Check your owner's manual and go by however many months it says. But since the same people who made the manual made your oil life indicator, you're probably fine. The indicator mainly measures mileage and time, maybe a little more. Also check the owner's manual for all other scheduled maintenance to properly take care of your car. Otherwise you could have a false sense of security from over-frequent oil changes and then you get a blown headgasket destroying your engine or old transmission fluid destroying your transmission or 97 other things that have absolutely nothing to do with motor oil. A late oil change OTOH... might reduced compression a little 80,00 miles in the future. If you want to be extra diligent with maintenance then great but be extra diligent with ALL maintenance or it will merely be something else that breaks. Which can even include another part of your engine, so you won't even save the engine.
You should go by the manufacturer's suggested service time. In the old days, it was every 3000 miles or 12 months whichever came first. Check your owners manual if you have one. It should be listed in there. Otherwise, google your car & year and add the words "service interval". You should be able to find information specific to your car.
Cars nowadays go up to 10000 miles between oil changes.
If it's a high performance engine, or if it's really old and frail, I'd say baby the heck out of it. But if it's a normal newish engine (under 10 years old, say) I"d let the oil life indicator decide.
Yeah. OIl takes on a number of contamenents, including acid from your engine. And 3800 miles is a fair distance. Go for it and feel secure
You must mix-in town and fast highway driving which is s good thing. Your oil life monitor proves it! When mine drops down to 10% - 20% I usually change mine. We have found that if we use Mobil1 Extended Performance the oil life monitor drops *slower in relation to miles traveled.
New Toyota's are the only cars that can go 10,000 miles *with their brand of full synthetic motor oil
Change your oil and filter. You can buy a lot of oil changes for the price of an engine. Peace of mind is worth a lot and regrets suck.
The oil life indicator shows 40%
