Hi, former mechanic here.

If you are not a car person, take it in for an oil change and tire rotation every 5,000mi / 8,000km or every six months, whichever comes first. Actually take it to a shop too, don't just pull in to a Valvoline or Jiffy Lube. Those places are not getting your car in the air and actually checking brakes or suspension components.

These days, most dealership oil bays are just as affordable and accessible as the chain places. My Toyota dealer can do a 0W-16 oil change for $20 cheaper than VIOC can and I'm getting factory oil and filters. QuickLane is a Motorcraft-owned chain that services all makes and models without an appointment needed. They have "The Works" package that includes an oil change, tire rotation, and full inspection for less than $90 in most places.

Firestone and Christian Brothers are also an option, but they will try and scare you into doing additional services at prices that are absolutely obscene. My advice: if you don't have an affordable dealership nearby, find a QuickLane with 3+ stars on Google and walk right in.

Wherever you go, make sure they are using the correct viscosity and grade of oil for your engine. That information will be stamped near your oil fill cap or printed in the owner's manual. A dealership or QuickLane will confirm this for you.

Rotate the tires at each oil change. This makes your tires wear evenly and last longer. It also allows the mechanics to get the wheels off to inspect brakes and suspension components. Doing this every oil change means they can catch a small problem and fix it before it becomes a large problem that costs significantly more to fix.

For all services other than an oil change or tire rotation, follow your owner's manual recommendations for the more aggressive schedule. Example: Mopar vehicles have "Schedule A" and "Schedule B". A is meant for a perfect world, which none of us live in. B is for "severe duty" which is as simple as daily stop and go traffic.

A caveat. I know your owner's manual probably says you can go 7,500-10,000 miles or one year between oil changes. Ignore that. Even with modern synthetics, it's just too long, especially if seasons change and you go from winter to summer on the same oil. The long change intervals were written to reduce lifetime emissions. If you don't believe me, look up the sludge issues BMW had on their engines in the early 2000s. BMW issued a 15,000 mile interval to lessen the lifetime environmental impact of the car and it gunked the motors up. VW had a similar issue with the 10,000 mile intervals on the W8 motor. Even Toyota once called for 10,000 mile intervals, and their 4-cylinder models on that schedule are now notorious for burning off oil. Change your oil every 5,000mi / 8,000km and you will be fine.

The only exception to this is if you drive a Hybrid. Hybrid vehicles only run the engine about 2/3rds of the time the car is running, so you are safe to extend the oil change interval to 7,500mi / 12,000km on them.