I bought a used 350Z with 44,100 miles on it from a dealer in October, 2018. They told me to change the oil at 49,110 miles. I have only put 2500 miles on the car. At this rate I won’t need to change the oil for another 2 years! Should I do it sooner?
Why is so hard for people to grasp the concept of oil changes be done at xxxx miles or xx months . Look in your owners manual and you will see that info. At least change once a year since you bought a vehicle not to drive.
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all owners manual specify X,000 miles or 6 months/1 year whichever comes first…change it either every 6 months or once a year.
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+1
Why do so many people focus solely on the odometer mileage factor for maintenance, while ignoring the next few words in the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule regarding the elapsed time factor?
I really wish that I knew the answer to that question.
I really wish that I knew the answer to that question.
Short attention span when reading full word’s in manual instead of text speak.
What I focus on the most is that the “whichever comes first” proviso is not exactly new.
The maintenance schedule for my father’s '63 Plymouth Belvedere stated that the oil should be changed “every 3 months or 4,000 miles, whichever comes first”. I was able to comprehend that straight-forward verbiage at the age of 16.
The maintenance schedule for my father’s '66 Ford Galaxie 500 stated that the oil should be changed “every 6,000 miles or six months, whichever comes first”. Here we are, 50+ years later, and some adults who own cars seem to think that this is… obscure… information when, in reality, it has been a standard part of maintenance schedules for all or most of their adult lives.
And, even if somebody is new to car ownership, why can’t people simply read–and comprehend–the information provided by the vehicle’s manufacturer? Vehicle maintenance should not be a mystery, and it actually isn’t a mystery for those who are willing to open their glove box and read the booklets that are sitting in there.
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Yes it is a mystery why people don’t read the owner’s manual most of the car’s I have owned did not come with an owner’s manual that would have made it easer for me but I checked repair manual’s or whatever other book’s I could find to check maintenance schedules fluid capacity’s or whatever else I thought I needed to know.
Equally mysterious to me is: $50 for an oil change vs buying a new engine for several thousand $$$.
Why is that so hard for some people?
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Well, I asked the question because the DEALER told me it was alright to wait.
I can’t imagine any dealer saying you can go 3 years without an oil change . Maybe you just asked about the mileage and not how long it had been in months.
I’d change it once a year with the recommended grade synthetic, given the few miles you’re driving.
Exactly!
The OP is exercising… selective listening.
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Yes it’s true that most or all manufacturers recommend oil changes on both a mileage and time basis. Your car calls for an oil and filter change every 6 months or 7500 miles, whichever comes first.
However, that time requirement doesn’t always scale.
For example, if I change the oil in my car, drive 10 miles and then let the car sit for a year, does it mean I need to change the oil? Not in my book. Many won’t agree with me, and would want to change theirs.
You’ve done 1/3 the mileage in 3X the time. If it were me, I would change it. I wouldn’t lose sleep over having waited so long. You may want to send it out for an analysis. That $30 would get you the definitive answer (vs all of our numerous opinions here).
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It’s out of warranty, so why would a salesman care if the oil is changed or not?
Dealers are a necessary evil required to buy a new car. That does not mean you should pay attention to everything they tell you.
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Many dealer personnel don’t know their anus from their ulna when it comes to maintenance.
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Maybe the dealer said change at 5k miles because they didn’t figure on the OP not driving the car much.
Average customer probably meets the mileage criteria before needing to consider the time factor.
I took a course once on the different ways that people learn. Some by reading, some by hearing, some by doing. Not everyone learns by reading. In the case of the OP, he/she/it/them said the dealer said to change it at 49,000. Maybe the dealer didn’t read either. Maybe it’s the wording or something. Maybe it should say change oil every 6 months unless driving 5000 mile. Then change it every 5000 miles. I dunno, just a stab.
That is why I said salesman, the week before he/she might have been selling vacuum cleaners. Some sales people are gear heads, but not all.
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The moment you start the engine after an oil change the filter starts to disintegrate. That is why the manufacturer places a time limit between oil changes.