crazy long OCI would you do it......?

[yaris0128]

The current oil in my Honda Del Sol is old and when I say old.... I mean Ive had this oil in the car before I ever met my girlfriend got to know each other and dated for 2 years. The oil is on the cusp of 3 years old. I just made a joke with her when she got her oil changed that Ive had a much longer relationshipo with my oil than her. Ok now back to the oil. Ive had this oil in my car since 2012 and its good oil, Pennzoil Ultra 5w20. The original idea was 1 year or 7,500 miles. Well after the first year it wasnt even close to that, less than 3,000. I got into motorcycles and the car was forgotten for the most part. The car gets a lot more driven these days but strictly highway trips. Never city and NEVER short trips. After 2 years it wasnt even still at 7,500 miles. Mmmmk well Im gunna finish my OCI regardless of time. After I had surpassed the 7.5k OCI I thought well if Honda originally wants that on dino well this being Penz Ultra I can easily make this a 10k. Now Im on the cusp of 10k by about 150miles. Obviously after this amount of time and miles Im going to change the oil. Is this something that you guys on BITOG would consider crazy to do or would have done the same thing? Ive popped off my valve cover and it looks very pretty with this same oil. This is the only time Ive ever done an oil change of this craziness and probably never will again lol.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Whilst the oil is probably still fit for service, my theory has always been oil is cheaper than an engine. It's not worth your time/money to analyze what's in there and figure out if you can still use it - dump it and refill with fresh oil.

 

[Food Scientist]

Maybe get an used oil analysis done to confirm to yourself whether you caused any damage and also to post to BITOG to help other people out about how long oil can go in a crankcase?

 

[SilverSnake]

The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.

 

[bigt61]

Not crazy IMO, but it's probably due. At least you were using one of the finest synthetics on the market and hopefully kept it topped off. The oil in my Suburban is almost 4 years old, but it's only gone 2000 miles. It will get changed this summer.

 

[The_Eric]

I'd probably try it, but only after doing a UOA to verify.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.


We have a winner.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.



Why? If a UOA confirms no adverse effects- then no damage is occurring. So why? Because you're uncomfortable with it doesn't mean it's bad.

 

[EuroGS]

Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.


Lol great thing to read while being a noob to this forum. But I have to agree!

To the OP's story, I see where you're coming from. My dad's 84 Monte Carlo gets driven maybe 1,000 miles a year...not enough in terms of mileage to change the oil. But he still does for the peace of mind, an oil change is cheaper than a motor!(although...it wouldn't be the worse thing in the world, maybe then he'd upgrade from that turd 305)

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.



Why? If a UOA confirms no adverse effects- then no damage is occurring. So why? Because you're uncomfortable with it doesn't mean it's bad.
So what else hasn't been changed. I'd pass on that used car. Penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[KCJeep]

Given your non-abusive pattern of use and the top quality lube you were using I would imagine you were just fine. Only a UOA will show you though, and definitely time to change it IMO.

 

[dlundblad]

It sounds like the oil has been well taken care of so I would skip the UOA IMO.. But I would be at least doing yearly OCIs on conventional if I was you.

An oil change will be about the same cost as a used oil analysis.. except the oil change will leave you with fresh oil.

Napa has WIX UOA's for about $15 and their house brand synthetic for $3.79 a quart. Just about any conventional and filter that can be had for under $20 at WM will do the trick too.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.



Why? If a UOA confirms no adverse effects- then no damage is occurring. So why? Because you're uncomfortable with it doesn't mean it's bad.
So what else hasn't been changed. I'd pass on that used car. Penny wise and pound foolish.


Not really. There are all kinds of people out there who change their oil every 3k but never anything else. Believe me... Just because a guy does an extended drain doesn't mean that he is lax on the rest of the maintenance. That's where it's up to the prospective buyer to look around the car, get to know the guy/gal- ask questions concerning maintenance. Does what he/she say match up with what your eyes are telling you?

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.


LOL, me too but now I only buy certified used and the car must have been purchased and serviced at the dealer I am buying it from with verifiable service records. It takes a while to find one but I have come up with a way to easily do it online.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: SilverSnake
The more I read on this forum the less chance there is that I will ever buy a used car.



Why? If a UOA confirms no adverse effects- then no damage is occurring. So why? Because you're uncomfortable with it doesn't mean it's bad.
So what else hasn't been changed. I'd pass on that used car. Penny wise and pound foolish.


+10000000000

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
I'd probably try it, but only after doing a UOA to verify.


Post the UOA here!!

 

[Noey]

You must be really anal. I won't go much further into that.

Next time you take your car out for a ride, pull the dip stick and wipe it off on a white rag and see the color. If it's black, congratulate yourself for having anal oil as well. Otherwise, if the car sits a lot, you should recall that condensation really eats the additives over time and it might be good to consider the length of time as well as the mileage when figuring OCI.

 

[bubbatime]

Hows the paper filter element in the oil filter holding up after all these years? That's what I would be worried about.

 

[gathermewool]

What happened to the BITOG of yore, where questions were asked, data requested and sage advice given?

Now, it seems like oil has gotten better (though smaller engines have also become more demanding in some regards,) but new posters (and old alike) are posting nonsense without any data under the guise of the always logical "peace of mind" argument, because it's always better to steer clear of those who APPEAR to be "penny wise and pound foolish."

So, to the OP:

Were there any top-offs required?

Was the oil level monitored and maintained in-band (on the dipstick)?

If the oil was maintained in-band on the dipstick, and especially if you've added some top-off oil, then the oil in there may very well be good to go. IMO, the oil, mileage and driving habits matter a lot more than time when it comes to oil change intervals. Condensation depleting additives (which additives are those???) due to sitting for periods of time, as well as the oil degrading due to long-term exposure to fuel dilution may very well be a concern, but that's what these oils are designed to combat.

So, to answer the OP truthfully for whether I would go as long as he has: it depends, based on what I stated above. Based on the above, and how I would personally take care of my car, I'd not be alarmed at what you've done were I buying this car used. Like has been mentioned by previous posters, I would question you as I inspected the car and verify/adjudicate any discrepancies noted.

 

[Joel_MD]

Yaris0128, as you can see by the responses here, an oil change interval of >2 years and >10k miles makes a lot of people squeamish. However, after running longer intervals, getting used oil analysis, and reading all the Blackstone Labs newsletters from the last seven years I don't think you should worry about it. The majority of those who change oil at 7,500 mi or even 10,000 miles are throwing away perfectly good oil. Currently I'm shooting for 20k on my Cummins-powered Dodge Ram, based on Blackstone's recommendations. The oil is black like tar but I know it's still in good shape.

If you want my recommendation, I would say change your oil now. If you're the curious sort you could send a sample in for a UOA and use the results to adjust your interval for the next change. Otherwise, just change it and run it for another 10k miles before your next change.