AutoMK.com

In a survey conducted by Valvoline, sixty-percent of ASE certified Master Automobile technicians questioned said that a vehicle's oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Twenty-nine percent said between 3,000-5,000 miles is acceptable and just two percent voted that between 5,000-10,000 miles is okay.

This has to be one of the oldest running debates in the world of car care. The advents of synthetic motor oil and systems that monitor oil life have weakened the age-old 3,000-mile argument. Special programs like BMW Assist (pdf), for instance, enable a vehicle to notify the dealer itself when an oil change is required, 3,000 miles be damned.

While it's true that the oil in your car is its lifeblood, it's tough to take serious a survey about oil change intervals that's conducted by Valvoline. (Those mechanics surveyed also just happened to vote Valvoline their number one oil of choice.) We're pretty certain those companies selling motor oil wouldn't mind 1,500-mile oil change intervals if someone were bold enough to recommend them.

The real question is how often do you wait to change your oil We're curious if anyone out there who has a habit of going longer than 5,000 miles has suffered severe engine problems as a result.

[Source: The Auto Channel]