Oil changes
Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

77 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
I have a car that does < 1000 (nearer 500) miles a year. Waste really but finding time to drive it is a challenge. It runs quality, fully synthetic oil, which I’m loathed to pour down the (metaphorical) drain. How often would you change it?

steveo3002

11,061 posts

197 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
id be happy with every 3 years or so at that milage...guess it depends if its a priceless super car then it might be worth having the book stamped up anyway?

Oilchange

9,587 posts

283 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
Does oil degrade over time as opposed to wear (mileage) ?

redandwhite

501 posts

152 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
Oilchange said:
Does oil degrade over time as opposed to wear (mileage) ?
i dont think it does (think of it sitting on the shelf) what degrades it is being used (heat cycles etc) - happy to be corrected though

finlo

4,268 posts

226 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
I'm in a similar position to the op, however mine was last changed in 2005! I've also had the oil and filter for several years just haven't got round to it.

My neighbour tried to convince me that oil is biodegradable but mine is still perfectly clean and golden so I'm not so sure.

stevieturbo

17,965 posts

270 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
If stored in a warmish environment not subject to extreme changes ( ie potential condensation )....I wouldnt worry.

Or drive it more lol

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

77 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
stevieturbo said:
If stored in a warmish environment not subject to extreme changes ( ie potential condensation )....I wouldnt worry.

Or drive it more lol
I think you could be onto something there.

InitialDave

14,349 posts

142 months

Friday 31st January 2020
quotequote all
100 5 mile journeys or 5 100 mile journeys? Big difference.

It depends how expensive the oil and filter is. I have cars like that, but the consumables are so cheap I can do it about annually regardless.

CABC

6,145 posts

124 months

Saturday 1st February 2020
quotequote all
car and oil prefer a good warm up everytime started - 30 mins plus.
3 yrs, even more would prob be ok.
short journeys not good. moisture, acids.

A500leroy

7,746 posts

141 months

Saturday 1st February 2020
quotequote all
For this reason i use a cheaper (same spec tho) oil and change every 6 mths, change the filter on the winter change (march) and just the oil on the summer change (sept)

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

77 months

Saturday 1st February 2020
quotequote all
InitialDave said:
100 5 mile journeys or 5 100 mile journeys? Big difference.

It depends how expensive the oil and filter is. I have cars like that, but the consumables are so cheap I can do it about annually regardless.
When I do drive it, it's for long enough to get the engine and gearbox oil up to temperature so 30-50 miles.

trickywoo

13,626 posts

253 months

Monday 10th February 2020
quotequote all
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-yt5a1cWd4

Interesting and well researched feature I thought.

In summary over a year is fine with good oil as long as it gets to full temperature more often than not when used.

fastbikes76

2,450 posts

145 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
wormus said:
InitialDave said:
100 5 mile journeys or 5 100 mile journeys? Big difference.

It depends how expensive the oil and filter is. I have cars like that, but the consumables are so cheap I can do it about annually regardless.
When I do drive it, it's for long enough to get the engine and gearbox oil up to temperature so 30-50 miles.
Exactly this... lots of short journeys is change often. A few long trips would be fine to run longer.

Essentially, do not start the engine unless it’s for a drive, and one that will ensure full operating temp. All this starting a car to ‘keep it running’ once a month is nonsense and what does the most harm to oils. An engine will happily sit for months on end and start at the flick of the key with a charged battery.

Olas

911 posts

80 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
Oil doesn’t ‘go off’, it sits in the ground for millions of years before going in to the bottle.

If you get the oil up to temperature every time you drive it, 5-8k miles is nothing. If you idle it for 5 minutes on the driveway you can degrade the oil in <1k miles.

The condensation that forms in the crankcase is what destroys the oil in occasional-use vehicles by reacting with P. In the oils additive package to form phosphoric acid - one measure of an oils ability to neutralise this acid is TBN (total bade number) - by getting it hot you burn off the condensed water and the rate at which the oil degrades is significantly reduced.

If you want concrete proof of all measurable variables then take a sample and send it to Millers for analysis.

blueST

4,787 posts

239 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
If you really want to know, you could run an experiment, by periodically sending a sample off to an oil lab for testing. Do it once at 12 months, if it comes back ok, do it again every 6 month's until they say it's not fit for purpose. Something like this maybe https://oilsampling.co.uk/Oil-Sampling-Kit

Chris32345

2,139 posts

85 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
Olas said:
Oil doesn’t ‘go off’, it sits in the ground for millions of years before going in to the bottle.

If you get the oil up to temperature every time you drive it, 5-8k miles is nothing. If you idle it for 5 minutes on the driveway you can degrade the oil in <1k miles.

The condensation that forms in the crankcase is what destroys the oil in occasional-use vehicles by reacting with P. In the oils additive package to form phosphoric acid - one measure of an oils ability to neutralise this acid is TBN (total bade number) - by getting it hot you burn off the condensed water and the rate at which the oil degrades is significantly reduced.

If you want concrete proof of all measurable variables then take a sample and send it to Millers for analysis.
You do realise most car oil doesn't BN come out the ground nowadays. Virtually anything most 2000 needs at least semi synth

E-bmw

12,280 posts

175 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
Olas said:
Oil doesn’t ‘go off’, it sits in the ground for millions of years before going in to the bottle.
The OP uses fully synthetic, so it doesn't spend any time underground.

227bhp

10,203 posts

151 months

Wednesday 12th February 2020
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
Olas said:
Oil doesn’t ‘go off’, it sits in the ground for millions of years before going in to the bottle.
The OP uses fully synthetic, so it doesn't spend any time underground.
It does, synthetic oil still comes from crude and uses it as a base.

trickywoo

13,626 posts

253 months

Thursday 13th February 2020
quotequote all
227bhp said:
It does, synthetic oil still comes from crude and uses it as a base.
Or natural gas like Shell Ultra 4T.

227bhp

10,203 posts

151 months

Thursday 13th February 2020
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
227bhp said:
It does, synthetic oil still comes from crude and uses it as a base.
Or natural gas like Shell Ultra 4T.
Well don't you just learn something new everyday scratchchin