Why is it bad if you keep driving when you need an oil change?

Lol what a load of bull. The “your transmission will fail” is the best. It’s engine oil not transmission oil. It takes 30,000-60,000 miles before sludge and serious engine damage begins. Nothing magical happens after 3,000 miles (fake amount of time to change your oil) or 10,000 miles (typical recommended time to change your oil) the moment that light comes on. The oil change light is basically hooked up to your odometer, with a couple minor adjustments. It does not measure anything in the oil. The car maker is merely playing it safe by having you change it a long time before problems even barely start, because the problems can’t be reversed.

Change your oil as soon as it’s convenient. Keep driving normally, and don’t worry. While you’re at it open up your car owner’s manual and check out the “scheduled maintenance” section. Never in my entire life have I heard of someone stuck on the side of the road or having an engine damage because he didn’t change his oil. Thermostats, coolant, belts, hoses, brake pads, batteries, etc are a WHOLE other story. Ignoring them causes overheats, squeling, squeeking, busted brake rotors, and yeah broken transmissions because some people haven’t changed their transmission oil since they bought the car. Oh, and I’ve heard of breakdowns because a quick oil change place did a bad job and made the cars leak all their oil. That’s the only problem I’ve heard of even remotely related to an oil change. So crack open the manual and learn how to actually take care of your car. Beware of oil change places trying to scam you with fake maintenance like fluid changes more often than you need or extra fluid flushes you don’t need at all.