles and the Chevy Malibu at 7,500 miles.
The campaign is actually a clever one because not only willit save drivers money and time, it helps protect the environment and conserveresources. If Californian drivers alone started changing their oil according tomanufacturers’ specifications, oil demand would decrease by about 10 million gallonsa year. Now I know you’re all curious about what your number is, so head over to checkyournumber.org to find out. Ijust found out “my number” is 10,000 miles, making me feel MUCH better abouthow lazy I’ve been when it comes to changing my oil.
