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Time limit for oil change versus mileage limit

pete6032

pete6032

Diamond Member
I only drive a couple hundred miles per month so that would be one oil change every two years if I did 5,000 miles. Whats the longest I should go in months before changing the oil?
 
pete6032 said:
I only drive a couple hundred miles per month so that would be one oil change every two years if I did 5,000 miles. Whats the longest I should go in months before changing the oil?
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Are these trips long enough to get everything well up to operating temps and keep them there for a little while?

If they are, I would go with once a year.

If not, I would go with every 6 months.
 
I'm able to walk to work and don't use the car that often either. Every recommendation I could find was 1 year was the max for an oil change. If you only do city driving, it is VERY beneficial to get it up to speed and on the highway for 15-30 minutes once a month.
 
LTC8K6 said:
Are these trips long enough to get everything well up to operating temps and keep them there for a little while?

If they are, I would go with once a year.

If not, I would go with every 6 months.
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Nope, usually less than 5 miles.
 
The answer to this usually varies. Some change every year others every 2 years. All said their motor last 200k at least. Let us know if you find other answers.
 
pete6032 said:
Nope, usually less than 5 miles.
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Your best option is to drive it 20-30 miles once in a while, and do the once a year oil changes.

If you can't, and all your trips are very short, then I really would change it every 6 months.

The short trips are hard on the engine and transmission.

The fluids don't get hot enough to boil off the moisture build up from condensation.

The exhaust system also doesn't get hot enough to boil off moisture.

Your battery may not even be fully recharged with a ~5 mile trip.
 
LTC8K6 said:
Your best option is to drive it 20-30 miles once in a while, and do the once a year oil changes.

If you can't, and all your trips are very short, then I really would change it every 6 months.

The short trips are hard on the engine and transmission.

The fluids don't get hot enough to boil off the moisture build up from condensation.

The exhaust system also doesn't get hot enough to boil off moisture.

Your battery may not even be fully recharged with a ~5 mile trip.
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A 5 mile trip in Chicago can be 30 - 40 minutes unfortunately. I will try to give it a good drive once a month from now on.
 
LTC8K6 said:
The change intervals and type of driving do not really fit with synthetic oil.
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Yep you're right I agree

if someone is motivated enough to change their oil and filter once a year or two - synthetic probably won't make much difference.

Otherwise spending a few extra bucks doesn't hurt 🙂
 
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pete6032 said:
I only drive a couple hundred miles per month so that would be one oil change every two years if I did 5,000 miles. Whats the longest I should go in months before changing the oil?
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Change it at least once a year. Do a used oil analysis to be sure that it is alright.
 
Bump question here. Looks like once per year should be OK but do I need to worry at all about extreme temperatures affecting the oil breakdown faster? I park outside and it gets below zero here in the winter and up into the 90s in the summer. Last time I had a change was right at the beginning of January and I have driven it less than 1,000 miles since.
 
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The cold temperature will affect the engine oil's viscosity, but shouldn't affect it otherwise. Temps in the 90's is cold for engine oil, so nothing to worry about.
 
pete6032 said:
Bump question here. Looks like once per year should be OK but do I need to worry at all about extreme temperatures affecting the oil breakdown faster? I park outside and it gets below zero here in the winter and up into the 90s in the summer. Last time I had a change was right at the beginning of January and I have driven it less than 1,000 miles since.
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No; if your car does not over heat then the oil should still be in its temp range over its life.

Once a year and/or 5000miles is what I do for regular oil.
 
I change mine at least every 6 months even though my car indicates my oil life is still very good. It's around $30 to do it so not a big deal. I put very little in the way of miles but once a week I do about 75 miles on the highway, the rest of the time is short 1-4 mile trips in town.
 
As mentioned, you need to get out on the highway at least once a month. 30-40 min idling in traffic will not get your cats hot enough to light up.
 
pete6032 said:
I only drive a couple hundred miles per month so that would be one oil change every two years if I did 5,000 miles. Whats the longest I should go in months before changing the oil?
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What car/engine?

If it's an engine known to be hard on oil, I'd change it every 6-12 months. However, if you have something easy on oil like a Honda 4-cylinder, then 1-2 year intervals would likely be fine even with the low miles. Just take it on the highway once in a while.
 
MustISO said:
I change mine at least every 6 months even though my car indicates my oil life is still very good. It's around $30 to do it so not a big deal. I put very little in the way of miles but once a week I do about 75 miles on the highway, the rest of the time is short 1-4 mile trips in town.
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This.

2x a year is preferable, especially if you live in temp extreme areas. Doesn't hurt to spend an extra $30/year honestly.
 
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