Oil change for my garage queen (3rd car).

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Car was a former daily driver. One Year 3K miles. So I drive it to work once every 1-2 weeks. How often should I change the oil? Fall or Spring? I did web search and the common answers are 2X a year, or once a year. What do you guys say?

It's not the cost, it's more like...why change when I don't have to. Visually, I know that's not always the best way to tell, the oil still looks bright, golden yellow after one year.

Currently using syn blend.

Thank you for your reply.
 
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If it's driven short trips then once a year. If you get it out and drive some distances often then once every other year.
 
First off, what kind of car is it? Secondly, how many miles would you drive it in a year? Lastly, when you do drive it, do you get the get the engine good and hot (full running temperature)?
 
Short trips and only 3000 miles a year....I would use conventional or blend 5w30.....and change once a year. If you go syntbhetic, double the mileage and change every other year.
 
^^^This^^^, exactly.

I would choose the syn every other year, to save filters and a little time involved. Either way is perfect though.
 
We don't exactly know, but its reasonable to assume its much closer to being a 2015 Corvette than 1922 Packard. Raw numbers out on the road would let us assume that.

Trying to help out a poster, with limited information at hand, is nothing new here at BITOG. We just try to do the best we can.
 
Sorry. New guy. 2002 Nissan Sentra. QR25DE. 210K miles.

Being new, I'm not sure if this forum would have people that would say....that's a piece of junk. Why would you call it a garage queen.
 
I guessed a 2005 Mustang, I was kind of close! LOL.

I knew it really could not be a 2015 Vette, because you were saying ...former daily driver... One year 3K miles... work once every 1-2 weeks.
 
Originally Posted By: cabanalane
Sorry. New guy. 2002 Nissan Sentra. QR25DE. 210K miles.

Being new, I'm not sure if this forum would have people that would say....that's a piece of junk. Why would you call it a garage queen.


Nothing wrong with that. Technically my Acura is a "garage queen" now that I relinquished it to winter driving, poor-weather and long-trip status after buying the Firebird.
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It used to be my daily driver year-round. Since you put on about 3k a year, I'd just change it once a year. I used to do the same with my old Nissan Altima when I rarely drove that car. It would usually be around 8-10 months before I put on the 3,000 miles and just changed it at that point.
 
Mine is a 2006 Honda Odyssey EX.

I don't think it would even know how to make a short trip. 97,000 of 99.95% highway miles, minimum 50 miles each trip.
 
Originally Posted By: cabanalane
I'm not sure if this forum would have people that would say....that's a piece of junk. Why would you call it a garage queen.


This forum is not that way
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And
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Welcome, I'm fully behind you in keeping an old car on the road, if it still runs it has some value.

My old Dakota got less than 2K miles last year, probably a little more this year, maybe 3K. I change the oil and filter once a year.

"Short trips" are defined as not allowing the engine to fully warm up and stay warm long enough to boil or evaporate off condensation. If it gets warm for several minutes, you are probably not short-tripping.

Even if you really do short-tripping, an occassional longer trip (say, once a month) can allow you to avoid changing the oil twice a year.
 
several minutes WILL NOT warm the oil. girlfriend drove 7 miles over a mountain + local prolly 10 minutes for me to change oil it was NOT even lukewarm. a good 30 minutes or more in cooler weather required to "dry" the oil is required
 
That's application dependent, too. Last winter, I changed the G37's oil when it was -34 C out. It had only run for about ten minutes on the highway. The oil filter was to the point of being uncomfortably warm. In comparison, the taxi oil changes in +34 C, after running all day, could be done by my bare hands without any concerns. Trying that in the summer on the G37 requires much more caution.
 
I wouldn't call your Sentra junk, but I also wouldn't call it regal, either.

Anyways, if you drive those 3k miles all year, than change it in the fall. Once a year with a good filter (Wix) is fine.

I'd never go two years, the additive package starts to degrade after a year. And Don't leave the filter on for two years, either. There's saving a bit of coin, and then there's just silly.
 
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