Oil Change Cost

The engine oil helps lubricate the engine of the car, which firstly makes the running of the car engine smoother and as a result, also helps improve the performance of the car. A smoothly running engine will ensure better performance and a better drive as well, which in turn can be achieved by regular oil change.

Average Cost for Oil Change

After driving continuously for a lengthy period of time, the gas contaminants get stuck in the insides of the engine. These contaminants lead to a lot of friction in the movement of the car and hence, the car performance is disturbed. And when I say performance, it includes everything associated with the working of an engine like, the fuel economy, the smoothness and the overall drive. An non-lubricated engine will suffer on all these counts. The mileage of the car will be lower, its smoothness and pick up will also be hampered. Some car engines have also gone on a strike, leading to several car problems due to the oil not being changed often enough. Hence a regular change, along with the intermittent change in the filter is very important.

Now the prices depend upon three main factors.

• The type of oil you use.
• The type of car you own.
• The place where you get the oil change done.

For the average car at the average service station, an oil change should cost up to $35. An SUV understandably will need a lot more lube and hence will be more expensive than changing the oil for a normal sedan. Changing oils in an SUV costs about $60. The cost of either car will be double, should you choose to use synthetic engine oil.

This cost may or may not include the service charge for labor. The price mentioned here is only the price for the oil. Different service stations may charge a different price for their work. Local taxes may also play their part in influencing the decision.

Oil Change Frequency

I have said it before, and I'll say it again, that the engine oil must always be changed regularly. The problem is that a lot of people tend to mislead others with their car's brilliant, yet perhaps one-off, statistic, but then again, if your car isn't one of those, you still wouldn't want to suffer the problems associated with irregular oil change.

So to be on the safer side, it is always good to get the oil changed every 3 months or 3000 miles. A lot of vehicles usually have the ideal oil change interval given in their driver's manual and it is always a good idea to do as they say.

While the price of the synthetic oil is more, the synthetic oil change interval is a lot lesser than the number of times you'd have to change the mineral oil. So since synthetic oil needs to be changed only once over around 5000-7500 miles, this tends to complicate the decision of choosing synthetic or mineral oil a bit more.

Oil change is an important thing when you own a car, and not something which you can take lightly and get away with. A regular oil change, like I said, ensures the best performance from you car.