Honda Repair: Accord Engine Oil Change, new york taxi cabs, new york taxi

Question
Hi Bill,
I own a 2004 Honda V6 Accord.  According to the dealership and local mechanics I should be changing the engine oil every 3,500 miles.  However, the owner's manual says I should change it every 10,000 miles.  Which should I believe?  How often should I change the oil?
Thanks,
Kevin

Answer
Kevin:
Depending upon the type of oil and the type of driving you are doing would be what I would base the oil changing frequency on. In general I would follow the manufacture recommendations of 10000 miles. I do not use the synthetic or blended because I just don't think it is worth the money, but if you use the synthetic oil you should be able to get more mileage between changes (12-15K). If you live in a dusty area or you do a lot of city driving you would want to change a little more frequently (7500). I think the oil changing thing is a scam to a certain degree, most car manufactures say 7500 miles for normal driving and 3500 if you do a lot of city driving or live in a dusty area, so they just tell everyone it should be 3500 miles. I don't think I have ever changed oil more frequently than 7500 miles (that is what is recommended) on any car I have owned. Consumer Reports magazine did a study a few years back on oil, they used New York taxi cabs as the group and their finding were that oil did not breakdown up to 15000 miles.
I think there is a lot of bad advice when it comes to oil changing.
Bill