Oil Change Guide
Tools for this job
Don’t forget motor oil and a filter sized for your engine (examples below). Match viscosity for your vehicle, for example 5W-30, plus the spec your owner’s manual asks for. You can look up viscosity by vehicle using AMSOIL’s auto and light truck lookup.
Required
Motor oil for your engine. Match grade and spec to your owner’s manual.
New oil filter.
Oil Drain Pan/Oil Catch Pan
Oil Funnels (5 Pack)
Oil Filter Pliers
Rhinoramps (Vehicle Ramps)
Amazonbasics Mechanics Socket Set 123 Piece
Scott Shop Towel
Disposable Rubber Gloves
Conventional vs synthetic blend vs full synthetic
These are the three common motor oil categories you’ll see on the shelf. Match viscosity and manufacturer approval first. Then choose the type that fits your budget and how hard you run the engine.
| Type | Example | What it is | Typical strengths | Tradeoffs | Typical oil change interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full synthetic |  | Man made motor oil: built or engineered in refineries and labs, not simply “oil out of the ground.” (Some bases start as petroleum but are processed into synthetic grade oils.) Plus additives. | Best for modern engines: strong heat and cold performance, deposit control, especially good for turbos, towing, and hard use, often lets you run longer intervals between oil changes than conventional. | Highest cost per quart. Still must match viscosity and manufacturer specs. | 5,000 mi (follow your manual and oil life system) |
| Synthetic blend |  | Mix: part natural oil from the ground (refined crude) and part man made synthetic oil, and the recipe varies by brand. | Middle ground price, behavior closer to full synthetic than plain conventional. | Not always halfway between conventional and full synthetic on every benefit. Depends on the bottle. | 4,000 mi |
| Conventional |  | Natural motor oil: starts as crude pumped from the ground, then refined into base oil, not the man made synthetic route. Plus additives. | Lowest cost per quart. | Usually wears out sooner under extreme heat and load than quality synthetics. Weaker flow in bitter cold. | 3,000 mi |
Motor oil brands (overview)
Here’s a list of motor oils, sorted from most popular to least popular. In my experience, most modern brands include the additives your engine needs. More important than brand is how often you change the oil. Manufacturers these days often quote 10,000 miles between oil changes, and I think that’s wrong for most people and most driving. On full synthetic I aim for about 5,000 miles between changes, and most mechanics I talk to say the same. If I’m running conventional oil, I don’t go past 3,000 miles. I am not saying one oil is better than another in some absolute ranking. I am pointing at oils that strike me as good all around picks when you weigh price and popularity together.
Three rows below use a podium strip. Gold for first, silver for second, bronze for third. First place is Mobil 1 because it is a great all around oil for a decent price. Second place is Valvoline because it is a great oil for a lower price with the extra cleaning. Third place is Super Tech because it is the best bang for your buck oil in my opinion. I put it ahead of Kirkland mainly because you do not need a Costco membership to buy Super Tech. Kirkland is great if you already shop there but that fee rules out a lot of people.
If you do not care about money and you want the best of the best, AMSOIL is known for being exactly that.
| Logo | Brand | Example product line | Quality | Relative price | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mobil 1 | Full Synthetic | Really popular. Most people praise its performance for all conditions. | $$$ | Very high |
 | Castrol | EDGE | People say it’s a dependable everyday synthetic and you see it stocked everywhere. | $$ | High |
 | Pennzoil | Platinum Full Synthetic | People call Platinum a solid Shell pick and say it’s easy to find on shelves. | $$ | High |
 | Valvoline | Advanced Full Synthetic | Solid oil for everyday use. Widely available. Restore and Protect claims cleaning for piston rings. | $$ | High |
 | AMSOIL | Signature Series | When money is no object, this is what I picture for top shelf oil. I hear it praised constantly online and with enthusiasts. It is stocked almost exclusively online. | $$$$ | Medium high |
 | Liqui Moly | Synthoil or Top Tec | People geek out over the German branding and say it runs smooth. | $$$ | Medium high |
 | Royal Purple | High Performance Synthetic | People either swear by it or roast it online. Nobody stays quiet about Royal Purple. | $$$ | Medium |
 | Quaker State | Full Syn or Defy | People say it’s the cheap Shell cousin and fine if you’re trying to save money. | $$ | Medium low |
 | Kirkland | Motor Oil (warehouse club) | People say the Costco bulk price is hard to beat for normal commuting. | $ | Low |
 | Super Tech | Full Synthetic | People say it’s surprisingly OK for store brand oil considering how cheap it is. I put it ahead of Kirkland for a lot of buyers because you can buy it at Walmart without a Costco membership. | $ | Low |