Do you really need to change oil annually, if driven only 1000 miles a year?

[wowthisexists]

How long can you stretch the interval if you barely drive the car?
Car gets driven to Max temp every time it's driven
Just curious. Can you go 5 years at 1k a year?

 

[totegoat]

My seldom used engines go years between changes. I can't tell any difference in their performance.

 

[dishdude]

Every year is a bit much, but I think every two years makes sense.

 

[Yuk]

When I asked Blackstone a similar question, I received this answer:


Great question.

You are correct. When it comes to modern automotive engines, calendar time doesn't have a big impact on how much metal we find. That's mainly because modern engines have emissions systems, which seal the engines and prevents moisture from accumulating inside the engine. This was an issue with older engines from the 70s and before where they had open breathers and atmospheric air could get into the engine, and humidity/condensation would cause corrosion.

We still see corrosion due to calendar time in engines with open breathers (mainly aircraft engines), so calendar time is still a factor to consider, but mainly for open breather systems. When corrosion shows up, it shows up as aluminum and iron in analysis.

There are many examples of newer cars having the oil in use for several years with little change in wear, and that's why we don't put too much emphasis on calendar time. Of course, if the manufacturer suggests changing the oil after X months, then it's probably best to follow their guidelines. After all, they are the ones who would handle any warranty claims, so it's best to stay within their parameters, but based on our experience and data, using mileage as the only unit of measure shouldn't bother anything.

I tried to see if we wrote any articles or have any other media on this topic, and it doesn't look like we have any. That's not because we don't want to share this information (we tell anyone who asks the same thing), but maybe it's because of the warranty issue I described. We'd hate to tell you to use mileage alone, then an issue pops up and the dealer won't honor the warranty because you kept the oil in use too long.

Once warranty isn't a factor, I think you have a green light to experiment, and I would be surprised if leaving the oil in use longer than a year was an issue (assuming the engine is mechanically sound and the oil is free of contamination).

Thanks for contacting Blackstone!

SK

Blackstone Laboratories

 

[kschachn]

It would also have a lot to do with the condition of your engine. If it’s worn or otherwise causing a lot of blow by then obviously more of the products of combustion will end up mingling with the oil.

To really answer your question about the greatly increased OCI would be speculation. You could find out by having the TBN tested but at that point you may as well change the oil.

 

[pbm]

It seems like more and more automakers are recommending annual oil changes when owners don't drive enough miles to trigger the mileage interval that's wanted. No idea why though.... If the driving that is done is long enough to get the engine up to full operating temperature and stay there for a bit, I can't see how yearly is necessary.

I'd think they recommend the 1 year maximum because they assume it gets 'short tripped' a lot.
When I returned from Florida to NY at the end of March 2023 I changed the oil in my 2008 Corolla condo car using Idemitsu 5w30 full synthetic and a ST 10K oil filter. When I leave at the end of March 2024 it will have about 2500-2700 miles on the oil. I'll go another year or at least until 4K because all my driving in Florida is minimum 10 miles and often much more (so no condensation in the oil). The Corolla has 136K and burns no oil and the oil looks very clean after 5K which was my usual OCI when I used this car to commute up north.

 

[mr_boring]

Better to spend that money on an oil change in 2 1/2 years.

no kidding

 

[Leo99]

Do you plan to drive it more in the future? Any special plans to give the car to a family member? If not, what's the worse that can happen if you never changed it again?

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

My Duramax goes from 1800 to 2200 miles a year. I've been changing it at 18 month the last 3 OCI its has made no difference that is notable. I'm likely over maintaining it! Rotella T6 5W-40.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

Not if you make sure you get the oil up to around 100C when you use your vehicle so that there is no water buildup in your crankcase.

Does the total volume of oil ever get to 100C in most cars?

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

Does the total volume of oil ever get to 100C in most cars?

Yes it does. In some it goes over 100C. That's how engines are designed. It's why you see the viscosity at 100C on motor oil spec sheets.

 

[RDY4WAR]

My Tahoe has only seen 3,500 miles in 2.5 years on the current oil, HPL HDMO 10W-30. When it does move though, it's for a distance and usually towing something.

 

[RDY4WAR]

Does the total volume of oil ever get to 100C in most cars?

Some cars won't quite get there but most will exceed that. Cruising down the highway, the oil exiting the rod bearings will be 15-25°C above sump temp. The higher the dynamic viscosity relative to bearing size and clearance, the higher that exit temp due to hydrodynamic friction.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

How long can you stretch the interval if you barely drive the car?
Car gets driven to Max temp every time it's driven
Just curious. Can you go 5 years at 1k a year?

I would change it every other year. Should work fine in four seasons Minnesota..

 

[zray1]

Not if you make sure you get the oil up to around 100C when you use your vehicle so that there is no water buildup in your crankcase.

What kind of car ? How old ?

Some models, and most older cars are prone to having a lot of blow-by.

If your car is in that category I would change the oil before it’s put away for the winter. You don’t want acidic blow-by gases mixed in with oil that sits for months.

Z

 

[JohnnyO]

You can still get condensation from temperature changes, if nothing else.
For what it costs it's cheap insurance.
My mother puts less than 2000 miles a year on her car and I change it once a year at state inspection time.

 

[Torrid]

Unless I missed one, the responses (including yours) to virtually every thread on low mile/long time oil and filter change intervals have these things in common:

1) The question always revolves around a 2–3-year time frame.
2) The response is always "short trips make that plan problematic."
3) The responses rarely address the filter life part of the question, certainly not in a definitive way.

Both I and the OP here specifically mentioned that we do not short trip and always get the oil up to temp, and that we're talking about 5-6 year time frames.

I also asked specifically about the filter.

So, if we had a response that moved beyond the three points listed above, we'd be breaking new ground here!

As I said, I think the reason there are no responses beyond those three points is because those points are standard truisms, and no one has actually done this kind of interval and collected the data to definitively answer beyond general truisms.

If so, fair enough!

There's literally nothing wrong with your thought process. I'd still change the oil and filter every 2 years max, but that's just me.

 

[zzyzzx]

Do you really need to change oil annually, if driven only 1000 miles a year?​

 

[priler]

How long can you stretch the interval if you barely drive the car?
Car gets driven to Max temp every time it's driven
Just curious. Can you go 5 years at 1k a year?

There's not a lot of info on your part.....year, brand, model, engine, etc..

I'm going to assume the car sits for long periods of time, like a week or more. I'm also going to assume there's no issues or design/inherent flaws or built in.(the reasons you should give more info). No warranty, etc..

1) Put the car on an automatic battery tender, a trickle charger that shuts off and on automatically. Set it up properly. Make sure nothing is in there that can get caught or melts when you start the car or when engine is hot. The units themselves will melt if you leave them under the hood and run the car.

2) At least once a month, if not less, plan a longer trip somewhere for something where you can drive the car, without shutting it off, for a minimum of 30 minutes, if not longer, preferably at a steady speed but even if not.

3) When doing #2, turn on all electronics for the first 20 minutes. Everything. ...all the electrical buttons, including AC, headlights, etc.. The literal translation of the word "everything". Leave them on for a long time, you can toggle between them. This is especially true/necessary on an older car.

4) Use a quality oil from a well known brand with the specs for your engine(i don't consider Fram and some others to fit this, for example) and go ahead and change it every 5 years along with the filter. I, however, consider 5 years to be a hairy edge. To me, 3 years is very reasonable and super doable for your application/wants. ...but you do you and go 5 years, just use quality oil.

 

[subyski]

A few years ago, due to Covid and not driving much, I ran a 2 year / 2257 mile OCI with off the shelf Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 10w30. When I did drive it, I tried to drive it around to get oil temps up but there were some short tripping done during that period. TBN came back as 5.4, Viscosity of 11.1, all wear numbers were fine.

 

[Merek]

For the most part time is a non issue, I went 63 months on both my cars. I have 97 & 99 Honda Civic's, the 97 had 5k miles but the 99 went 6400, Honda calls for 7500 mile intervals.