I have a 2002 Ford Escape. The owners manual says to change the oil every 6 months except in "extreme conditions" - my extreme condition is I do make a lot of short trips as I now live in a small town. 3 miles to the store, etc. I have only 82K miles on it and have had it since it was new. How often do I really need to get the oil changed? It takes me a long time to get to 5k miles so I'm not sure how all that works. I've been doing it every 4 or 5 months since I moved here. Thanks!

By "extreme conditions" they mean if you frequently pull or carry heavy loads, operate in high temperature regions (desert), or do a lot of driving "cold" (where the engine doesn't have a chance to get up to normal operatimng temeperature). I would say from your description that following the owner's manual recommendation is adequate - I see no need to change more frequently than what they recommend. If you put less than 5K miles per year on the car you should still have the oil changed at least once a year.

With conventional oil, I like your present oil change interval. The big problem you face is water contamination from short trips and from ethanol in the gasoline. Make sure the oil you use is "SN" rated, to counter the effects of moisture.

Thank you both for your quick replies! I've been using Motorcraft 5w30.

The weak link, at AMHD, for Escapes has been the automatic transmission. I recommend that you take it to Ford and have it serviced every 30,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first; otherwise, it won't go the distance. Have them drop and clean the pan and magnet, change the filter, and refill with synthetic ATF. I would use a full synthetic transmission fluid; e.g. Mobil 1 Synthetic Multi-Vehicle ATF.

Do you mean getting the transmission fluid changed? I had that done at about 30k miles, probably time again. I have every service receipt for the vehicle.

Yes. If you take care of the engine and transmission, everything else that can go wrong is relatively minor.

Thanks! I'm good with maintenance, my confusion on frequency stems from the fact I am originally from NJ where I drove more miles, and went through brakes/rotors every year due to bumper to bumper traffic... now I am in a rural area, no traffic, less miles, etc. so I know things need to be done differently.

Additional maintenance items:

. Coolant--50/50 mixture of automaker approved antifreeze and distilled water. Distilled water is super important. Change every 30,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first.

. Brake fluid--Change every 2 years.

. Power Steering Fluid--Change fluid every 50,000 miles, due to the high expense associated with replacing pump, gearbox and valve body unit. More heat is developed in power steering units than most people realize.

. Air Filter--Change every 30,000 miles or 36 months, whichever comes first.

. Fuel Filter--Change every 30,000 miles or 36 months, whichever comes first.

. Spark Plugs--Use Motorcraft spark plugs. Change plugs every 50,000 miles or 36 months, whichever comes first, while the engine is cold. Remove and replace plugs at least every 36 months, to prevent seizure in the aluminum head.

. PCV Valve--Change every 75,000 miles or 60 months, whichever comes first.

Thanks!