yearly oil change mandatory?

[dowxp]

Suppose a car is driven less than 1000 miles per year. Are oil changes still required every year? would it help if it was synthetic?



Moved from OT

ATOT Moderator ElFenix

 

[Vette73]

I do once a year on reg or syn and I am not one to change my oil early. Less than $20 and good to flush it at least yearly. That and a good time to check out the tires (they also go bad by age), belts, hoses, etc...

If driven that little I would use reg and just change yearly. My truck and grandmothers car falls into that.

 

[Beev]

TG <-

I've always heard that "recommended" oil change miles / dates were way exaggerated.

 

[ShawnD1]

TG <-

I've always heard that "recommended" oil change miles / dates were way exaggerated.

They do that because the companies know people like to fuck around. You'll change it half as often as recommended, so they recommend you change it twice as often.

 

[ViviTheMage]

do what is in the manual. they give miles/time .

 

[edro]

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.

 

[JTsyo]

recommended is 3000miles or 3 months, which ever comes first. 10K seems ok with some synthetics.

 

[edro]

recommended is 3000miles or 3 months, which ever comes first.

That is for old engines from the 80s and back.
New engines have better materials, tighter tolerances, better oil, etc.
Most new engines recommend every 10k+ in the manual.

Do not let JiffyLube tell you when you need an oil change. That's their business...

 

[Vette73]

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.

Not open it is not. Water also builds up as does gas with short limited drives in motors.

 

[edro]

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.

 

[LTC8K6]

What are the trips like? Are they short trips that add up to 1K miles, or are they long trips?

Short trips never get the oil hot enough to burn off the condensation. I'd hate to see what the oil looks like after a year of just 1K miles worth of short trips.

If they are long trips that get everything nice and hot, then the yearly change is certainly enough.

There's also the trans to think about as far as condensation and fluid condition.

You want a long trip every now and then.

 

[dowxp]

I take it on the freeway every so often. I guess no one really knows.

 

[PricklyPete]

There are a lot of variables that play into how often you should change your oil...but I think a good rule of thumb should be that no matter the mileage, you should always change the oil at least once a year.

 

[joutlaw]

Our 2010 Accord advises if the oil life monitor hasn't reached 10-15&#37; in a year then get the oil changed.

I don't go by what the dealer advises, only the owners manual.

 

[thescreensavers]

I would get a good filter, as cheaper filters with paper media might start to fall apart when trying a year long OCI

 

[Gillbot]

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.

Car and engine manufacturers have no revenue stake in oil. They do this to prevent wear and excess warranty claims so it has ACTUAL merit. Oil has a shelf life, exposed oil (not sealed in a container) is far less than people think it is.

 

[exar333]

If you drive a car less than 1000 miles, it either means (1) you have too many cars to drive them all (2) its a sweet car and you drive others instead most of the time (3) you are extremely old and are unable to drive past the local grocery store 2-3x per month.

Either way, why not pay $30 a year to make sure you are protecting your investment. If $30/year for 1x oil change is too much, then sell the car.

 

[edro]

Car and engine manufacturers have no revenue stake in oil. They do this to prevent wear and excess warranty claims so it has ACTUAL merit. Oil has a shelf life, exposed oil (not sealed in a container) is far less than people think it is.

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?

 

[Vette73]

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?

Thats why dealerships will tell you something other than what the owners manual says.

Worse case do what the owners manual says. Most say 5000-7500 miles but many still think 3-4000 is what its supposed to be.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I do once a year on reg or syn and I am not one to change my oil early. Less than $20 and good to flush it at least yearly. That and a good time to check out the tires (they also go bad by age), belts, hoses, etc...

If driven that little I would use reg and just change yearly. My truck and grandmothers car falls into that.

You should be inspecting your tires weekly...not annually.

As for oil, I'd change it at least once a year even if the vehicle had less than 1000 miles since the last oil change.

 

[Vette73]

You should be inspecting your tires weekly...not annually.

As for oil, I'd change it at least once a year even if the vehicle had less than 1000 miles since the last oil change.

True but most don't even check anything unless its making noise or not working anymore. And even then they say "i'll get to it..." :awe:

 

[JulesMaximus]

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?

Why do you think so many vehicles have problems with sludge these days?

My car is parked outside every night and driven in a lot of stop and go traffic so I change the oil every 3,000 miles.

 

[ShawnD1]

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.

 

[JulesMaximus]

True but most don't even check anything unless its making noise or not working anymore. And even then they say "i'll get to it..." :awe:

As you are rolling your Exploder over and over, cart-wheeling through the trees, you think, "Gee, maybe I should have checked those tire pressures." :awe:

 

[ShawnD1]

As you are rolling your Exploder over and over, cart-wheeling through the trees, you think, "Gee, maybe I should have checked those tire pressures." :awe:

Your explorer wouldn't flip if you inflated to sidewall :hmm: