Help! Waited way too long for first oil change!?

[carlovingdad]

All the cars I've owned in the last 10 years have had maintenance reminders that tell you when it's time for an oil change.

We bought our 2015 Subaru Outback early last year and it has a savvy touchscreen maintenance reminder window with every aspect you can imagine... logos for everything to indicate what needs to be done. That's why I never gave it much thought... my car would tell me when it's time, right??? WRONG!! Apparently that beautiful screen does absolutely nothing unless you manually set up reminders!

Here I am 1 year and 9500 miles later, no reminder so I finally decide to look into it to see as it should be coming up right? My heart skipped a beat when I saw the requirement is 6 months or 6,000 miles... it's been a year and 9,500 miles! Even shorter (3 mo/3000mi) for "urban" drive cycles like we do. What have I done??? Have I caused serious damage to our brand new car? I'm usually so good about these things. Please help and advise.

 

[splinter]

Originally Posted By: carlovingdad
..it has a savvy touchscreen maintenance reminder window..

Too savvy or not savvy enough?

 

[hatt]

If you've been checking the oil and it actually still has oil in it, it's probably OK. Just change the oil. It's all you can do.

 

[geekster]

What was the oil level?

 

[KitaCam]

Change the oil....you won't know the effect of the extended OCI for 5 years.

 

[wemay]

Water under the bridge.

Change it and move on. There really isn't anything that can be done now concerning the extended break-in miles.

 

[Run]

It should be fine. Change the oil and carry on.

 

[carlovingdad]

Thanks guys.. what about a UOA, is it worth getting that done? Also any additives or type of oil that I should use instead of the typical synthentic given the circumstances?? I'll check the oil level tonight.

 

[Kuato]

Whups....

yeah nothing to be done but change right away.

Only thing that will have happened is some accelerated wear, IF the oil was completely depleted. So you could do a UOA to find out, or just figure that the engine is simply broken in a little earlier.

In any case,

!


edit: as far as additives, it would be a waste, IMO; just go with the oil you plan to use....which engine did you get and what OCI are you planning going forward?

 

[Run]

Stick to the synthetic if you plan for longer OCIs. A UOA might be handy in this case. It would be interesting to know how much TBN was left in the oil.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: carlovingdad
Thanks guys.. what about a UOA, is it worth getting that done? Also any additives or type of oil that I should use instead of the typical synthentic given the circumstances?? I'll check the oil level tonight.


Yes actually it might be worth it to get a uoa done if you check for TBN and TAN, but either way the wear metals will be fairly high on the first oil change especially since it was in too long.

Also don't use any additives, just change it with a high quality oil and resume the normal service interval, if you're worried make the next interval shorter.

99% of additives are junk and the only ones that are worth anything are for oil consumption issues with cars that have dried seals,nothing I'd ever put in a new car. Quality oils are formulated to be a balanced package between all characteristics and adding anything will destroy the synergistic harmony the chemists worked for.

 

[901Memphis]

Also if you don't already have a Blackstone kit handy just go buy a small Tupperware style container to store the used oil in, as long as it's clean, dry and free from contamination you should be fine. You could even put it in a solo cup and cover it with foil until your sample kit arrives.

 

[Chris142]

Too late to worry about it now. Change the oil and filter and carry on.

 

[Bluestream]

No Worries. Life is too short to worry about oil. Go hug your kids, kiss your wife, call your mother and wave hello to your neighbor.


BTW, I bought a used car from a guy who did a 70,000KM oil change. Car ran fine and we had it two years and sold it for more that we paid.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: Bluestream
No Worries. Life is too short to worry about oil. Go hug your kids, kiss your wife, call your mother and wave hello to your neighbor.


So true. Sometimes we get consumed with this stuff, me included.

 

[CT8]

It doesn't matter because whether damage was or wasn't done there is nothing you can do about it. Don't wast the $$$ on a uoa just change the oil and let it go. Just have the oil and filter changed and go on with life.

 

[pbm]

As long as your Subaru wasn't (run) low on oil I wouldn't worry about it. It might only last 295K instead of 300K....

 

[Jake777]

This might not be a popular answer but here goes. The way I see it you probably haven't done much damage. First of all the oils ability to reduce friction is likely still intact. It's ability to reduce sludge and deposit formation could be shot. Yes there are abrasive materials in new oil from a factory fill however your filter should have done a decent job of catching them. I would simply change the oil to high quality Synthetic and move on without worry. Sludge formation would probably take longer and the new synthetic you're using will clean any update may have started to form. Long oil changes like that are likely more a concern for sludge issues than actual lubrication friction issues

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: Jake777
Yes there are abrasive materials in new oil from a factory fill however your filter should have done a decent job of catching them.


Really? Subaru does this?

 

[eljefino]

The big holes in your oil filter media filled with the "first junk" and the filter actually got better for the last 3000 miles. Plus, you have to consider the lack of a dry start with an empty filter from the oil change you missed. Finally, the engine has "assembly lube" which dissolves into the oil which gives it minor "super powers".

You're good.