I don't exactly put a lot of miles on my car. So I just checked in Feb I did my last oil change, sine then I only put 6k on it. I try and change the oil every 7500.

So my question is, if the car is under the mileage what if the car is rarely driven, do you still have to change the oil? I know the oil industry likes to say every X amount of months, but I"m not buying it.

What say you? Should I change it?

 

What kind of oil are you running? Just my opinion, but I'd say with dinosaur oil or synthetic blended with dino, every 6 months. A quality synthetic should last a year...assuming your engine is good.

 

i change mine every 6 months no matter what. sometimes i only put 2-2.5k miles in 6 months but i change it anyways. it may be overkill, but that's how i roll.

 

If you want to keep the power train warrantee in effect, you have to change the oil at least every 6 months.

 

esp if the car is sitting for long periods of time, I would change it every 6 mos. I use to run AMSOIL 9,000 miles and I'd change oil about 3 times in two years

 

Providing you're not making frequent short trips and not allowing condensation to burn off and acids to form, then full synthetic can be left in the crankcase for a year. If you're using a blend then 6 months is about as long I'd go.

 

Around 94 or so GM did extensive testing on oils to determine what they would factory fill Corvettes with and also what the reccomended change interval would be. They settled on Mobil 1 as the oil and then further tested that oil. They found no difference in wear on the engine components between change intervals of 5,000 and 10,000 miles.

Obviously we are not talking about Corvettes specifically and possibly not Mobil 1 oil but the basic information suggests that modern oils are so improved as are modern engines (cleaner burning) that the old 3,000 mile rule no longer applies. Changing your oil more frequently than 5k or 6 months is just wasteful and is of no benefit IMHO. Unless you are operating in some really EXTREME conditions.

My DD is a 2001 Hyundai Elantra. I change the oil about every 6-8K with Walmart synthetic oil and a Walmart filter. Im at 200k and it still runs perfectly. It uses absolutely no oil between changes.

 

^+1 with the high efficiency motors we have now a year or 10K should do the job, but its always better to be safe than sorry.

 

I change every 5000 with Mobil 1 and a new filter, I might be able to go longer but hey what's 30-35 bux to keep a car running good.

 

Wow i'm in the minority here, I change mine every 3000 religiously