Synthetic oil question about length of time not miles

[geoffkin]

Our 2018 Mazda CX5 only gets driven to VEGAS and back about 3-6 times a year. (630 miles RT)
ALL other trips are done in our Electric car, so CX5 just sits until another VEGAS run!
It's about to hit 20,000 miles, it sat even more during Covid and oil was changed after Covid.

It takes full synthetic and I'm wondering how long time wise, I should go between oil & filter changes?

 

[vpr5703]

I would do yearly oil changes on that car, personally.

 

[geoffkin]

So Synthetic 'goes longer' over Dino, when you're talking miles. But talking time it sounds the same..
I've read people going every other year, but no way to know if that is detrimental to the engine or not..

 

[fantastic]

6 times a year = 3780 = 1 year
3 times a year = 3780 = 2 years

 

[someonesomewhere]

I do once a year, tops. In my 07 Mazda3, that was only about 1500 miles at about 13 months for my most recent change (2/1/24). An oil change is way cheaper than an engine rebuild, so I don't take any chances with trying further out than a year. Annual oil change is about $40 for my Mazda, $40x2 for the wife's Hyundai (GDI and short trips, so every 6 mos for hers), both usually about 1500 miles at change time. Run Mobil1 HMFS and Fram Ultras in both. Well worth the $ for the peace of mind.

I'm from the old school 3 mos/3k miles club (what the recommendation was when I started working on and driving cars), so even going a year took some reprogramming. And still after several years of longer time intervals, I still start getting uneasy feelings past 6 months, even though I know full well that it's perfectly safe to go a year. Haha

 

[Dave9]

I'd wait 18 months then get an oil analysis done. Go from there. I'd expect it shows you could have gone closer to 3 years but if you start losing sleep over it, sleeping better is worth a few quarts of oil.

However. It gets over 100F in Vegas in summer so if you're driving 85MPH+ to get there, you may break down your oil a bit faster and should weigh that in addition to miles and time. Same for transmission, PTU if 4WD, differentials too.

 

[eljefino]

I assume there's no humidity where you store it... regardless, anything bad will get removed during the drive. I'd give it 5000 miles, easy, and two years won't be unheard of.

 

[BISCUT]

Seems pretty simple in my mind. Yearly oil change with filter is rather convenient, inexpensive, offers adequate protection for your engine, and peace of mind too boot! Some will say 2 year but to me a yearly in this situation is so easy, no reason not to.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Our 2018 Mazda CX5 only gets driven to VEGAS and back about 3-6 times a year. (630 miles RT)
ALL other trips are done in our Electric car, so CX5 just sits until another VEGAS run!
It's about to hit 20,000 miles, it sat even more during Covid and oil was changed after Covid.

It takes full synthetic and I'm wondering how long time wise, I should go between oil & filter changes?

I have similar usage and go by the 1 yr mark because that's what my automaker recommends (lesser of 10k miles or 1 yr).

 

[BigCahuna]

Blackstone has said the age of oil means nothing. It's the miles from usage which determines if a oil needs to be changed. That being said, I would change the filter once a year if it bothered me. It probably would have some condensation in it , depending on how wide the temperature changes are where your at.,,,

 

[I<3oil]

Why are you capitalizing Vegas in its entirety?

 

[tcp71]

I think a euro standard is every two years if mileage marks haven't been hit. No reason that wouldn't work if the mileage is low. I've taken to changing my elderly mother's oil in her subaru Tribeca every couple of years. It sees less than 1000miles/year and has a 6 liter sump. It got euro XL 0w30 (shell helix ultra rebadged) on the last change and shouldn't have any problems with a couple of years.

 

[barryh]

Long runs would be very easy on the oil. I would go 2 years without hesitation.

 

[geoffkin]

About every 2 years feels right to me, with just non-stop Vegas runs. 0 stop and go and barely any cold starts..
Just wanted to see if there was a consensus on here..

I started with a '73 VW Bug that Dad and I fully stripped down and rebuilt the engine on, then I was all Toyota trucks in the 90's and 2000's. My last was a '98 Limited 4x4 4Runner, fully loaded I got from a guy that had it for 10 years and 130K. Bought it for $6K and sold it 9 years later for $6K on Craigslist. It was the bomb for going to ski up at Tahoe!

So I grew up on oil changes every 3,000, but just don't drive much anymore.
ELECTRIC rocks, especially with FREE chargers right across the street from our house!

We don't donate much to Vegas, we know how to work it. I mostly sit at a Video poker bar and watch my games, while playing 25 cents a hand and drinking my fill for only tips.. My wife plays penny slots and usually comes out ahead, she got a hand pay on Christmas night last year, $1,260 on a 60 cent bet! There's free My Vegas online games, where you earn freeplay, food deals and free hotel rooms at MGM properties! So Vegas is our fun and different 'home away from home' We live 3 miles from the beach in N. SD county.. Cars are always garaged...

 

[CR94]

There's little reason to count the years, as long as you aren't making any short trips between the long ones.

 

[NO2]

Follow Mazda's recommendation and change the oil at 7500 miles, which might be 1-2 years depending on how many trips yo take. Long trips are the easiest type of use on the car and oil.

 

[Foreman04]

No problem with 2 years. If you wake up at night thinking about it get a sample tested at 1 year mark and then decide.

 

[someonesomewhere]

Follow Mazda's recommendation and change the oil at 7500 miles, which might be 1-2 years depending on how many trips yo take. Long trips are the easiest type of use on the car and oil.

This would be my recommendation as well. An oil change is what, $60 tops to DIY? Cheap insurance and peace of mind. I'd also only go a year max, as that's what the Manufacturer says in the manual AND the oil producers (most) state right on the bottles.

But y'all do y'all, brothers (and sisters).

 

[Uncle Bob]

Our 2018 Mazda CX5 only gets driven to VEGAS and back about 3-6 times a year. (630 miles RT)
ALL other trips are done in our Electric car, so CX5 just sits until another VEGAS run!
It's about to hit 20,000 miles, it sat even more during Covid and oil was changed after Covid.

It takes full synthetic and I'm wondering how long time wise, I should go between oil & filter changes?

The time issue (one year) with modern engines & oil changing is because as soon as the engine is started just one time following an oil change, a degradation process is started & doesn't cease. This is why onboard maintenance reminder systems use 1 year as a fixed pathway trigger for the service reminder indicator. This is especially important on GDI engines, as the soot created is especially harmful to certain parts like timing chains & components. I don't believe any car maker will honor a possible oil related failure without records of annual oil changes. I know the Euro makes will not. So, like many things, your particular conditions may work okay with skipping the yearly, but it will bite many.

 

[ME_Andy]

Most cars with an oil life monitor will have you go way past a year. For my Chevy, driving 5k miles per year, the OLM says to change the oil around two years.