Dino or synthetic for 2K miles year

Pennzoil motor oil
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PhoenixTL

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Aug 15, 2009
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Arizona/Washington
Hello,

My TL will soon be used every three months for a total of 2K miles per year ....it will be at our second home...

I cuurently have M1 but will switch next to PP....

With such low mileage:

1.How often should I change the oil?
2. Dino versus synthetic for this situation?
3. Is Synthetic add anything to a low use vehicle?
 
Originally Posted By: PhoenixTL
1.How often should I change the oil?

Once a year should be good.


Originally Posted By: PhoenixTL
2. Dino versus synthetic for this situation?

If your car doesn't specify synthetic, you should be fine with a good dino.


Originally Posted By: PhoenixTL
3. Is Synthetic add anything to a low use vehicle?

Theoretically, the right synthetic could. But I'd be shocked if it were something noticeable before at least 200,000 miles (if ever).


Now IMO, if the car is going to be sitting for that long, what you should do is store it with as little gas as possible. Then, each time you start it after it's been sitting for three months, BABY it until it's warm, fill it up with gas ASAP, and then take it on a nice, long highway drive.
 
Technically, I believe the conventional oils recommending changing prior to a year's time. In fact, some of them may suggest 3 month or 6 month OCI's if mileage is not met.

I suppose it depends if you want to follow directions or not for some of those. You're not seeing a big benefit in extended OCI's for synthetic, but you also may see oil deterioration in a mineral oil that sits that long in certain conditions (or any condition?).
I don't know enough to say, but I suppose that is my sentiments on it.
 
I would either do synthetic once a year, or conventional twice a year. If it were my vehicle, I would probably run synthetic and change it once a year. A 2006 TL is a nice car, and the price difference between oil changes really isn't that much. You probably could get away with conventional once a year, but why?

Synthetic change w/ filter $25
Conventional Change w/ filter $16ish x 2 $32 a year or $16 once a year.
 
If you only plan on changing it once a year, I would strongly recommend a synthetic oil. I would not screw up by trying to save a few bucks. I would never let a conventional oil stay in a car for over 6 months.
 
I have driven only 2,000 miles a year also for the last five years and my policy is to use full synthetic changed once a year.
 
I would stick with synthetic and change it every two years. That's what I always did with my mom's 2001 Golf since she only drove it about 3500 miles a year. The oil analysis results showed that two year intervals were safe and I probably could've safely done three year intervals. My sister is now driving that car and I'll be changing the oil again in the spring (it was last done in June 2008) and doing a used oil analysis. I think it'll have more than 10,000 miles on it this time around though.
 
I have a beater SUV that usually sees less than 5k miles a year, and it gets an annual oil change with conventional. I've never had any problems with it. Though I am thinking about upping it to MaxLife semi-synthetic, only b/c I might start changing the oil myself since I now have access to a lift.

An '06 TL is a nice vehicle to have just sitting around not being used. Have you given any thought to selling it so someone else can get some joy out of it?
 
Originally Posted By: hate2work

Change it annually.

A good dino like Pennzoil conventional will be fine.

Syn will add nothing for you.


Like he said!
 
Thanks guys...I think I will stay with PP with 12-18 month intervals....

The car will move to Arizona next year ...it will have about 40K miles on it...Our primary home is in Washington state.

I like the car but my wife has decided she wants a "new" SUV so we are looking at a 2009 RX 350 for her...I will inherit the 2001 RX 300...

So is life!
 
Originally Posted By: PhoenixTL
Thanks guys...I think I will stay with PP with 12-18 month intervals....

The car will move to Arizona next year ...it will have about 40K miles on it...Our primary home is in Washington state.

I like the car but my wife has decided she wants a "new" SUV so we are looking at a 2009 RX 350 for her...I will inherit the 2001 RX 300...

So is life!


Smart choice.
 
Use the cheapest brand name dino you can get. I put valvoline W/B in my neighboors astro with a ST ecore or AcDelco. She drives only about 3-4k a year, I drain it once a year and her car has over 200k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Boss302fan
If you only plan on changing it once a year, I would strongly recommend a synthetic oil. I would not screw up by trying to save a few bucks. I would never let a conventional oil stay in a car for over 6 months.


+1
 
Originally Posted By: Boss302fan
If you only plan on changing it once a year, I would strongly recommend a synthetic oil. I would not screw up by trying to save a few bucks. I would never let a conventional oil stay in a car for over 6 months.


Boss, tell me why you would never let a conventional oil stay in a car that long. Do you actually have a reason, or is it just your love of synthetics?
 
Change it every year with dino.
I have a similar car situation, and I do this myself.

If you know that you are in for a long storage at a regular time seasonally, change the oil first, start her up to circulate it, then store it. Why have it sit there with acid/water/contaminated oil doing possible harm?
 
Originally Posted By: hate2work
Originally Posted By: Boss302fan
If you only plan on changing it once a year, I would strongly recommend a synthetic oil. I would not screw up by trying to save a few bucks. I would never let a conventional oil stay in a car for over 6 months.


Boss, tell me why you would never let a conventional oil stay in a car that long. Do you actually have a reason, or is it just your love of synthetics?


You're right. Manufacturer recommendations (on which they may base warranty/guaranties) don't mean anything. Not sure why they still recommend stuff like this anymore...
 
For the record, I'm not implying certainty in disaster here. I'm just saying this is another means to push cheaper oil to its limits when, I don't believe, it is necessary to do so.

Driving only 2k a year, for many people, implies short trips every now and again, thus being subject to moisture build up, etc., which are some of the reasons it is highly suggested you change your oil at least twice a year if you are running dino.

If you make (10) trips of 200 miles at a time...maybe you have less to worry about. I just highly doubt this to be the case for most, and therefore would say the "rule of thumb" isn't all that dumb.
 
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