How much longer?

[21Rouge]

We have had our 2005 Pontiac Vibe since new (now at 195k km/121k miles). I had done several UOAs in the first 5 years or so and all seemed good. For the past 5 years or so the OCI has been about 1 year (no detectable oil consumption).

This May 2019 will be the one year mark for this current fill of oil (M1 0W30 AFE). But I now see that in this year the car has accumulated less than 5k km/3k miles. But I would bet none of this mileage has been on a HWY.

So what say you regarding the OCI for this car given this driving routine ie still once a year or ?

 

[gathermewool]

No highway? Change it annually.

 

[addyguy]

Still once a year, just bc of climate variations over the year.

 

[benjy]

i just changed my aunts 99 cheroke's 4.0 6 cyl oil, 6 qts with less than a thou on it, it looked very thin for a 10-30 + smelled a bit gassy ALL short winter trips!!! oil is cheap engines are not!! been changing every 6 months for years + although it being a 99 it seeps quite a bit its dead quiet + runs great with only 99 thou on it. it works + she loves its great visibility + after shopping a bit decided its a keeper!!

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Keep changing it like you have been. Shortened city trips might spell fuel dilution and judging by the age/miles, your oil might even contain x-amount of coolant.

 

[Supersonic]

I like to change it once before the hot months of summer and once before the cold months of winter. That way I'm not stuck in any extreme changing oil.

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by gathermewool
No highway? Change it annually.



This ^^^^^^^^^

 

[Rolla07]

Yeah id change it once a year. You could switch to conventional even. The 1zzfe is easy on oil. I have an 07 Corolla at 266k kms. I have done 10k kms and oil could of gone further, granted it didnt exceed a year.

 

[dave1251]

Change at 5K anything less on AFE is a waste of time and money.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted by dave1251
Change at 5K anything less on AFE is a waste of time and money.


Changing oil once a year is not going to break the bank though, and if there is a lot of fuel in the oil due to the short trips it could save you the cost of more expensive repairs.