Oil change intervals, by mileage or time?
 

Hi,

I searched the forums, but could not come up with a definitive answer regarding, whether or not we should be chaning the oil based solely on mileage or time, e.g. every 3 months.

I have a 2002 1.8T 5-speed and am always unsure which to go by, I have been taking it in based on the date, but I am starting to question it as it has become rather frequent (at least it feels that way).

One last question, shifting has felt sticky lately, mainly going into 1st, is that a transmission fluid issue?

Thanks for all your help!:D

Depends on the type of oil you use. Synthetic every 5000 miles, regular oil every 3000 miles. Oil doesn't go bad from sitting, so why every 3 months? Recommendation from the oil guy?:rolleyes:

Thanks, the reason I ask is, on the sticker you receive after an oil change, it states a specific mileage and a date. So, I'm never sure which to go by. I am using synthetic, and previously had it changed about every 2 months at ~2k miles.

I was told to change it as frequently as possible due to sludge build up.

Changing it every 2K miles is basically wasting money as far as I know. Like cpageIII said, with synthetic, every 5K miles is fine. That said, I disagree with him about regular oil; I would avoid it.