Oil change at one year or at low oil life?

[Fortus]

I have not been able to drive my 3.6 JT that much since I bought it new, eleven months ago. Oil life shows at 80%. Mileage is less than 2K. Should I just wait until it really needs it or change it at the one-year mark?

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[ShadowsPapa]

One year. No longer regardless of miles has been my rule for decades.
I'd say it's even more important if the low miles could be due to shorter drives. Drives in cold weather are also harder on things.
I'd change it.

The oil change interval for my cars has been 7500 miles since the mid-1970s and to this day they get an oil change once a year "need it or not".

 

[ecidiego]

Even the best Mobil 1 EP...the 20k mile oil....says 20k OR 1 year. Get that oil out.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Even the best Mobil 1 EP...the 20k mile oil....says 20k OR 1 year. Get that oil out.

Yup - some owner manuals say that, too, if I recall correctly.

 

[JET_83]

One year. No longer regardless of miles has been my rule for decades.
I'd say it's even more important of the low miles could be due to shorter drives. Drives in cold weather are also harder on things.
I'd change it.

The oil change interval for my cars has been 7500 miles since the mid-1970s and to this day they get an oil change once a year "need it or not".

Let’s hope that you wouldn’t have gone that long on conventional in the 1970s

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Let’s hope that you wouldn’t have gone that long on conventional in the 1970s

Ah, so you are an expert again.
You come up with this but have zero experience.

I'd guess you weren't even driving in the 1970s.
Yes, it's in the book - the 4 cyl was something like 4,000 miles and the 6 and 8 were 7500 miles and that's the factory recommendations. And yes, that's what we did. And all was fine. Our engines did very well, never used excessive oil.
I have decades worth of owner manuals, TSMs and a pretty good Mitchell library (the subscription type, not the consumer version) if you want proof of what oil change interval recommendations were.

 

[JET_83]

I just know conventional wasn’t meant to go beyond 3,000 miles, that’s why it’s always been recommended to change at that, just saying.

 

[Vtur]

Actually conventional oil can goes to 7-8k miles. Looks at the 90s honda for example. Those 3k miles change is what they wants the consumers to think. Nothing but revenues

 

[JET_83]

7,000-8,000???? Lol!

 

[Vtur]

7,000-8,000???? Lol!

Yup. That's what Honda recommended in the manual.

 

[JET_83]

Got a screenshot of that?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I just know conventional wasn’t meant to go beyond 3,000 miles, that’s why it’s always been recommended to change at that, just saying.

You don't know squat then. I don't know where you get your BS info from, but it's very wrong. There's no "it wasn't meant to.........." to it. That's not how these things work.

I don't know why you laugh when you have no education or experience in this and a person with an automotive degree and decades of real world experience, who made a living with these, tries to get facts out. You spew what some shadetree gravel driveway mechanic told you.

So I have to prove what my experience as a paid tech, top in the state, says but you toss out crap about oil and can't back it with anything at all? Yes, I can prove it all, even my college info if you need to see my GPAs and such.

Here ya go, wise-guy - right from one of my books (from a car I owned back then)
This is for the I6 and the V8 engines - SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED (7,500) miles.

And this is for the 2.0 liter 4 cyl engine - I was wrong, it's 5,000 not 4,000 like I thought I remembered.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Actually conventional oil can goes to 7-8k miles. Looks at the 90s honda for example. Those 3k miles change is what they wants the consumers to think. Nothing but revenues

My ex had a Prelude that went and went and went - that engine likely outlived the rest of the car. My oldest son drove it for a while. Holes in the fenders but man was it a reliable and nice running car.

 

[JET_83]

Why you have a hyphen between wise and guy? Your ellipsis is off for someone so “educated” too… maybe it wasn’t conventional oil that was used then, because conventional will break down way before 7,500 miles

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Why you have a hyphen between wise and guy? Your ellipsis is off for someone so “educated” too… maybe it wasn’t conventional oil that was used then, because conventional will break down way before 7,500 miles

It was absolutely conventional oil.
Synthetic oils weren't widely available until the 1990s so it wasn't synthetic in the 70s when they were recommending changes over 7,000 miles.

You still won't prove what you say - you still won't show anything as far as where you got your information.
And my degree is in automotive, not a Masters in English.
You get proven wrong and then start attacking other things as a diversion, eh?

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