When to change oil if you dont drive much?

1

1969mach1351

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Apr 18, 2003

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Sacramento, CA

Apr 21, 2005

#1

• Apr 21, 2005

• #1

For those who don't drive your car enough to get the milage out of the oil how often do you change the oil? I've heard 6 months is normal but that seems a little short to me.

 

rbohm

Founding Member

Apr 12, 2002

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tucson,az

Apr 21, 2005

#2

• Apr 21, 2005

• #2

i change mine every 3 months or 3000 miles

 

coolblue65

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Jul 26, 1999

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Algonquin, IL

www.cardomain.com

Apr 21, 2005

#3

• Apr 21, 2005

• #3

I dont drive my car at all for about 4-5 months a year. So I change my oil first thing in the begining of spring before I take it out for a drive, then usually at least once sometimes twice before I put it away for winter.

 

L

lookout4me

Banned

Apr 3, 2005

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Apr 21, 2005

#4

• Apr 21, 2005

• #4

try putting the sticker on to tell you how many miles you have and just put 3000 on top of that its basic math man!!!!!

 

coolblue65

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Jul 26, 1999

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Algonquin, IL

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Apr 21, 2005

#5

• Apr 21, 2005

• #5

lookout4me said:

try putting the sticker on to tell you how many miles you have and just put 3000 on top of that its basic math man!!!!!

Click to expand...

If I went that route, I would only be changing my oil every 2 years!

 

L

lookout4me

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Apr 3, 2005

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Apr 21, 2005

#6

• Apr 21, 2005

• #6

well oil dose not die out it stays the same
but try changing it about 6-8 months.Or when you want to drive it change the oil every time when you see oil on sell buy it and use cheap oil its not like you race it right.

 

coolblue65

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Jul 26, 1999

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Algonquin, IL

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Apr 21, 2005

#7

• Apr 21, 2005

• #7

lookout4me said:

well oil dose not die out it stays the same
but try changing it about 6-8 months.Or when you want to drive it change the oil every time when you see oil on sell buy it and use cheap oil its not like you race it right.

Click to expand...

Yeah I race it sometimes, and I definately drive it hard all the time. So thats why I change it frequently.

But for people who don't race/abuse their notors I agree with you 100%.

 

Blown4.6

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Aug 19, 2002

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Orlando, FL

Apr 21, 2005

#8

• Apr 21, 2005

• #8

coolblue65 said:

Yeah I race it sometimes, and I definately drive it hard all the time. So thats why I change it frequently.

But for people who don't race/abuse their notors I agree with you 100%.

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Regular Dino Oil: change it when it starts to get black or 1 year (whichever comes first).

Synthetic Oil: change it when it starts to get black or 3 years, whichever comes first. Synthetic oil barely oxidizes; but, 3 years is still a good idea as an absolute maximum. I'm sure you'll want to change it before then but don't actually have to.

 

2nd Mustang

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Feb 24, 2002

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Apr 21, 2005

#9

• Apr 21, 2005

• #9

Both Mustangs, every 5 months or 5000 miles. Toyota pickup, extended warranty oil changes every 5000 miles.

 

RGS0907

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Aug 21, 2003

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New Jersey

Apr 22, 2005

#10

• Apr 22, 2005

• #10

Use Synthetic

If you don't drive the car for long stretches like that, you should change the oil just before winter & use a good synthetic like Mobil-1. Synthetic's cling to the upper part of the engine a little better than regular oil so it won't start up as dry . I'm still not clear how often you should change it, but once a year just before winter seems like good insurance. I don't drive more than 1500 miles per year either, but $25 in oil once per year seems like cheap insurance to me.

 

hotrodnut

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Jul 12, 2004

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North Florida

Apr 22, 2005

#11

• Apr 22, 2005

• #11

I change it every 3 months, I've never made it to 3000 miles in that time frame. The last change only had 600 miles on it but I still think it's an inexpensive way to keep my Mustang alive and well!

 

R

Riggs

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Mar 31, 2005

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Linden, NJ

Apr 22, 2005

#12

• Apr 22, 2005

• #12

Yeah I only drive my 67 about 700-1000 miles a year, it has 96K original miles. I change the oil every 6 months with Mobil 1 synthetic oil.

 

Hack

15 Year Member

Mar 23, 2004

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Minneapolis

Apr 22, 2005

#13

• Apr 22, 2005

• #13

I change my oil a couple times a year. I probably only get about 2,000 miles on the car in a year. That's just the way it works out; I drive the car whenever I feel like it, not just perfect days with no chance of rain.

I have no idea how often it should be changed. My oil never gets dark. It looks brand new and perfectly clean the day I change it. I don't change it right away when I get it out in the spring, because I want the most possible solids suspended in it. So I drive the car for a while and just change it when I feel like it.

 

2nd Mustang

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Southern California

Apr 22, 2005

#14

• Apr 22, 2005

• #14

Granted we don't have very many "bad" weather days in So Cal, but when it does rain, I just start the engine at least every other weekend just to get the car's and my juices going!