Thirty years ago, oil companies and vehicle manufacturers have increased their drain recommendations significantly. But despite the improvement in motor oils made during the past 30 years, and despite the fact that the same oils are used in Europe with much longer drain intervals, oil companies here in the U.S. are still promoting 3,000-mile drain intervals.

According to a feature article in the March issue of Lube's n Greases magazine, that represents the "unneeded production of 300 million to 400 million gallons of engine oil" every year! Who pays for all that unneeded motor oil? It's the motorists who change oil more often than necessary. And who profits from producing all this unneeded motor oil? The oil companies who continue to recommend frequent oil chages!

The article was written by David McFall, past president of the American Petrolium Institute (API) and Automotive Editor for Lubes 'n Greases magazine. He minces no words in questioning the motives of oil companies, asking why their oils can be used for 10,000 miles in European vehicles while being recommended for only 3,000 miles here in the United Stated. Most of us already know the answer to that question. The oil companies don't want to see their market cut by at least half by extending drain intervals. They'll stick to their 3,000-mile drain intervals as long as the American consumers will keep buying into it, at an estimated annual cost of $1.5 billion, according to McFall.

Oil specifications and drain recommendations in Europe are controlled by the vehicle manufacturers, with the oil companies having less influence than here in the U.S. Because of higher costs, Europeans are more careful about wasting energy. They are also very environmentally aware. They would not put up with the cost, waste, and environmental effects of changing their oil every 3,000 miles. They are very aware of the improved performance synthetic motor oils provide.