Can’t explain to the elderly that they don’t need an oil change after 8mo/23 miles.

[Blinker]

For many people, scheduling appointments and keeping a routine is what gives them a positive outlook on life. Just going strictly based on mileage it could take some folks a couple of years to accumulate 3,000 miles. The time based oil change can give some people a sense of purpose and belonging in the world. Plus it’s good to have a vehicle inspected for other issues that can crop up based off time, not mileage.

This isn’t limited to just oil changes. Many people are also very routine about home maintenance. Having routine water heater and HVAC inspections gives people something to look forward to in a sense. Same thing with landscaping. Having a landscaper come every week to do yard work or even just rake up leaves gives people something to look forward to.

 

[bunnspecial]

To be fair, right now I have a sump with a mixture of gloopy SAE 30 break-in oil and GTX 20W-50 dripping with only about 500 miles on it.

This is a freshly rebuilt engine, and it's an old engine with flat tappets and all the other goodies that have come with old sloppy engines. This is the oil the shop put in after its initial 20 minute high-mileage break-in, and it's had plenty of extended, varied RPM driving since then.

I'm confident the rings have seated, or at least mostly seated, since oil consumption has been way, way down in the last hundred miles(where it used maybe 1/4 of a quart). It used about a quart in the first 200 miles, then a half quart in the next 200 miles.

With the rings now seated, I want to get the oil crudded up by excessive blow-by plus just flowing around and hopefully grabbing any wear particles from new bearings and the like wearing in to the crank and other places.

The oil going in sometime today(I have a few other odds and ends to do) will probably stay until this time next year.

 

[Number_35]

Yes that is one car where oil changes are very important because the engines are sensitive and easy to destroy. That is why it’s important you don’t run them low on oil either. Back then though they just used whatever oil they could get or had at shops anyway so sooner changes was important.

A high-school friend's dad was a really good guy, and knew a lot about cars. The family had a fleet of interesting old cars as daily drivers, including a 1960 Beetle. He told me he changed the oil every thousand miles. Three quarts if I recall correctly, and no filter.

He also told me that the Beetle was good for 200,000 miles, but that it typically took three engines to get there.

Another friend, many years later, sold his air-cooled Westphalia with around 100,000 miles on the original engine. The engine was still in good shape. He attributed its longevity to using 20W-50.

 

[RitcheyRch]

I bought a used 2012 Tundra in 2014 that had 2200 miles on it. It had 3 oil changes in those 2200 miles all done at the dealer.

 

[radiometer]

I'm 82 years old and I still do the oil and filter changes on my two cars. Since they aren't driven much I do this annually. I recently did a brake job on one of them.

 

[MolaKule]

I have met a lot of older friendly folks at the shop and many just want and need the social interaction because many are widowers and don't or can't get out much.

Advise him/her it is not really needed, but if their money is good and the customer is insistent, change the oil, engage in conversation if you have time, and save the oil for OPE use.

My mechanic friend's shop has more customers than any other local shop in the area because every mechanic and tech in the shop talks to the customers. And all these guys could be stand-up comics.

 

[AutoMechanic]

A high-school friend's dad was a really good guy, and knew a lot about cars. The family had a fleet of interesting old cars as daily drivers, including a 1960 Beetle. He told me he changed the oil every thousand miles. Three quarts if I recall correctly, and no filter.

He also told me that the Beetle was good for 200,000 miles, but that it typically took three engines to get there.

Another friend, many years later, sold his air-cooled Westphalia with around 100,000 miles on the original engine. The engine was still in good shape. He attributed its longevity to using 20W-50.

Yes mine has 165,000 original with the original engine lol. All previous owners were mechanics so they took good care of it. Yes 3 quarts is what I use it calls for 2.6 but a little extra in those is a good thing. The filter is really a strainer but yes no spin on filter or anything. I use 20W-50 in the summertime and 10W-30 or 10W-40 in the winter.

 

[avacado11]

Used oil sitting in an unused engine is the same as it sitting on a shelf. The only time I'd have an issue is if it was only driven 23 miles but idled for most of the 8 months for whatever reason.

 

[RooflessVW]

You guys that used to do 3k/3mo...

I can't imagine using 85 quarts of oil a year.

 

[ZeeOSix]

When I worked at a dealership we had a guy bring in his Corvette C5 for an oil change before winter storage, he would drive it home 5 miles and park it and 5 months and then bring it right back and have the oil changed again. These were using the factory recommended mobil-1. We told him it likely wasn't necessary and he didn't care, he wanted it done. I captured the "used oil" and used it in my car. He had no problem with this and He seemed happy with the fact it would get reused.

Wow, that's pretty excessive for sure. Mistake he made is that he only drove it 5 miles before letting it sit 5 months. Probably would have been better to have drove it 50 miles on the old oil (if it had low-ish miles on it) and then store it for 5 months.

 

[Spector]

Hmm, what age are you calling old?

 

[arakele]

My mom rarely drives, less than 2k a year unless she happens to take a road trip somewhere. When I found out she was getting the oil changed every 3 months I told her to stop and I will pay for her oil change materials and do it myself on a yearly basis instead. Been doing that about 10 years now.

 

[JT20]

Looks like a ford Taurus under there

Mine is getting darker by the day.

10k oil changes here

 

[JT20]

Hmm, what age are you calling old?

When every time you get in the car you drive worse than a drunk driver.

 

[mpack88]

Mine is getting darker by the day.

10k oil changes here

My 91 barely gets driving. My 2018 got about 18k miles on it.

 

[JT20]

My 91 barely gets driving. My 2018 got about 18k miles on it.

That's about all your Blues Brothers Taurus trans can handle anyways lol

 

[mpack88]

That's about all your Blues Brothers Taurus trans can handle anyways lol

Na, mine shifts good. Water pump seal will get the 2018 one.

 

[JT20]

Na, mine shifts good. Water pump seal will get the 2018 one.

I had a95, was just joking with ya man lol

AX4N I think

 

[oldhp]

Wow, that's pretty excessive for sure. Mistake he made is that he only drove it 5 miles before letting it sit 5 months. Probably would have been better to have drove it 50 miles on the old oil (if it had low-ish miles on it) and then store it for 5 months.

The Dodge Scat Packs (Maybe Hellcats too) say in the manual OCI every 6 months. Like the Vette guy most have very low miles, but for warranty have to change oil every 6 months.

 

[JT20]

The Dodge Scat Packs (Maybe Hellcats too) say in the manual OCI every 6 months. Like the Vette guy most have very low miles, but for warranty have to change oil every 6 months.

And 10W-30 Conventional! LOL