Oil change
Asked by Ahnay Dec 28, 2018 at 06:36 PM about the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu LS FWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I haven’t checked my oil yet but my “change
oil soon “ message pops on & off. I know I
haven’t driven my car even 3,000 miles yet. I
think that the dealership where I bought my
car from and get my oil changes done are
setting my oil changes too often. I’m semi-
retired now & hardly drive it. Can I just add a
quart of the synthetic oil myself( if it needs it)
and drive for awhile longer?
3 Answers
Hornet_2497 answered 5 years ago
Two things may be happening here. The dealership might not be resetting your oil change reminder when the service is being done. Usually it will say 100% after the service is done. Also, your car's computer monitors the type of driving you do to determine the appropriate change interval. Cold weather, short trips, not reaching operating temperature, and long time intervals between changes will increase the recommended frequency of service. My girlfriend had a Chevy Spark and drove it one mile a day and the indicator was calling for oil changes in less than 1,000 miles every three months. That's crazy. I would zero out the meter so we didn't do all those changes. Engine is just fine, wallet is fatter too.
It is wise to change the oil at 3,000 miles on a new car. The computer takes time into account. The car sitting for long periods of time could trigger an oil change reminder.
