It is recommended that you get an Oil Change on your vehicle every 3,500 miles for regular oil and every 5,000 miles for synthetic oil. Checking and changing the oil is essential to keep today’s engines working properly and efficiently. Check the oil level with the engine and the car parked on a flat surface. Open the hood, remove the dipstick, wipe off with a cloth towel or paper, then back into the oil tank. Pull it again and see if the level is within the acceptable range marked on the dipstick. If you add the oil yourself, do not over fill. Over filling can damage the engine.
Most automobile manufacturers recommend oil changes once every year or every 7,500 miles of car and light truck gasoline engines. Diesel engines and turbocharged gasoline engines, the usual recommendation is every 3,000 miles or six months.
You’ll find that a once a year (7,500 mile) oil change is for vehicles driven in ideal circumstances. What most of us think is “normal” driving is actually “severe service” driving. This includes frequent short trips (less than 10 miles, especially in cold weather), stop-and-go city traffic driving, driving in dusty conditions (gravel roads, etc), and sustained highway driving speed during the warm season. For this type of driving behavior, the recommendation is to change the oil every 3,000 miles or six months.
For maximum protection, most oil companies say to change the oil every 3,000 miles or three to six months regardless of what type of driving you do. Regular oil changes for preventative maintenance are cheap insurance against engine wear, and will always save you money in the long run if you keep a car for more than three or four years. It’s very uncommon to see an engine that has been well maintained with regular oil changes develop major bearing, ring, cam or valve problems under 100,000 miles.
To reduce the costs of vehicle ownership and maintenance, many car makers say the oil filter only needs to be replaced at every other oil change. Most mechanics will tell you this is false economy.
The oil filters on most engines today have been downsized to save weight, cost and space. The “standard” quart-sized filter that was once common on most engines has been replaced by a pint-sized (or smaller) filter. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a smaller filter has less total filtering capacity. Even so, the little filters should be adequate for a 3,000 mile oil change intervals — but may run out of capacity long before a second oil change at 6,000 or 15,000 miles.
Replacing the oil filter every time the oil is changed, therefore, is highly recommended.
If you do your own oil changes, make sure you get the correct filter for your engine. Follow the filter manufacturer’s listings in its catalog. Many filters that look the same on the outside have different internal valving. Many overhead cam engines, for example, require an “anti-drainback” valve in the filter to prevent oil from draining out of the filter when the engine is shut off. This allows oil pressure to reach critical engine parts more quickly when the engine is restarted. Filters that are mounted sideways on the engine typically require an anti-drainback valve.
Used motor oil should be disposed of properly. The Environmental Protection Agency does not consider used motor oil to be a hazardous chemical, but it can foul ground water and does contain traces of lead. The best way to dispose of used motor oil is to take it to a service station, quick lube shop, parts store or other facility for recycling. Your old oil will either be rerefined into other lubricants or petroleum products, or burned as fuel.
Do not dump used motor oil on the ground, down a drain, into a storm sewer or place it in the trash. Many landfills will not accept used motor oil even if it is in a sealed container because it will eventually leak out into the ground. If you can’t find an environmentally-acceptable way to dispose of the stuff, maybe you shouldn’t be changing your own oil. Service facilities that do oil changes all have storage tanks and recycling programs to dispose of used oil.
It is recommended that you get an Oil Change on your vehicle every 3,500 miles for regular oil and every 5,000 miles for synthetic oil. Checking and changing the oil is essential to keep today’s engines working properly and efficiently.
Check and/or change your Air Filter every 6 months to improve fuel economy and keep your engine running smoothly.
Most car batteries today are maintenance-free, sealed and can last more than three years. The first sign your battery should be replaced is often trouble starting the engine
Have your antifreeze fluid changed and Cooling System flushed every 30,000 miles or 2 years. Newer formulas, however, may last up to 50,000 miles.
Schedule a complete and Engine Diagnostics (Professional Maintenance) check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
Take 10 minutes and use our Monthly Checklist to do your own quick visual car inspection and fluid levels check.
Tire rotation or rotating tires is the the practice of moving automobile wheels and tires from one position on the car to another, to ensure even tire wear.
Have your Wheel Alignment checked every other tire rotation and always when installing new tires. Wheel alignment sometimes referred to as tracking, is part of standard automobile maintenance
Joe’s Tires proudly serves the local Berkeley, CA area. We understand that getting your car fixed or buying new tires can be overwhelming. Let us help you choose from our large selection of Tires.
They were reasonably priced, very pleasant and honest. They could have tricked me into buying a new tire when all it really needed was a patch. When I do need… read more new tires, I will definitely go to this place. Their shop is immaculately clean, and they have a nice waiting area.
When i took my car in for a flat tire repair, they were so helpful and polite. Good price, consistent with what i expected. Upon my recommendation and that of… read more another friend, my husband took his car there and had a terrible experience. The sales person was rude and tried to gouge him with prices more than 4 times what they charged me! Will not go back
Really good service. Tito advised me on my options for tires in a very trustworthy manner, without making any hard sells. Also, they said they’ll provide free tire… read more rotation after 6 months.
Tesla had failed me and my alignment was severely off resulting in my tire wear being very uneven.
No fear because Joe’s Tires fixed it well within the allotted… read more estimate time (just over an hour vs the est. 2 hours). I even had to cut my coffee time short because they were so quick, which, as an added bonus there are tons of shops and restaurants around the area to hang out at while you wait.
My air pressure light came on again a couple days after I had filled the tires due to my front right tire being low. After re-checking, I realized the… read more tire must have a leak. I drive into Joe’s Tires straight from summer camp pick up after a very short search for places nearby– shortly after 4pm. I expected to have to make an appointment for the next day or later in the week and also assumed I would need to replace the tire. To my surprise and delight, I was helped right away. They took the car and said it would probably be about an hour. 15 minutes later they called to say it was a simple fix– a screw had punctured the tire and they plugged the hole and patched it up. $35 and 15 minutes?? Amazing. They have my business for our two family cars for life!! Friendly, fast, fair.
This is complete and total BS:
“Recognizing the urgency of your situation, we regret any frustration it may have caused. Our team suggested leaving the vehicle for at least… read more two hours or scheduling an appointment at 8:00 am the following day. We understand that these options might not have aligned with your immediate needs, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
The only option offered was coming back the next day. How does that work when one has a tire that won’t hold air. This is another example of why I will never ever give this company my business again, they are liars.
I remember calling Ken Betts Chevron Service Center asking if I could get my 2001 BMW 740iL in for an alignment. He said that the best person he can recommend… read more is Joe’s Tires. Amazing service and was detailed on what I needed and what could use an adjustment. They are really good with their work car felt amazing and did it quickly than expected. Thanks again! Will becoming here again and telling people about this spot.