How do you adapt service schedules to low mileage vehicles?

[NismoNVT]

it depends. you can acquire low mileage by sitting in traffic a lot. taking off from a stop is very hard on diffs. I had a customer with an early diff failure, that truck almost never came out of 1st gear as it was used for green upkeep along the roads (truck was owned by the city). severe service could've helped....

Low mileage. stop and go traffic for the most part.

I go strictly by mileage not time on my infrequently used vehicles.

I see alot of Youtube Mechanics frown upon that idea, it seems that most vehicles with a annual oil change seem to burn oil as they get older. The 6 months even on quality oil seems to be the optimum standard.

 

[LDM]

My Camaros are garage queens and only get driven when it is nice out and generally when I'm planning on a longer trip in the area or just to go out and have fun. I change the oil every 2 year regardless of mileage, they probably end up with 2-3K on them every couple years. The 94 Z28 is the heavily modded car that I do take to the track sometimes while the 89 IROCZ is just a cruiser that I bought to have a 3rd gen again. Everything else I check at the beginning of the season when I'm ready to pull them out of the garage and if anything looks like it might need done I go ahead and do it.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

On really low mileage/hour vehicles, the issue is not so much the fluids as it is all the solenoids, injectors, brake pistons, valve bodies, bearings, etc… all the stuff that needs to be exercised. It’s much harder on those parts than it is on oil or trans fluid just sitting in the sump.

 

[tcp71]

My elderly mom's 2009 Subaru Tribeca is at 24k kms (16k miles) so she averages a bit over 1000 miles per year. Oil changes are annual now and the rest is only as needed. Not much has been needed...

 

[wtd]

I go by mileage and not by time.

 

[billt460]

Most owners manuals define both mileage, as well as time in regards to oil changes. With the stipulation, "Whichever comes first", being the deciding factor.