my daughter has her school permit and drives 1 mile to school and 1 mile back. I bought her a car 8 months ago. I have not had the oil changed since she drives such fee miles. Do I need to have it changed based on how old the oil is or should I just be concerned about the miles she drives it? She has put about 1500 miles on it.
Question on Oil changes
- Thread starter Knownothing
- Start date
I would probably change it at least once a year even with the minimal driving. Right before winter would be a good time in your case.
I make sure the kids school car get changed about every 9-12 months no matter miles.
I would do it after winter, some brands have a tendency to put small amounts of fuel into the oil while idling and most let their car idle in the winter to warm up.
I would think as long as you monitor the oil level, doing it once a year is okay. I'm not a mechanic though, so maybe I'm way off on this.
I would be more help but all of my old school cars didn't require oil changes because they burnt more oil than they did gas.
I would honestly take it out and put some miles on it every other week or so. I'd have to look it up again, but only driving a mile at a time can potentially cause engine damage because it isn't getting all the way up to operating temperature.
My wife and I both have cars and drive them less than 5000 miles a year combined. I am a retired car salesman. The trusted mechanics in the shop told me to change the oil every six months even though we drove limited miles. All I can tell you is that we have never had an engine problem while following these instructions.
That would kind of be my thought as well. At least with airplanes it is not suggested to just run the engine for a bit and shut off and put it away because you are not running it long/hard enough to burn the condensation out of it that develops from warming it up.
In this case I'd change it at least every 6 months, since the trips are so short. And I agree with the advice to use it for longer trips more frequently.
Change your oil every 3000 miles or 6 months . Line used by service shops and oil companies to steal your money. 5000 is more like it or once a year.
Question for car people:
My car burns about 1 quart of oil each month. I basically top off with 1 pint every other week.
Can I change oil less frequently since I’m constantly topping off my oil? I had a mechanic tell me I need to do it more often since the oil is doing more work. But if I’m always topping it off, isn’t the amount of work its doing negated?
My car burns about 1 quart of oil each month. I basically top off with 1 pint every other week.
Can I change oil less frequently since I’m constantly topping off my oil? I had a mechanic tell me I need to do it more often since the oil is doing more work. But if I’m always topping it off, isn’t the amount of work its doing negated?
Even if you are burning through oil the junk that makes oil - and your filter - dirty is still accumulating in there. I would recommend changing it on a regular schedule.
I had some beaters in high school like that. I would often joke that I would pull into a gas station and tell them to fill the oil and check the gas.
Winter is where changing your oil is really important. During winter with short trips, your engine does not get up to operating temperature, allowing condensation to collect in the oil. Make sure to take the car on a longer driver and get it fully up to operating temp once in a while to help burn off that moisture. If you remove your oil cap and see a white slime, that is condensation from all the short trips. Short trips can be extremely hard on your engine, depending on the make or model.
Also, almost every "conventional oil" is a syn-blend now days due to the SN+ requirements. If you're changing your oil every 3,000 or 6 months, there's no real benefit to full "synthetic" unless its extremely hot or cold, or harsh operating conditions. My eco-boost F-150 gets full synthetic and 5K, once a year oil changes due to towing. The focus gets full synthetic at 12,000 mile/1 year interval (I've done a UOA so, I'm good to go with that mileage with some life to spare).
Condensation example from winter.
Also, almost every "conventional oil" is a syn-blend now days due to the SN+ requirements. If you're changing your oil every 3,000 or 6 months, there's no real benefit to full "synthetic" unless its extremely hot or cold, or harsh operating conditions. My eco-boost F-150 gets full synthetic and 5K, once a year oil changes due to towing. The focus gets full synthetic at 12,000 mile/1 year interval (I've done a UOA so, I'm good to go with that mileage with some life to spare).
Condensation example from winter.
One mile? Gotta ask, why is she driving rather than walking or biking.
You should move farther away, than the driving distance would be good practice driving for a learning teen.
LOL I kept a case cheap oil like Havoline or Penzoil in my trunk and would always add 1 quart per full tank of gas.