10 year old / 21k mile car with 3 verified oil changes

My 2015 Jeep has only 19,000 miles. And my 2018 Toyota Camry just turned 16,000 miles. Both were purchased new, and neither one has ever been driven on a wet street.

The only time either one gets wet is when they're washed. Which is about once a year max. But they are started and driven at least once a week until the oil gets over 200F.

I change oil and filter every 6 months. Which is probably too much, but it's easy and cheap to do. They're both garage kept and the garage is both cooled and heated. So nothing is "aging out", except for perhaps the driver.

I wouldn't worry about 3 oil changes in 11 years, with that low of mileage. But I would for sure change both it and the filter right away. And I've never had an issue with gas going bad in any of my vehicles or gas powered equipment. Fuel injected vehicles handle bad fuel a lot better than carburetors do.
So you're changing the oil on average at 1000 miles and 6 months on the Jeep and 1600 miles and 6 and on the Camry?

I mean, i don't want to offend you, but that is kind of ridiculous, you could EASY, go over 2 years between changes.

Changing oil that often doesn't benefit the engines at all, and i mean 0, you may be even doing more harm than good, as each time you change the oil , the anti wear additives that bond to the metal in the engine are mostly washed away and then have to build back up again, this has been proven by measuring wear metals right after an oil change, and contrary to what logic would say, the wear actually tapers off as the oil gets some miles and time in the engine, obviously after enough time and miles the wear metals start to go back up again as the condition of the oil begins to degrade.

Just my 2c
 
Engine Oil: 4.2qt : Good choice

Engine Oil Filter (15400-RTA-003) $7 - Good Choice

Transmission Fluid: ATF DW1 - 2.64 qts (3qts * 3): $90 - Valvoline MaxLife is absolutely fine and I would wait until at least 30k miles.

Engine Coolant: 1.64 gal (2 gal): $37 - Walmart Blue is fine

Brake Fluid: - Suck out and fill back the reservoir is fine. Any DOT3 will do.

Engine Air Filter (17220-PGE-A00): $20 - If it isn't excessively dirty keep it until at least 30k miles.

Cabin Air Filter (80292-SDA-407): $17 - Wait until 30k to 60k

Automatic Transmission Filter (25430-PLR-003): $43 - No need to do this.

PCV Valve (17130-RCA-A02): $36 - No need to do this but if you want to, no biggie.
 
In my old TL (V6 but also a history of ring coking that would eventually lead to consumption) it was notorious for getting clogged. I figured “might as well” change on this car too.
one thing I would add to the list of replacement parts is the drivebelt, lots of people could say it's low mileage but the age would bother me , if it's original. People can say I over-maintain but hey this is BITOG! We're all a little "different" lol..
 
So you're changing the oil on average at 1000 miles and 6 months on the Jeep and 1600 miles and 6 and on the Camry?

I mean, i don't want to offend you, but that is kind of ridiculous, you could EASY, go over 2 years between changes.

Changing oil that often doesn't benefit the engines at all, and i mean 0, you may be even doing more harm than good, as each time you change the oil , the anti wear additives that bond to the metal in the engine are mostly washed away and then have to build back up again, this has been proven by measuring wear metals right after an oil change, and contrary to what logic would say, the wear actually tapers off as the oil gets some miles and time in the engine, obviously after enough time and miles the wear metals start to go back up again as the condition of the oil begins to degrade.

Just my 2c
While 1k OCIs may be excessive, I change every 3k. If you ever owned a Hyunkia engine from 2012-2020, you will be awakened to the need for Severe Service OCIs.

Signed
A hypothetical worker who earns a portion of his salary removing a wall of failed engine blocks from behind Hyunkia dealerships.
 
In my old TL (V6 but also a history of ring coking that would eventually lead to consumption) it was notorious for getting clogged. I figured “might as well” change on this car too.
No need to change the PVC valve or transmission filter with only 21K miles on the odometer. Neither one will have much/any accumulation at that low mileage. I would agree with you if it was a V-6 engine because of the very poorly designed (i.e., restrictive) flowpath of the J35's PVC system. Clogging of the K24 PVC valve is not a concern until well over 100K miles.
 
While 1k OCIs may be excessive, I change every 3k. If you ever owned a Hyunkia engine from 2012-2020, you will be awakened to the need for Severe Service OCIs.

Signed
A hypothetical worker who earns a portion of his salary removing a wall of failed engine blocks from behind Hyunkia dealerships.
I can agree with that, those engines are Junk, and even properly maintained they still kick the bucket young.

I just wanted to kind of say, if i may use an example, drinking a glass of red wine with lunch or dinner has proven health benefits.

Now if you down a whole bottle a night, eventually your liver will probably start to suffer the consequences lol

Not that i'm saying changing oil at 1k miles will destroy an engine, but it is most certainly pointless and perhaps even harmful, even if it's to a small degree... Although ofcourse, on resell value if the average joe sees the car is in perfect shape and the oil has been changed even far more frequently than what would be considered normal or recommended by the OEM, that is going to look good on the service history...
 
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I am relieved that this engine uses a timing chain vs the timing belt of my previous older/low mileage TL. All told, it should be relatively minor in cost to bring this car up to factory fresh maintenance.
 
Engine Oil: 4.2qt : Good choice

Engine Oil Filter (15400-RTA-003) $7 - Good Choice

Transmission Fluid: ATF DW1 - 2.64 qts (3qts * 3): $90 - Valvoline MaxLife is absolutely fine and I would wait until at least 30k miles.

Engine Coolant: 1.64 gal (2 gal): $37 - Walmart Blue is fine

Brake Fluid: - Suck out and fill back the reservoir is fine. Any DOT3 will do.

Engine Air Filter (17220-PGE-A00): $20 - If it isn't excessively dirty keep it until at least 30k miles.

Cabin Air Filter (80292-SDA-407): $17 - Wait until 30k to 60k

Automatic Transmission Filter (25430-PLR-003): $43 - No need to do this.

PCV Valve (17130-RCA-A02): $36 - No need to do this but if you want to, no biggie.
Brake fluid does not "circulate". Fluid is 10 years old. Do the entire flush at each wheel.
 
I am not saying do not buy it, but in my experience, those low mileage time capsule vehicles seem to catch up pretty quickly with nit-noid maintenance issues once they are put into daily use with normal commute mileage put on them.
 
What was the warranty OCI? I changed my low mileage Rogue at 4000ish miles for the 3750 severe use drivetrain warranty. Once it hit 30k miles I switched to Mobil1 and planned on once per year, or every other year.
 
Vehicles that sit a lot worry me way more than vehicles that are driven a lot. The 10 year or 100K mile mark seems to be right about when things start to go south. Could be a gem. Could be a nightmare.
I agree. My last two Civics were both 5 years old when I got them and both had 80k on them so they were driven a decent but not crazy amount. Both extremely reliable cars. I think cars that rarely get driven or driven a couple of miles every day are ticking time bombs 😵‍💫
 
Here is the complete CARFAX. Looks like service at the dealership every 7500-ish miles and regular emissions inspections at an Indy shop.

I’ve had it 3rd party inspected, paid for it in escrow, and it’s being transported here to over the next few days so I’m keeping my fingers crossed but feel good about it!

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Update: I did buy the car and it did arrive a few days ago. I was pretty anxious as the last low mileage 9 year old Acura I bought - ‘14 TL I posted about extensively here a couple of years ago - was in great mechanical shape but had a number of cosmetic issues that for me to make perfect would have been financially draining. This one arrived just as nice as I could have hoped for with zero underbody rust since it lived in TX/CA its whole life.

Ordered all of the OEM fluids and new serpentine belt, but from the advice here, decided to skip the transmission filter and brake fluid (brake fluid was serviced by Acura dealer a little over 2 years ago. Going with Valvoline R&P 5w30 for a few short OCIs as well since Walmart has it as the same price as most other name brand choices - $30 for 5qt jug.
 
Update: I did buy the car and it did arrive a few days ago. I was pretty anxious as the last low mileage 9 year old Acura I bought - ‘14 TL I posted about extensively here a couple of years ago - was in great mechanical shape but had a number of cosmetic issues that for me to make perfect would have been financially draining. This one arrived just as nice as I could have hoped for with zero underbody rust since it lived in TX/CA its whole life.

Ordered all of the OEM fluids and new serpentine belt, but from the advice here, decided to skip the transmission filter and brake fluid (brake fluid was serviced by Acura dealer a little over 2 years ago. Going with Valvoline R&P 5w30 for a few short OCIs as well since Walmart has it as the same price as most other name brand choices - $30 for 5qt jug.
If you do a search here there might even be a $5 rebate to vrp
 
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