An important thing to know about car maintenance reminder systems, especially those that track vehicle-operating conditions, is that their accuracy depends on using engine oil that meets the automaker’s specifications. If you use a lesser product – for example, conventional oil in an engine that requires full synthetic oil – no way to know.

Thus, the oil could break down, resulting in accelerated engine wear or even failure before the reminder system displays a service alert. Most vehicle manufacturers, however, say to change the oil every 12 months the reminder system has