It's a common question to Driving for Dollars: "How often do I really need to change the oil in my car -- 3,000 or 5,000 or 10,000 miles?" No wonder people are confused. The more miles you travel between oil changes means you'll lower your maintenance costs over the lifetime of your car, but some people challenge that a less frequent oil change leads to other car problems that will result in expensive repairs. Here's the lowdown on determining the frequency of your oil changes.
Start by checking the manufacturer's recommendations for your car. The automaker that has manufactured your car has done extensive testing on your car's engine in the lab as well as in extreme real-world driving to determine its performance in many aspects. Through that testing, it has developed a set of guidelines for regular maintenance, which includes the frequency of oil changes.
Open your owner's manual (or go online if you've lost it) to find out what the manufacturer recommends. Start with the manufacturer's recommended mileage interval or time interval and recommendations for weight, also called viscosity.
If you've read the manufacturer's recommendations thoroughly, you've probably seen a note that indicates you should change your oil more frequently if you run your car in severe driving situations, and there may even be notes about using a different weight of oil depending on your climate.
Many mechanics, dealers and quick-change lube shops suggest 3,000-mile oil change intervals for many cars, arguing that most of today's American drivers operate their cars under what is considered severe driving situations. So-called severe-use driving situations include frequent driving in stop-and-go traffic, excessive idling, regular trips of less than five miles, frequent towing, frequent driving in extremely humid climates, and frequent driving in temperatures less than 10 degrees or more than 90 degrees.
While it is true many drivers experience at least one of these conditions regularly, it does not mean those drivers should automatically default to a 3,000-mile oil-change schedule, especially since the manufacturers' recommendations for today's cars range from 5,000 miles to 20,000 miles. Instead, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for severe use or, if your car has an oil-life monitor, simply change the oil when the system tells you to.
Another alternative is to spend about $25 to get your oil tested by an independent lab, which will provide an analysis of how much "life" is left in your oil as well as identify other engine problems. Use that analysis as a future guideline for the frequency of oil changes.
While changing your oil more frequently won't harm your car, it will put a dent in your wallet. Following the 3,000-mile rule, the average American would change his car's oil five times a year, yet the average manufacturer's recommendation could be anywhere from one to three times a year. That's a savings of at least two oil changes.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/frequently-change-oil-100000697.html

[size=18pt]I do oil change twice in a year or after every 5,000 miles. How often do you change yours?[/size]

depending on the usage esp whenever the oil turn a bit black.

I do mine once every three months.

I follow manufacturer's recommendation. 13000 miles or 1 yr whichever comes first and its strictly mobil 1.

Na wa ooh be like say unna no dey go anywere with unna car sef I got a W202 C230k and I cld cover 10k miles in abt 4 months. And I use mobile 1 on it, for the age of the car I think its 20K miles or 1 year which ever comes 1st but since I do a lot of traveling I change every 10k miles.

Res-pect:
depending on the usage esp whenever the oil turn a bit black.

I think if you wait till it turns black, then you're doing yourself more damage on the long run. The saying, you are what you eat applies here. Although a small fraction of people will still have problems with their cars even with proper maintenance, the chances of that happening is very low for those who take care of their cars.
I change my oil every 3000 miles or 3 months. Some call it a waste but i don't think the 30 bucks i spend at the dealer is a big deal. I spend around 120-150 dollars a year doing oil changes. Guess what? I have never had any problems with any of the vehicles i have personally owned since i have been driving! The only thing i have ever had to do is tyres and fender benders. My current main car has lasted 4 years without any issues and. My other car has lasted 8 years without any issues. I have never been to the mechanic for nada. It has about 169,000 miles now.
If you want the engine to last, change your oil regularly. Oh also, i drain and fill my transmission after every 30,000 miles since the car went over 50,000 miles and it has worked like a charm. Car still drives like new, AC is still OYE PUMPING and the transmission still makes the ladies go whoaaa