How Often To Get an Oil Change

Oil changes are a normal part of vehicle maintenance. If you’re not sure what oil changes do or how often you should get them done, that’s okay. Our Russell & Smith Ford team is here to answer that question for drivers from Houston, Sugarland, and Missouri City, Texas.

This page will also go over the signs that it’s time to get your oil changes so you can keep an eye out. After learning more here, schedule your oil change easily with us online.

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How Often Should I Get an Oil Change?

How often you should change your oil will depend a little bit on how often you drive your vehicle and how long. If you opt for synthetic oil and have a newer car, you only need an oil change every 10,000 miles.

Slightly older vehicles with different oil types typically need oil changes around every 7,500 miles.

Either way, depending on how much you drive, this comes to about one to two times a year since the average person in the U.S. drives about 13,500 miles every year.

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Signs You Need an Oil Change

There are six signs you can keep your eyes, ears, and even nose out for when you’re driving that will tell you that you might need your oil changed.

The most obvious sign is the oil change light on your dashboard. This light tells you that there is not enough oil in your system or that the oil is too dirty.

The second most obvious sign is the sticker in your window from your last oil change. This sticker will often have a date or mileage that you should get your next oil change on or around.

Some other signs to keep an eye out for include:

• Knocking or Grinding Noises
• Oil or Burning Smell in the cabin

If you want to keep an eye on your vehicle’s oil level yourself, check your oil’s dipstick under the hood. This will tell you how much oil is in your car and how clean it is. Wipe it on a paper towel to check, and if it is dark and dirty looking, it might be time to change your oil.

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Our Service and Parts Center

If you need an oil change, our dealership has an on-site service center. We’ve got skilled and certified conditions that can take great care of your vehicle. Our service center can do more than just oil changes too. We can tackle:

• Tire service
• Battery service
• Air conditioning service

Those are often part of your vehicle’s maintenance needs.

Need fast service? Use our Quick Lane®. Our Quick Lane® service is designed to get you back on the road with quality service fast. You don’t need an appointment, so you can come by and get your oil changed without having to schedule ahead of time.

Our service center uses genuine Ford, Motorcraft®, and Omnicraft® parts from our Parts Center, so any parts that might need to be replaced as we take care of your vehicle are replaced with quality parts.

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