I know you (and sometimes the moderators) sometimes don't like me bringing up old issues in a modern-vehicle thread, but you gotta hear this. When I first started driving (late 60s), the Owners' Manuals would often state to do exactly that.....change the oil at certain intervals (usually around 3000 miles or so), and change the filter at every other oil change. I don't know why that was recommended ....perhaps filters, back then, just weren't as effective in removing contaminants as they are today, and didn't get clogged up as quickly. Or they used filter-elements that did not have to withstand as much heat in the engine and oil as they do today.....Thermostats for the cooling system opened at around 180 degrees or so......sometimes 160, instead of today's 195-200. Oil itself was usually of thicker viscosity than today, and flowed through the filters differently. Hard to say. But, at some point, I guess the engineers figured out that pumping a filter-full of contaminated oil back into the engine from not changing the filter did more potential harm than was justified in not spending the few extra $$$$$ and being a cheapskate.

I like this old commercial for Fram filters from decades ago. You might (?) remember it yourself....although as I remember, Fram was not considered one of the better filters at the time.

 

Interesting topic - my pickup is now driven less than 500 miles per year. It's coming up on 20 years old and has 44,000 miles on it. Changing the oil and filter every 2 years seems more than adequate.

 

Do you put synthetic in it?

 

it will make ZERO difference given how little these cars being discussed are driven.

 

I wonder what people with expensive show cars do, as these cars often aren't driven at all.

 

whatever makes them feel good.
car oil is one of the most over-obsessed topics there is for public road vehicles let alone ones driven almost never.
now for race cars, different story.

in my genesis g90 3 year lease, i let the dealer put in whatever they wanted to because i didn't care, and it's free.
for my last few owned cars i've put in synthetic because i was doing it myself and figured what the heck, might as well put the best in.
for my LC now i'll probably go with what the dealer recommends as i'm almost certainly not doing oil changes myself.

 

Changing oil yourself is one of those things that everyone should attempt at least once, lol, just to get it out of your system.

 

i agree. each time it was a bit nerve-wracking because i'm no wrench head, but i made sure i did not need to be in any hurry, and the fumoto valves are awesome to make a clean drain without stupid drain plug issues.

 

I am good with wrenching but I am too spontaneous. I can decide to do an oil change right this moment out of blue sky, and if all i got to drain the oil into is an aluminum tray, then thats what it will be. You can imagine the mess, lol.

 

Agreed (I've done it enough times myself)...but some things work against it. First, on some vehicles, the filter and drain-plugs are in very hard-to-reach places, and/or require vehicle-ramps or a hydraulic-lift. Second, for some people, it can be difficult or inconvenient to dispose of the old engine-oil properly for environmental reasons. Third, some vehicles (early-production Porsche Boxsters come to mind) insanely sealed off the entire engine-compartment so that only Porsche technicians can get to it.

That's one reason I particularly liked the design of the mid-90s Toyota 1.8L in-line four that was used in Corollas and Celicas. The oil filter was right out in front, unobstructed by other hardware, relatively high on the engine-block, where all you did was reach down, unscrew it, and that's it. The drain plug, underneath, was likewise very easy to reach. I would change the oil on both my own '95 Celica and my late Mom's '94 Corolla in less than an hour, using the same oil and filter for both vehicles.

 

Totally agree, oil and gas,

 

It may be an over-obsessed topic, but when it comes to owners changing oil regularly, it is often delayed, overlooked or ignored by many. Since it's easy to have it done, or to do it oneself, there is no excuse for not following the manufacturer's recommendation. As enthusiasts (as evidenced by being members of CL), we have a skewed perspective thinking everyone obsesses with their vehicles like we do. However, I would venture to guess generally, more people don't stick to the manufacturer's recommendations, than do, based on my experience working on other people's vehicles.

People with cars that are in storage, or seldom driven, should ideally stick to one-year oil changes, but could stretch to two year changes, when using full synthetic. More importantly, there is a whole host of other critical recommendations for storing vehicles as all systems are affected one way or another. At minimum, fuel stabilizer and a battery tender would be prudent. Vehicles are designed to be driven, not to be stored!

 

One would have never guessed there were so many automotive engineers and oil experts on one forum. It now seems quite obvious those engineers that build these cars have absolutely no idea of which they speak!

 

You should avoid letting something sit that long with truly zero starts or the rotating seals will start to have issues......changing the oil is more of a just follow what it says assuming everything is sealed in the PCV etc is functioning normally.

 

This makes a lot of sense. I would definitely change the oil at minimum once per year. But I think the annual miles on this car is like 200. I am not of sure why is the point. The oil change costs more than the yearly fuel fill up