Does it mean I should use up the last 10% and then get my oil changed otherwise I would just be throwing money out the window (the last 10% of use)? Or does it mean get the oil changed right now because my oil is gross.
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As the other poster said, it means 10% of the mileage schedule is left. Typically that means a week or two of normal driving. Basically it’s a reminder to start thinking about changing the oil, make an appointment to drop the car off, pick a day to do it, etc.
You are not throwing away money if you change early. But you are also not necessarily making a mistake if you keep driving until it gets to zero (assuming you change it at that point). Often times you will experience no downside to even going too far between oil changes, provided it is by a small amount.
Oil change intervals are a bit of an enigmatic subject because everyone has anecdotes and it is hard to see precisely what damage or issue is caused with each mile on the vehicle. A few long intervals can often be “fixed” by a few short intervals. I once knew a person that bought a car new and had it drive 75,000 miles on the factory oil without a change, before the engine blew up. Perhaps with an oil change at 25,000 and 50,000 miles it would have made it to 100,000. With no OBVIOUS damage.
My advice is always to stick to the owners manual recommendation and use a decent synthetic oil. Change when it needs it and don’t stress the exact interval. Oil changes seem expensive but are cheap compared to gas and other regular maintenance. Cars are about twice as expensive as people realize on a per-mile basis
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