oil change according to mileage or time interval?

[claudiuslu]

used Pennzoil Full Synthetic on my last oil change. been exactly a year since last oil change, but only driven around 3000 miles.
should i change the oil now, or wait until i hit 6000 miles or more?

 

[bioburner]

Its time to change. Oils job is to block and absorb things that will harm your engine and it can only do that for so long. Most manufactures have an alternate time to change oil other than miles.

 

[raytseng]

By the book they say you need to change your oil once/year.

However, you also don't need to freak out if you don't get to it at exactly 1 year.

That being said, what is your intentions with the car. At this rate in 10years you'll have 30,000 miles and in 20year 60,000miles. Even if you changed the oil with synthetic every 2 years at 6k miles, it probably would be pretty much the same end result.

 

[FlyNavyP3]

A few people on here have posted multi year OCI in low use vehicles. I vote for doing whatever makes you feel good as it will probably make little difference either way.

 

[cmhj]

when in doubt???

 

[claudiuslu]

currently only use the car to take my son to school. i thought if i use Synthetic i can wait 2 years to change oil at 6000 miles. if i still need to change the oil once a year can i use regular oil and same some money?

 

[69GTX]

It's only $20 for PP + filter. I'd just change it though if the filter is high quality you could push that another year. My '99 only gets 1200 miles per year and I change the M1 and Fram Ultra guard annually.

Considering the top synthetics can still routinely be bought at $2/qt, you're not going to save anything on conventional oils unless you're using the most generic quality available at approx $1 to $1.50/qt. And even then, you're "saving" at most $5/yr. My last M1 oil change with 6 qts + UG filter cost me $19. How much cheaper can you really go unless you get the oil for free?

 

[2010Civic]

It sounds like you are short tripping it which means I would change it every year.

 

[Revving2Redline]

+1 @ 69GTX
If anything else, keep the filter and change/refill Pennzoil Synthetic. Truth be told if your only driving that little your doing actually more harm by not driving it and getting all the fluids up to temp. That will be a HUGE issue when winter hits especially living in the northeast. Going to conventional isnt going to save you much, and the savings you do get wont return the fuel economy and reliability you get from Pennzoil Synthetic.

 

[Bud]

Once per year.

 

[claudiuslu]

if i keep the filter in until next year, do i have to take it out to drain out the old oil?

 

[Indydriver]

I just have to shake my head at those who refuse to accept the recommendations of the experts--the manufacturers.

First of all, there is no mention of what vehicle the OP is driving therefore we don't know the OE specs. And as 2010Civic points out, if the OP is short-tripping (although we don't know how far away school is), it could be "severe" usage.

So, OP-open your owner's manual and follow its instruction for grade and interval. Use a good synthetic...they are well proven to offer superior performance in every metric you care to measure. Then, perhaps most importantly, keep your crankcase full by checking your oil level every weekend and topping off as needed.

 

[raytseng]

Originally Posted By: claudiuslu
if i keep the filter in until next year, do i have to take it out to drain out the old oil?

You can drain the oil without changing the filter.

However, all of this talk you need to think over what you are trying to Optimize for.

For example, what is your end game here? what are you trying to accomplish? Do you need to save TIME or money or piece of mind? What is your budget and is $20 going to cause you suffering either practical suffering by not having the $20 or the more complex mental suffering for those that feel they wasted $20 that they could've saved, or the reverse anguish that your car is perhaps not getting the "best" maintenance? Do you need to get the rest of your car checked out as well?

If you're just going to an oil change place where they aren't going to give you any discount for doing an oil-only drain/fill, why would you keep the filter in?

 

[Doog]

6000 or one year whichever comes first..........EASY

I only change half of the filter

 

[claudiuslu]

2012 nissan altima with 56000 miles on it. i do short trips in stop and go traffic, but will run all oil up the temp twice a year. manual says 3750 miles or 3 month.
my goal is to wait as long as possible to change the oil without damaging the engine, money is not an issue.
do i need to drain out the oil in the filter if i were to keep it in one more year, i have fram ultra synthetic?

 

[Falken]

Once a year. Then you don't have to think about it.

 

[Kuato]

If you are concerned, change it. If you are thinking it could/should go further, have a UOA performed while leaving it in pending results.

 

[gabriel9766]

The manual in my malibu says to follow the OLM or at least change it once a year. I usually change mine between 10-20% oil life left. Which is usually around 6k.

 

[xtell]

Many people might question this but I have car that only gets 1500 to 2000 miles per year of summer driving. I change the synthetic oil / filter every Fall before Winter storage. However, I save the oil and put it in my daily driver (in the Fall) and run it for an additional year which is usually 6,000 to 7,000 miles. Both engines are clean inside, run quiet and do not burn any oil. I've been doing this for years without any ill effects.

 

[Branson304]

I would change it at the 1-year mark.