• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

yearly oil change mandatory?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
edro said:
You're right, the engine mfgs don't have anything to gain, but the automakers do.

Dealerships and service centers have huge incentive to give regular oil changes.
Each oil change is revenue and the opportunity to sell more goods and services.

Why do you think the 3 months / 3000 miles scam is still present?
Click to expand...


Depends on what you think scam is defined as.

First, engine manufacturers are the auto manufacturers for the most part......very rare to have an auto manufacturer not make their own engines. Sure, you can pull out the rare examples, but as the whole, auto manufacturers make their own engines.

Second, the 3K oil change routine has gone by the wayside....outside what most manufacturers term "Severe duty cycle" or "Short trip/city cycle".

Those are defined as towing heavy loads, the majority of the vehicle's use is for trips less than 5 miles and/or extended idling in traffic with stop-and-go driving, delivery/police/taxi/etc. service, etc.

With that type of duty cycle, routine 3K oil changes would NOT be a scam. Of course, most people don't fall into that type of driving and fall under the extended service cycles, which typically sees 7.5K oil change mileage, etc.

Just depends on what you do with your vehicle. Of course the Jiffy Lubes of the world neglect to mention few people don't really need to change the oil every 3K miles, but that'd eat into their profit margins. At that point, falling for their marketing is just a consequence of the vehicle owner's stupidity for not reading the vehicle's owner's manual and following the recommended maintenance schedule applicable to their driving habits.
 
ShawnD1 said:
Could always try the old look-at-it test. Fresh oil almost looks like it would taste good on ice cream. Black is bad. White is bad.
Click to expand...


Yes and no.

White/creamy is bad.

Black is not bad but an indication that your oil is doing one its jobs....cleaning. Tarry oil, on the other hand, is bad.

You shouldn't have that fresh, golden oil look for long after changing it......well, maybe if your car is brand new and you're not driving it.
 
JulesMaximus said:
Worst advice ever.

Keep a log=good
Guess at age based on looking at the dipstick=bad
Click to expand...
You're probably right. If the manufacturer thought that foaming and slightly white engine oil was a bad thing they would probably say something about it in the manual.

I was just being my usual racist self. White oil is just as good as black oil. Sometimes it's even better because it's more educated and less prone to crime.
MID-STA4.JPG
 
edro said:
You're right, the engine mfgs don't have anything to gain, but the automakers do.

Dealerships and service centers have huge incentive to give regular oil changes.
Each oil change is revenue and the opportunity to sell more goods and services.

Why do you think the 3 months / 3000 miles scam is still present?
Click to expand...

While the dealership may have a manufacturer tag on them, they are NOT the manufacturer. Many dealerships fight with the manufacturers as well for payment of services. The AUTOMAKERS have nothing to gain in this, follow their recommendations. They put those guidelines in place for a reason, to protect themselves from excessive warranty claims.
 
ShawnD1 said:
You're probably right. If the manufacturer thought that foaming and slightly white engine oil was a bad thing they would probably say something about it in the manual.

I was just being my usual racist self. White oil is just as good as black oil. Sometimes it's even better because it's more educated and less prone to crime.
MID-STA4.JPG
Click to expand...

😕 Race? Are you black? Did I offend you?

You'd have other obvious problems if your oil was foamy and white. This thread is about changing your oil in an engine that sees little use annually. An engine that I would assume is in good working order (since the OP didn't mention any other problems that would lead me to believe otherwise). In your post you seem to advocate "looking at the oil" to determine change intervals which is pretty bad advice.
 
Last edited:
edro said:
I looked around online to back up my statement and most places recommend yearly on low mileage vehicles.
It doesn't state the reason, but one reason could be to generate revenue. 🙂
Click to expand...

The reason is, oil breaks down and gets contaminated even while your car is sitting. Temperature changes cause condensation to build up inside your engine and starting it every once in a while will also get other contaminants in the oil to help break it down. This is why it is recommended that you change it annually on a vehicle that is driven very little or not at all.
 
If it's doing 1k a year that car is doing a lot of sitting and not getting much action. If I gave two shits about the vehicle I'd be changing the oil at least twice a year.
 
edro said:
Oil and filter get dirty from the breakdown of engine parts and the breakdown of the oil from movement and temperature cycling.
No, you do not need yearly oil changes if you only drive 1000 mi a year.

It's based more on Revolutions than anything else.

Oil has a shelf life, but it's probably a long time.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely false.

There is a reason both a time and a mileage number is given with oil changes.

Oil oxidizes as it sits. You don't want oil in your sump for a year, no matter how many miles you drive. Unless UOA's have shown this is acceptable.

Change it every 6 months. What most people don't understand is that driving short distances or just not driving very much is actually harder on your oil than using it regularly. When your engine gets to operating temperature, it helps boil off contaminants that increases the oxidation rate. Otherwise, fuel, water, sludge and air continually break your oil down. In fact, letting your oil sit in the sump unused is probably one of the most Severe Service duties there is.

Many miles on the open highway is actually the most light duty service there is. Depending on specific circumstances, of course.
 
Last edited:
edro said:
I looked around online to back up my statement and most places recommend yearly on low mileage vehicles.
It doesn't state the reason, but one reason could be to generate revenue. 🙂
Click to expand...

If you are doing very low milage i.e. running to the shops and back - the car could do 500 x 2 mile trips (or 1000 x 1, 200 x 5), which means that the engine never really gets fully up to temperature, so the mixture will be rich, increasing the chances of fuel diluting the oil and the amount of acids/combustion products getting in the oil, plus the oil won't get hot enough (>200F) to drive off most of the water (which will promote acid formation).
 
ShawnD1 said:
Could always try the old look-at-it test. Fresh oil almost looks like it would taste good on ice cream. Black is bad. White is bad.
Click to expand...

Truth. This is what I do when I let a vehicle sit for a while. I do try to get it changed every 3k miles, but every so often you should pop the hood and look at the oil color and level to make sure everything is okay. People are getting waaay too dependent on what their dashboard tells them for maintainence, etc.
 
MovingTarget said:
Truth. This is what I do when I let a vehicle sit for a while. I do try to get it changed every 3k miles, but every so often you should pop the hood and look at the oil color and level to make sure everything is okay. People are getting waaay too dependent on what their dashboard tells them for maintainence, etc.
Click to expand...


Color tells you next to nothing about the quality/life of oil. If you are using the look test, you fail.
 
I would probably change my oil every 3k miles if I lived up north in Minnesota and only drove 5 miles to work one way.

If you lived in California where the air has hardly any moisture in it... well it's a different story.

Just sayin'.
 
CRXican said:
wrong

guess you missed my post
Click to expand...

I have to admit, I'm pretty intrigued by these extremely long drain intervals with low mileage.

Still, though - advising someone that it's OK to change their oil once a year just because you can, or have seen a handful of other people do it, is bad advice.

The only way to know for sure is to have oil analysis done. It's best to err on the side of caution unless you are performing oil analysis. There are just too many other variables to make blanket statements.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top