kailua

Just do a oil change every 3000 miles using an OEM filter and some dino oil. It is really cheap preventative maintenance. $5 for an OEM filter and $10 for 5 quarts of 5w30 dino oil at $2 a quart.

Companies like BMW et al, those that offer "free" maintenance programs, benefit from longer service intervals because the company does not need to pay for as many services. If you look at any company that has a free maintenance program as opposed to ones that do not, the manufacturers that offer a free maintenance program always have maintenance intervals that are 3 times longer at least than the one that don't offer it.

As for those companies that recommend longer intervals between services, it is more of a sales pitch that their vehicles can go longer between service intervals, hence, they can claim a lower cost of maintenance and ownership than if they recommended more frequent services.
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So 3 oil changes over a span of 9K miles will set you back about $45 if you do it yourself. Or if you go to the dealer and shell out $30 for an oil change, around $90, which is nothing.