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I might be in the minority of car owners, but I actually enjoy changing my oil. My local big box store has bargain prices for jugs of long-lasting full-synthetic oil and carries OEM filters, so I can usually get out the door for less than $40 in materials for a DIY full-synthetic oil change. Saving money is definitely nice, but so is peace of mind. I'm forever scarred by the time my wife took her SUV to a rapid oil change place that didn't fully tighten the drain plug. Fortunately, we caught the growing oil slick in our driveway before...

What Happens If You Don't Change The Oil In Your Audi For 84,000 Miles 789 If you suddenly feel an urge to go change your car's oil right at this very moment, that's perfectly understandable.

Is the 3,000-mile oil change outdated? --- I STILL remember learning from my father how to carefully remove a dipstick to check the oil level in our cars. It was drilled into me — along with turning off the lights when you left a room and clearing the plates off the table after dinner — that oil needs to be changed every 3,000 miles or so. I’m not sure what I thought would happen if I didn’t, but I vaguely imagined an unlubricated engine grinding to a halt. Childhood habits are hard to undo, and that’s often good. To...

When it comes to maintaining your car, misconceptions abound. And even the best intentions can lead you to spend more money than necessary or even compromise your safety. Here are a few common car care myths that can do more harm than good. Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles. Reality: Despite what oil companies and quick-lube shops often claim, it’s usually not necessary. Stick to the service intervals in your car’s owner’s manual. Under normal driving conditions, most vehicles are designed to go 7,500 miles or more between oil changes. Changing oil more often doesn’t hurt the...

A Bit of ‘I Told You So’ Outside World Bank Talks By HELENE COOPER and CHARLIE SAVAGE Published: October 10, 2008 WASHINGTON — They told everyone this was going to happen, no one listened, and now see?As column after column of black Lincoln Town Cars disgorged international finance officials onto the sidewalk in front of World Bank headquarters on Friday, a raggedy group of about 20 free-market protesters gathered across the street to express their sadness — and in some cases, glee — over the global economic catastrophe that some said had proved them right. *snip* For many of the...

Environmental groups blasted the owner of a Lamborghini who had the vehicle shipped from Qatar to London for an oil change. The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, the same model driven by Christian Bale in The Dark Knight, cost about $40,000 to ship round-trip and $7,045 to service at an authorized London dealer, The Telegraph reported Thursday. Environmental groups criticized the owner of the vehicle, thought to be a sheik, for sending his car on a 6,500 mile trip just to change the oil. "This horrifies me. It is another example of how rich people exploit and pollute the planet because of...

According to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required. This same scenario no doubt repeats itself across the country. Besides wasting money, this translates into unnecessary consumption of $100-a-barrel oil, much of it imported. Using 2005 data, the Board estimates that Californians alone generate about 153.5 million gallons of waste oil annually, of which only about 60 percent is recycled. Used motor oil poses the greatest environmental risk of all automotive fluids because it is insoluble, persistent, and contains heavy metal and toxic chemicals. One...

Imagine going to get your car repaired, paying for it, and then finding out that the work was never done. With the help of insiders, NBC4 uncovered an apparent scheme at several Los Angeles area Jiffy Lube stores. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has asked customers who have had problems at Jiffy Lube stores to contact the DA's Consumer Protection Division, by e-mail, at jiffylube@lacountyda.org