“Does that sound weird?”
Modern cars have come a long way from the days when changing your oil every 3,000 miles was the gold standard.
But when your dealership tells you to wait twice as long as you’re used to, it’s natural to wonder if they’re cutting corners, or if your old mechanic was just padding the bill.
In a trending video, content creator Em Otter (@m_otter) shared her confusion about her Toyota dealership’s maintenance schedule while sitting in a car wash.
Otter owns a 2018 RAV4 Adventure, her first Toyota after driving other brands. For the past year, the dealership has been telling her something that contradicts everything she learned with previous vehicles: oil changes only need to be done every 10,000 miles, not every 5,000.
“Ever since I got it, I thought it’s weird,” she says in the video.
“I go to the Toyota dealership, they’re like, ‘Yeah. You have to do service every 5,000 miles, but every 5,000 miles, you gotta rotate your tires, and every 10,000, you’re gonna need an oil change.’”
The schedule caught her off guard. Every car she’s owned before followed the traditional 5,000-mile oil change interval, the number that’s been drilled into drivers’ heads for decades.
“So I’m just, like, putting it out there to, like, other Toyota owners or, like, other car owners. Does that sound weird?” she says.
She acknowledges that the recommendation might be perfectly normal and that she may just be stuck in old habits. But the cognitive dissonance is real when your dealership tells you to do the opposite of what you’ve always done.
Modern vehicles are designed to require fewer oil changes.
HowStuffWorks explains that car experts now say the standard three-month or 3,000-mile interval is outdated. Most modern cars can travel significantly farther before needing oil replaced. Many agree that changing oil more frequently than necessary doesn’t help your vehicle; it just wastes money, time, and resources while putting unnecessary strain on the environment. But some still insist that more frequent oil changes are better for your engine.
Oil technology has evolved dramatically. Synthetic oils—which many modern vehicles use—can easily handle 10,000 miles or more between changes. These advanced formulations don’t break down like conventional oil, can withstand extreme temperatures, and maintain their protective properties far longer than older oil types.
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Different driving conditions call for different intervals. If you’re mainly making short trips under 10 miles, your engine isn’t getting hot enough to boil off condensation, which can cause oil to break down faster—meaning more frequent changes might be warranted. But for highway driving at steady speeds, modern oils can handle extended intervals just fine.
According to Consumer Reports, the tire rotation schedule Otter mentioned (every 5,000 miles) is actually spot-on with industry recommendations. Their tire experts recommend rotation every 5,000 to 7,500 miles to ensure even tread depth and grip.
Your owner’s manual contains the manufacturer’s recommended intervals based on extensive testing of your specific vehicle. For many modern Toyotas and other brands, 10,000-mile oil changes with synthetic oil are completely normal—and following the manual’s guidance won’t void your warranty.
People took to the comments to share how often they get their oil changed.
“5,000 miles for oil changes, full synthetic,” a top comment read.
“I have a 2022 Toyota Tacoma, oil change every 5,000 miles, tire rotation every other oil change,” a person said.
“Toyota tech here. 10k oil changes are fine as long as you stay consistent with them. I’ve seen many cars with well over 100k doing oil changes at the 10k interval. I personally do mine and my wife’s every 5k. Doesn’t hurt to be a little more proactive,” another wrote.
Motor1 reached out to Otter for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Toyota via email. This article will be updated if either responds.
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