Oil change

dodge guy wrote:
...The dash doesn’t have your best interest at hand!

The manufacturer gives you a recommended maintenance schedule intended have the vehicle reach an end-of-life shortly after the warranty expires. Thus it begins to 'nickle & dime' the owner who will start to think about replacing it with another new vehicle.

So if that is you, then by all means, follow the manufacturer's schedule of infrequent service. For me, I believe the cheapest vehicle to drive is the one I already own. So it makes sense for me to exceed the manufacturer's recommendations on service intervals. Two daily drivers in the household are pushing 310k miles each with original motors & transmissions.

That is what works for me. I can drive my vehicles and haul my camper with confidence that I have properly maintained them and the assurance that they will bring me to my destination. Frequent maintenance reduces the risk of an unplanned failure which will inevitably occur at the worst time. I mitigate that risk with regular maintenance, other people mitigate that risk with AAA and other roadside assistance plans.

Consider your plans for the vehicle and how long you expect it to provide service for you. Determine what level of failure risk you are willing to accept and your plans to resolve it when it happens. Maintain the vehicle accordingly with your plans & risk tolerance. Do what is best for you, not what 'the Internet' suggests.

-Eric