I drove much less these days because of gas price. So since I had oil/oil filter change on my 2000 Toyota Camry last November, I only drove 1500 miles.
I took my car to a shop, they checked and told me the oil is still clean and no need to change. I often heard it should be done at 30000 or 50000 miles or every 3 or 6 months. While it's only 1500 miles, it's been 9 months now. Should I change oil and the filter? If not, should I do it at 12 months?
Yes every 5,000 or about five months whichever comes first. Go to the toyota website for maintenance.
I changed the oil in my Supra last summer, drove it until November (About
3,000 miles) parked it, and then changed the oil in the spring.I drained it a few weeks ago, and put in all fresh oil, and I'll change it again next month and park it again, and then change it in the spring.
Oil is (relatively) cheap.
If you use conventional oil, and the 1500 miles consisted of relatively short trips, then I would change it after 9 months. If you use a full synthetic, you can go a longer time interval, and at least 5000 - 7500 miles without worry.
If you take mostly short trips, I would definitely use a synthetic or at least a synthetic blend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You may call me foolish, daring, a tightwad, lazy or just plain ignorant (or all of the above) but I can't see the problem in leaving oil with 1500 miles on it in the crankcase until you reach at least 3000 miles. Are there enough contaminants in 1500 mile-old oil to eat up engine parts within nine months? or 18 months? What would be the downside of leaving oil in for a year or more with so few miles driven?
It is not the number of miles, or the elapsed time that matters most, but the length of each trip that matters.
If you drive once a week, but average 21 miles per round trip, then you can ignore the elapsed time and just go by the miles driven.
If you drive every day, 3 miles per round trip (1.5 miles each way), then your engine is not operating a normal temperature most of time and you should change your oil by the elapsed time rather than miles driven.
However, using a full synthetic, and to a lesser degree a synthetic blend, you can extend the elapsed time regardless of the miles driven.
A byproduct of combustion is moisture. Short trips often don't boil off the moisture, so it sits in the crankcase. Good long highway runs will boil the moisture off. Replacing the oil in a short trip car removes that moisture.
thanks for the explanations to Mark A and Bonehenge!
Any collector will tell you oil is cheap, go by the 30/30 rule If the vehicle is not driven at least once a month for thirty miles, change the oil at least twice a year. The killer is the sulfurous acid in the crankcase will pit the metal.
mike hunt
Like most things used motor oil will break down with time and has a shelf life.
Follow the manufacture's maintenance schedule.
GL Dan
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