Oil change intervals?
 

Ok, changed my oil today in my car that had around 2K miles on 0-20W Mobil 1. Had about 12 months on oil. Even though it was nowhere near 5 or 7500K miles it had 11 months of stop/go short trips which IMO is the extreme driving conditions. I have VVT engine which has small passages for pressurized oil to operate the VVT. That’s reason I changed oil cause I don’t want any slug buildup on my VVT or piston rings. If I had turbo engine I doubt I’d let oil longer than 6 to 8 months regardless of miles or dash percentage indication (which in my case read 75% oil life left.

I’ll reference other opinion on subject. Bottom line if you expect to keep vehicle more than 3 or 4 years oil change intervals IMO need keep eye on. Or you could end up with engine rattle on startup. The sound of death at door steps IMO.

How Long Does Oil Last in a Car Not Driven? | Strickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change.

I have a car which is over 60 years old...........the engine in it is over 50 years old (more power!!!). The engine has 70,000 miles on it. As you can imagine, it sits more than it runs.

As a result, I change oil based on time.........not miles.
I change oil between 12 & 18 months.
Never had a problem.
Have dropped the oil pan to inspect.

I do stay away from Pennsylvania oil.

q. 5000 mi. on the Rav4. Which works out to about 9 months per change.

Can't hurt, low cost insurance.

The way to know for sure is to have a Blackstone oil analysis performed.

Thousands of people who have tested their oil shows data confirms manufactures recommendations are conservative and good enough for most people.

15yo Saab 900 turbo was running great when we traded it in. 12 month oil changes since we didn't put 10K miles on it in a year.

Reason I rarely leave oil in over 12 months regardless of miles. Here’s what 10K Mobil 1 oil warranty states. What the period of coverage are.

The Mobil 1 limited warranty is valid for 10,000 miles or your vehicle’s OEM recommended oil change interval, whichever is longer.

Additional requirements for all Mobil 1 products include:

“Oils must be put in service not later than five (5) years from the date of purchase; and
an oil change must be completed every twelve (12) months.”

IMO most of use don’t drive car long distances daily like going to work to Orlando and back or further, which some easily put 15K plus miles year on in those cases you could probably leave or in to maximum distance cause probably exceed mileage before 12 months or so. Which IMO is not extreme driving conditions normally? stop and go short distance driving are extreme driving conditions IMO.

Here’s certified master Toyota mechanic opinion on 10 K oil changes.

Toyota Master Technician Argues Against 10,000 Mile Oil Change Intervals With Busted Engine Teardown | Carscoops

Have been buying Camrys for past 30 years. With regular oil had it changed every 3000 miles now with synthetic just about 5000.

This way a mechanic can give it a good onceover to help prevent problems and have noticed get well over 100,000 miles on the car.

Cheap insurance

Every 12 months, only put about 3k per year ...Mobile 1 oil.

Oil companies(particularly Mobile) love you. When I was working drove 30K miles a year and used synthetics($75 complete oil change cost) and went 7500-10,000 between changes. Never had a problem over 20 years.

I use Amsoil signature series on my truck and the wife’s Honda with a good quality WIX XP filter. Both are rated for 12K miles, but I change both at 9k. I never worry about time between changes because we always both easily hit the 9k interval within a year. I use Amsoil small engine oil on the golf carts and do an annual oil change.

IMO Really can’t compare you situation to his. Your driving conditions was different for his. The articles explains that. Coking has more affect on short stop and go trips even with todays oils. You probably changed oil two or three time in year. Down road driving about 1/4 to 1/10 of demands on oil life unless you pulling load which creates more heat than short stop and go trips.

I get the free oil change at the dealer once a year with only 3-5 K on the odometer each time.

I drive about 7,500 miles per year. Just this morning, I got a synthetic oil change and I will get the next one after another 7,500 miles. I used Wildwood Tire and it cost $78. That is the only vehicle maintenance that I do, except to replace tires, brakes, and windshield wipers. My vehicle has 53,000 miles, and I have never even read the recommended maintenance schedule because I think it is overkill.

Of course they tell you to change the oil every 12 months even if your mileage was low. They are in the business of selling oil, filters and/or oil change services! It's like the shampoo directions that tell you to lather up, rinse, and then repeat. You don't need to repeat the shampoo and you don't need to change your oil (especially when using synthetic) for at least 7500 miles. It's a foolish and unnecessary waste of money to do it more often.

Do you verify the oil actually been changed? Trust but verify, you also need to check level on dip stick cause some dealers `over fill due laziness and not following up on work. When I was in Oklahoma dealers tooted free oil changes. The problem was they wasn’t changing oil ( cause they knew most people trade in 3 or 4 years)( so they could do nothing and get away with it cause it would be out of warranty and second persons unknown problem) Not saying that what goes on, but I verify any maintenance performed that I am paying for make sure they doing it right. Few dealerships earned my trust and some get F rating IMO when they can do simple oil and level correct.