Kelly Blue Book states I should change my oil “every 6,000 miles every six months during your excursions around town, it’s probably good to get an oil change twice a year.” Well, it’s been 6 months using conventional oil but I’ve only driven 2,000 miles since then. How long should I wait to change my oil, or should I go ahead and do it now? Thanks a lot.
Is there a Nissan Maintenance booklet sitting in your glove box?
If so, more than likely it states something along the lines of “every 6 months or 6,000 miles–whichever comes first”
So, yes, you should change your oil now. Purely local driving–with a lot of short hops between destinations–is actually the worst thing that you can do to your engine, and prolonging the oil change interval until you have accumulated 6,000 miles is only going to make things worse for your engine.
If you do have that maintenance booklet, I strongly suggest that you take a careful look to see what other types of maintenance you might have missed.
5 Likes
Part of it depends on the year of your vehicle… and what type of oil the service manual says to use…
I’ve seen a lot of Nissans say to use conventional oil and change every 3750 miles…
I would be totally obsessive with the maintenance . . .
I would use synthetic AND change at the shortest interval listed in the book
3 Likes
That’s a good point, but until/unless the OP reveals the model year of his Versa, we are all just guessing regarding oil change intervals and the type of oil that should be used.
1 Like
Kelly Blue Book didn’t design and manufacture your car. Nissan did. I suggest following the instructions they gave you.
If you don’t drive many miles, your trips might qualify as severe service, in case there’s a separate rule for that case.
3 Likes
Can’t speak to OP’s specific car, but I wouldn’t change the oil at 2,000 miles & 6 months (after last refill) on either of my cars, as long as it looked to be in good condition on the dipstick. No worse they light grey colored. If black, change it. For my older cars, as long as within the oil-change mileage limit and at the proper level, I’d wait to do the next oil and filter change after a full year had elapsed.
I go with 6 months or 6000 miles, whichever comes first, using full synthetic.
Easy to remember, and it works for me.
1 Like
Is it new and under warranty? If so, then you have to follow the PM schedule in your owners manual.
If it is out of warranty, then it depends on whether it is a daily driver or a weekend car. Shutting down at the end of a drive cycle, a drive cycle is when the vehicle is driven long enough to reach operating temperature, does more damage to the oil that any other part of the drive cycle because of a thin film of oil left in the engine that has to absorb all the residual heat during cooldown.
A daily driver usually accumulates 2 to 4 drive cycles a day, about 28 per week. So 2k in 6 months indicates a lot of short drives and you absolutely need to change that oil.
A weekender which may get 3-6 drive cycles a week can generally go a year between oil changes.
2 Likes
It depends on the type of oil used, the length of your average trip, what weather you operate in, and a few others. As others have mentioned, you need to look in your owner’s manual and look at the recommended oil change interval. Also, talk to your mechanic, since they should be familiar with the oil used. If the shop attached an oil change sticker to your windshield, you can also use that as a guide. Generally, Cartalk has recommended changing the oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. The additives in modern motor oils degrade over time, no matter how many miles you drive, and that can be anywhere from 6 months to 2 years depending on the additive package. A standard motor oil is probably 6 months, and most synthetics have a 1 year additive package, but again I’m speaking generally.
I check my oil every time I get gas. That observation gives me additional information about the condition of the oil and when to get it changed.
does oil degrade in an unopened bottle?
in an opened and recapped one?
Every manufacturer that can get away with it has an expiration/use by date on their products. I have yet to see that on a bottle of oil. Now that it’s been mentioned, likely to appear soon. I recently saw a use by date on a bottle of sea salt. Seriously? A few millennia old when harvested but now suddenly it’s only good for a year… 
3 Likes
more like a few hundred million years
Maybe the name change [[[ SEE SALT ]]] .
2 Likes
This salt seems to be losing it’s saltiness, better pitch it and buy a new bottle 
Could probably shift the decimal point a few more times than that!
But if the last few million or so didn’t matter…I have a prediction
Dagnabit! This salt is 1,000,000,000,001 years old… it’s expired!
1 Like
I’d say every 6K (some even recommend 10!) is a bit too much while every 6 months it overkill. Once a year should do it. Driving once in a while is better than not driving at all - condensate evaporates, all parts get lubricated.
That would be true for land salt, but sea salt is obtained by evaporating sea water in big ponds, so it’s “fresher”. Because of that water, it can go bad. 