If you're interested in acquiring a used car, you're probably also hoping to obtain maintenance records for the vehicle before you buy it. At the very least, you might want to discuss with the seller to determine just how well he or she has maintained the vehicle. You know you oil ought to be changed at regular, reasonable intervals. But what is a reasonable amount of time or mileage between oil changes? And should you back out of the deal if the changes are too infrequent?
Estimates vary as to when you need to change the motor oil in your vehicle. Oil change time intervals rely on a number of mitigating aspects that ascertain when one should get their car's oil changed. Figuring out which factors affect the cleanliness of your oil will help you make the best choice as to when you'll need to get around to changing it.
To know the oil change interval recommendation on a car you're looking at, you can turn to the owner's manual. If there's no manual, use Google search. Just type in the year, make and model of your car followed by the words "oil change interval," and it shouldn't be too hard to obtain the manufacturer's recommended interval for oil changes.
But what if you're unable to confirm whether or not the owner changed the oil at regular intervals since there aren't any records existing? This is a problem many encounter when buying a new car, and it can be a serious one. After all, lazy car owners might push a car well past its oil change interval, which can cause considerable engine damage.
If there aren't any records, take the car to a auto technician for an evaluation before you buy it. That's because it can be hard to verify any details about the car's previous ownership history without any records, so a mechanical inspection is a really wise course of action. While the inspection won't bring back those records, it'll at least give you a good starting point to determine how much to budget for repairs and maintenance, and it's better than being left in the dark when buying a used car.
If the auto mechanic uncovers main issues -- or the seller's records indicate that he or she has been care-free with oil changes -- we advise that you strongly consider walking away from the car. Unless the vehicle is very rare, there will be other models out there that have experienced a much better vehicle maintenance history.
