WStJrl Jonathna Welsh on Oil Change

[jake75]

8-5-09 Page D4 Q: I own a 2006 Buick Lucerne and I do not drive much anymore due to my age. My mileage per year is about 2,500. My dealer tells me that I should have the oil changed every three months even though I will be below the recommended mileage at which the oil should be changed.What do you recommend?—Joseph Yudelson, Rochester, N.Y.A: Cars do not need oil changes as often as they used to, so the “three month or 3,000 miles” rule doesn’t apply in most cases. In your case you are safe waiting until your car reaches 3,000 miles or even until it reaches the higher recommended mileage. I have certainly waited two or three years for my car to accumulate enough mileage to warrant an oil change. The oil isn’t going to degrade dangerously in that amount of time.

[Wolfman213]

Wow, it must be nice to get paid to right BS on subjects you don't know anything about.

[jake75]

"The oil isn’t going to degrade dangerously in that amount of time."Actually, this makes sense to me - but even though I usually don't even log 3,000 miles in 6 months I try to make sure the oil gets changed every 6 (sometimes stretched to 7) months.As for warranty coverage, I think that the manufacturer would have to make a case that the failure to change the oil had some connection to the failure. I wonder what Ton & Ray of Car Talk have to say. I know they think changing oil every 3,000 miles is a waste of money, but I don't know what their maximum time recomendation is.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by Wolfman213 »Wow, it must be nice to get paid to right BS on subjects you don't know anything about.As opposed to the number of people on auto boards like this one who write BS for free. [You get what you pay for.]

[jake75]

I checked out the Car Talk website. In 1990 they recommended the 3,000 mile, 3 month routine. By 1995 they were recommending 5,000 mles, 6 months. Here is the column that seems most logical.August 2006Dear Tom and Ray:I have a question about cars with VERY low mileage. I have a 10-year-old car that has less than 12,000 miles. What maintenance should I be doing or not doing? I am told at the dealership that, due to the "time" element, I need "flushes" on a routine basis, etc. Is this true?-- RosalieTOM: Well, most manufacturers recommend that you change your oil every 7,500 miles. But for you, that would be only once every dog year, Rosalie. There's a "time"-based recommendation as well.RAY: For most cars that get very little use, the recommendation is to change the oil once every six months. In general, we'd agree with that. Here's why.TOM: When you run the engine, it produces water. It's one of the products of combustion. Some of that water always ends up in your crankcase, mixed in with the oil. Normally, when the engine gets good and hot, that water evaporates and is expelled by the crankcase ventilation system.RAY: But if you only take short, little trips -- like two or three miles a day -- you never get the engine hot enough to get rid of that water. So you have watery oil, which doesn't lubricate well.TOM: So if you take lots of short trips, get your oil changed every six months.RAY: On the other hand, if you have low mileage because you use the car infrequently, but you really let the engine heat up when you do drive, then you can extend that oil-change interval. For instance, if you drive the car only once a week but drive it 20 miles every time, you're less likely to dilute the oil, so you can change the oil once a year instead.TOM: As for other stuff, you'll want to change the coolant once every five years or so to renew the rust inhibitors. Those dissipate over time. And you'll need to keep an eye on rubber components, like belts and tires, because those get attacked by ozone whether you use them ornot. RAY: But I wouldn't let the mechanic talk you into too much else. You don't need a transmission service. You don't need a fuel-system cleaning. You probably don't need new brakes. You might need a new air freshener. But the vast majority of cars wear out from use, not from lack of use. So you're doing fine, Rosalie.