Oil change before car sitting 1 year?

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clarkflower

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My son is in the service and he's going away for one year.
2009 BMW 100k
8000k on Synthetic oil in the car.

Should I change the oil or wait till he comes back.
How many miles and how often should I drive it to keep it up.
Once a week, once every two weeks, once a month?


Thanks
 
My vote is to drive it every week or two to keep battery charged up.
I would drive it on a 10-20 mile drive to get it warmed up and let systems work and oil get hot
Turn on AC unit and let it operate even in cold weather
Wait until he returns and then put in new oil and filter.
That is my suggestion
 
I would change the oil and drive it once a week on the highway, when the weather is nice, for about 30 miles.
 
Last edited:
Thanks.

Norman, I'm in a condo so the battery tender is mostly likely not an option.
 
Here's what we did before my son's deployments. The short version: Change the oil and filter, add Stabil and a quart of MMO to the gas, fill the gas tank, air up the tires. Then drive at least 30 minutes and park the car. It stayed parked for the entire deployment. It would sometimes need a jump when he came back. We'd leave the battery in place with the negative terminal disconnected, the car was typically parked in a secure location. Me being 3K miles away from where he was stationed made driving it an impossibility. Since you pulled the collision [and not knowing where you reside] I would opt not to drive the car. But then again living on Long Island has me thinking differently than some people in less congested areas of the US.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Here's what we did before my son's deployments. The short version: Change the oil and filter, add Stabil and a quart of MMO to the gas, fill the gas tank, air up the tires. Then drive at least 30 minutes and park the car. It stayed parked for the entire deployment. It would sometimes need a jump when he came back. We'd leave the battery in place with the negative terminal disconnected, the car was typically parked in a secure location. Me being 3K miles away from where he was stationed made driving it an impossibility. Since you pulled the collision [and not knowing where you reside] I would opt not to drive the car. But then again living on Long Island has me thinking differently than some people in less congested areas of the US.

This is a decent option, and make sure you continue his Comprehensive insurance.
 
I store a car for 7 winter months every year at a vacation home. Before storing I change the oil and filter, fill the gas tank and add Sta-Bil, drive it for 20 miles or so, increase the tire pressure to 40 PSI or so, remove the battery and put it away.

I also remove the spark plugs and use fogging spray, but this part may not be of much value.

This method has worked for the ether part of a decade. Tires will still be a bit flat-spotted when taken out of storage and the rotors will be rusty, but these issues clear up quickly.
 
Thanks. Not opposed to a quick drive that I can do on a slow Tuesday at 10am now that I'm retired
Also we have a pretty big parking lot. Pretty secure but I have been thinking about adding "The Club" or some other anti theft device.

As you said, maybe pulling a cable is a good idea.
 
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Originally Posted by clarkflower
Thanks. Not opposed to a quick drive that I can do on a slow Tuesday at 10am now that I'm retired
Also we have a pretty big parking lot. Pretty secure but I have been thinking about adding "The Club" or some other anti theft device.

As you said, maybe pulling a cable is a good idea.

Quite honestly I have left work vans I owned over the years sitting for months at a time w/o driving. All I did was add Stabil, and when I did drive them I rode at least 30 minutes. Bottom line is the car can easily sit 2-3 months or longer w/o worries. Just add Stabil and drive for 30 minutes or more every couple of months, and don't over think it. Having said that in the case of your son's car I'd want fresh oil in the sump for the year he's gone.

Please thank him for his service!!
 
I am of the school of prep it to sit and leave it be.

Change the oil now (and any other fluids that may need to be done), fill it with gas and stabil, air the tires a bit high, then park it.
Ideally on a battery tender, but in your case, look into a solar tender. Or pull the battery and bring it in and put it on a tender inside (but not inside the living area, put it in a garage, shed or ventilated outdoor closet)
This way when he gets back, he should be able to check tire pressure, reinstall battery (if removed), jump into it, and go for a nice long drive.
 
Change oil and filter now, Fill with Non-ethonal fuel rec 90 and/or use stabil, Remove battery cable, Run engine and A/C to temp bi-weekly, Drive around with some revvs every month (if insured). Inspect for rodents
 
He stopped the insurance so he wants minimal driving. I would change oil, remove the battery and put it on tender in warm place and forget it. Forgot to fill gas tank and add Stabil. Ed
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by toneydoc
My vote is to drive it every week or two to keep battery charged up.
I would drive it on a 10-20 mile drive to get it warmed up and let systems work and oil get hot
Turn on AC unit and let it operate even in cold weather
Wait until he returns and then put in new oil and filter.
That is my suggestion


^This. Take it out once every two weeks for 30 minutes and use all the systems on the vehicle. That's at most 780 miles within the year, so I would leave the oil in and change it so he'll have fresh oil when he comes home.
 
Park the car with fresh oil and keep a Battery Tender on it.

Maybe some DampRid inside.

Don't idle it, don't drive it. Just leave it.
 
Originally Posted by JLTD
Originally Posted by toneydoc
My vote is to drive it every week or two to keep battery charged up.
I would drive it on a 10-20 mile drive to get it warmed up and let systems work and oil get hot
Turn on AC unit and let it operate even in cold weather
Wait until he returns and then put in new oil and filter.
That is my suggestion


^This. Take it out once every two weeks for 30 minutes and use all the systems on the vehicle. That's at most 780 miles within the year, so I would leave the oil in and change it so he'll have fresh oil when he comes home.

There is no need to drive it every two weeks. It can be driven every two to three months for 30 minutes using all the systems. Driving less often means less chance of an accident with no collision coverage. OP keep in mind if someone in the parking lot hits it and runs you will be SOL w/o collision insurance on the car.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by JLTD
Originally Posted by toneydoc
My vote is to drive it every week or two to keep battery charged up.
I would drive it on a 10-20 mile drive to get it warmed up and let systems work and oil get hot
Turn on AC unit and let it operate even in cold weather
Wait until he returns and then put in new oil and filter.
That is my suggestion

^This. Take it out once every two weeks for 30 minutes and use all the systems on the vehicle. That's at most 780 miles within the year, so I would leave the oil in and change it so he'll have fresh oil when he comes home.

There is no need to drive it every two weeks. It can be driven every two to three months for 30 minutes using all the systems. Driving less often means less chance of an accident with no collision coverage. OP keep in mind if someone in the parking lot hits it and runs you will be SOL w/o collision insurance on the car.

The battery will not hold a charge in that car for 2-3 months.

If he's not able to keep a tender on the car, it would be better to just remove the battery.
 
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