2000 miles in 6 months does NOT always mean short trips.
2000 miles in 6 months could be:
Two 38 mile trips per week, or two 5.3 mile trips each day.
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Probably a mixture of both some longer trips some weeks and shorter trips other weeks, If I recall correctly. Sometimes I drive short distances to certain stores and other times longer distances to other stores.
50 mile commute (which is not unreasonable) 5 times a week and 4 weeks a month. Plus all the other driving around (kids to school activities, shopping…etc). I had a 40mile commute a few years back. Oldest was still in high-school. I was averaging 40k+ miles a year.
You should ABSOLUTELY change your oil !
The owners’ manual for any and all cars call for a certain mileage OR certain period of time, whicever comes first. In your case because the car is sitting you have to follow the time (6 months).
If you don’t plan on using the vehicle for another 6 months or more you can get away with replacing the oil while the car is still sitting, but right before you plan on using the car replace the oil !!!
Thanks. I’m getting the oil changed today.
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Oil changes are cheap engine rebuilds are not. I’ve been going with 6 months during the pandemic even though I think I’ve put about 1,000 miles on my car.
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Yup, I had my oil changed yesterday, so I’m good for another 3 months.
My cars maintenance schedule calls for oil changes every 3,000 miles/4 months. For the last 8 years I have been changing the oil every 5,000 miles. It has been a year since the last oil change, the vehicle was not driven November through April. I’m not concerned about it, I often see cars that go 12 to 18 months between oil changes.
Really? How old are your cars. I haven’t seen a 3k oil change interval in decades. I think my wifes 1996 Accord was the last vehicle I saw that.
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My schedule for my 2006 is every 5,000 miles or ever 6 months.
Don’t listen to all these people. Synthetic oil opened up a whole new set of rules. Owner manuals are behind the times. Engines are now sealed systems. No matter how long an engine sits with synthetic oil, it’s not going bad. Short trips, no problem, as long as you make up for it with a longer trip that heats up the oil and drives off the condensation.
Synthetic oil is good for 10k miles, premium Mobil 1 and Amsoil are good for 25k miles. These are not your grandfather’s oil. People are slow to adapt and think this is nonsense. I’ve seen people buy a new Toyota and the dealer says come back in 10k miles and we give you a free synthetic oil change and they change it themselves at 5k miles. The oil looks like new and they throw it out. Old habits are hard to break.
So me these engines that doing a 10k or 25k oil change interval after 300k miles?
No matter how robust the base oil and additives are it gathers fine particulates that increase wear.
Of course some engines run cleaner than others.
But would you wear a pair of underwear for a year straight because they’re made of kevlar and don’t wear out?
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Are you not aware of the time element that is listed in the manual .
In one of our vehicle 25000 miles would be 5 years . Lee , this is not a one size fits all.
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The oils that go to 25,000 miles are in vehicles with large oil sumps, like BMW and Mercedes Benz cars. The huge reservoirs mean that each ounce of oil does less work than in the smaller sumps that most cars in the US have.
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As the lawyer would say don’t ask the question you don’t know the answer to.
I believe my Toyota dealer uses Krex oil in my car.
While I don’t agree that you really needed an oil change right now, I do recognize the value of a good nights sleep. You won’t hurt anything by changing the oil more often, the oil is recycled so it is not the environmental issue that it was in the past. Do what you think is best because you are the one who will pay in the long run.
Not necessarily. When they trade in or try to sell that poorly maintained piece of junk with the underwear in the trunk that was worn for a year straight, somebody else will buy it and pay the consequences. Pay it forward for the next guy/gal/it and change the oil and your underwear.
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