User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 10-04-2019, 07:20 AM #1
RPC's Avatar
RPC RPC is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
RPC RPC is offline
Member
RPC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
Rarely Drive it, Q About Oil Changes

I am fortunate to work from home so see very few commuter miles on my 2008 V8 SR5. When I do drive it it’s to/from the local airport or I choose the T4R over our other vehicle to run errands just because I like to drive it.

It’s been over a year since my last oil change and I’m only 2k miles into the “Change at X miles” 5K interval that they wrote on the sticker last time.

Question: Is it really necessary to consider time between oil changes, or is mileage all that matters (within a reasonable amount of time)?
__________________
Not Stock 2008 V8 4WD SR5
RPC is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 08:30 AM #2
apohl17's Avatar
apohl17 apohl17 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Wisco
Posts: 934
Real Name: The Native Explorer
apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light
apohl17 apohl17 is offline
Member
apohl17's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Wisco
Posts: 934
Real Name: The Native Explorer
apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light apohl17 is a glorious beacon of light
Normally, most conventional motor oil has a shelf life of a couple years. If the oil in it is partial or full synthetic, then you are for sure good to go for quite a while longer, the stabilizers and lack of paraffin will let the oil do it's job until it hits your interval. I'd say you're fine for at least another year until switching it out. Or, just change it! It's a cheap and easy thing to do.
__________________
"Bumble" '17 Lim w/ 35k, IVD Stage 7, CBI/Prinsu metal, Morimoto lighting, ARB Linx : Build thread in progress...
The AventuRunner Build '07 V8 Sport w/ DO armor, Fox squish, Falken rubber, IVD UCAs, BD lights, Sherpa rack -- gonna miss the V8
The "Iceberg" Build... Natty White 3rd Gen ----gone, but not forgotten...
IG @apohl17
From ye fellow @Konkordmusk... "The 4Runner does not drive. It simply rotates the Earth to your desired position."

Last edited by apohl17; 10-04-2019 at 09:36 AM.
apohl17 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 08:59 AM #3
swampdodo swampdodo is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: EAST TENNESSEE
Posts: 354
swampdodo has a spectacular aura about swampdodo has a spectacular aura about
swampdodo swampdodo is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: EAST TENNESSEE
Posts: 354
swampdodo has a spectacular aura about swampdodo has a spectacular aura about
I'm in a similar situation...only drive my 05 v8 on weekends and get only about 3,000 miles a year. I've talked to several shops, viewed the various youtube videos, etc. There are all kinds of opinions, but I've come to this conclusion for my vehicle...

If running a GOOD quality dino (non-synthetic) oil or cheap synthetic oil...change about every 5,000 miles or 6 months...which ever comes first.

If running a GOOD quality synthetic oil (me, I run Mobil 1)...change every 7,000 to 8,000 miles, or every year...which every comes first.

Oh, and change oil filter whenever you change your oil.

But again, opinions differ and ultimately, you'll need to decide what is best for you (sleep at night) and your vehicle. As for me, I change my oil and filter once a year regardless of mileage (usually around 3,000 or less).
swampdodo is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 09:02 AM #4
swampdodo swampdodo is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: EAST TENNESSEE
Posts: 354
swampdodo has a spectacular aura about swampdodo has a spectacular aura about
swampdodo swampdodo is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: EAST TENNESSEE
Posts: 354
swampdodo has a spectacular aura about swampdodo has a spectacular aura about
Also, in most vehicle owner's manual, it states both mileage and time...recommends various maintenance items on which ever comes first...mileage or time.
swampdodo is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 10:53 AM #5
wc11's Avatar
wc11 wc11 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 642
wc11 will become famous soon enough
wc11 wc11 is offline
Member
wc11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 642
wc11 will become famous soon enough

Even with low mileage "garage queen" cars, oil is changed once a year no matter what.
wc11 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2019, 04:32 PM #6
RPC's Avatar
RPC RPC is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
RPC RPC is offline
Member
RPC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
Appreciate the input all, looks like I’ll be making an appointment for an oil change.
__________________
Not Stock 2008 V8 4WD SR5
RPC is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 01:42 PM #7
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
not sure where everyone is getting this info that oil needs to be changed every year... or especially that "most conventional oils have a shelf life of a couple years"... that is 100% untrue!

oil does not expire after a couple years on the shelf or in your oil pan. please do some actual research before posting false info like this. call any major oil company & ask that question, or any reputable machine shop or engine builder, or check out bobistheoilguy forum, they will tell you oil has an almost indefinite shelf life if stored in good conditions, the oil doesnt go bad & the additives dont expire. worst case is the additives may settle a little & if that happens simply shaking the bottle will mix them back up.

as for oil already in the engine, same as on the shelf, its does not just expire sitting there. as long as you do full warm ups when driving & not just 5 or 10 minute trips in the cold temps, the oil is burning off any impurities like condensation or fuel & the additives are neutralizing any acids or combustion byproducts.

i own 3 classic muscle cars & they get driven very little, maybe 500-1000 a year sometimes, i leave the oil in them for at least 2-3 years, longer if the total miles are below about 1500 & the engines are doing perfectly fine & when i do drain the oil it looks almost like new & i usually use it for another season in my lawn mower.

bottom line is that oil doesnt just go bad from sitting or from low miles. keep in mind oil companies & most mechanics are just trying to sell you oil or oil change service, rarely will they speak the truth on anything if it means $$$ in their pocket.

to the OP, save your money if you have low miles on the oil, especially if its a quality synthetic, 2000 miles or 1-2 years does not need to be changed! if you got roughly half the change interval miles, say 2500-3000 & its been ~2 years then maybe, but i guarantee if you sent a sample for analysis it would come back as perfectly fine & has many miles left.

heres a direct quote from valvoline: i suggest reading their or other companies FAQ's or call their tech line for actual facts on the matter, not just random uneducated opinions on a forum.

GENERAL MOTOR OIL FAQ
Does motor oil expire? If not, how long does motor oil generally last?

Valvoline motor oils do not have documented expiration dates. When stored under optimal conditions, the product remains stable for an extended period of time. It can be used as long as the American Petroleum Institute (API) rating on the label continues to meet or exceed the requirements listed in your car’s owner's manual. If the rating is still current, we advise you shake the container before use to blend any additives that may have settled.

Last edited by firebirdguy; 10-05-2019 at 01:47 PM.
firebirdguy is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 02:46 PM #8
RPC's Avatar
RPC RPC is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
RPC RPC is offline
Member
RPC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 428
RPC is on a distinguished road
Appreciate the input firebirdguy, that’s what I thought also (doesn’t ”expire”, marketing gimmick)...

Separate note: If you have pics or videos anywhere on the web of your cars, I wouldn’t mind checking them out.
__________________
Not Stock 2008 V8 4WD SR5
RPC is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 03:09 PM #9
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
Quote:
Originally Posted by RPC View Post
Appreciate the input firebirdguy, that’s what I thought also (doesn’t ”expire”, marketing gimmick)...

Separate note: If you have pics or videos anywhere on the web of your cars, I wouldn’t mind checking them out.
you are welcome. i see soooo much misinfo on oil these days, i try to provide accurate info when i can, not just opinion, but facts based on years of research & talking to major oil companies & reputable engine builders. in the high performance world, oil is much more important than your average daily driver or SUV type vehicles. when you spend thousands of dollars, sometimes $10 grand or more, on just the engine, you want to know as much as possible about oil.

i can post some pics of my cars if interested. im a diehard pontiac guy & own 3- 2nd gen firebird & trans ams... like the smokey & the bandit style cars. all fully restored myself, i did all the work except the engine machine work & actual spraying of the paint. one is a 550hp pontiac v-8 that i drag race a lot... oil is very important in that type of car.
firebirdguy is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 04:54 PM #10
ran ran is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: S Oregon
Age: 69
Posts: 1,406
ran is on a distinguished road
ran ran is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: S Oregon
Age: 69
Posts: 1,406
ran is on a distinguished road
Good thread. I am retired and put on 200-300 miles a month. wife went for lifetime oil changes on her 1 gen Tacoma. Service writer said I was good for that. surprise. now I get 2 a year.
______________________
2007 SE V6 Titanium. about 46xxx miles now.
ran is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-05-2019, 11:41 PM #11
wcjeep's Avatar
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
wcjeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
Disagree with Firebird with oil in the engine. Oil is designed to lubricate, hold dirt and has a time release of detergent for cleaning. Once the oil is in the engine it's considered activated. It only has so much time release detergent.

Oil service at the dealer is not expensive. Definently cheaper to service at least once a year than deal with whatever happens when you do not service the vehicle. Avoid Fram filters.

Oil sitting on the shelf i have no opinion.
__________________
2018 Offroad Premium w/KDSS

1993 Jeep YJ w/stuff
wcjeep is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 12:29 AM #12
vipergrhd's Avatar
vipergrhd vipergrhd is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pittsburg,CA. Bay area.
Posts: 487
vipergrhd is on a distinguished road
vipergrhd vipergrhd is offline
Member
vipergrhd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pittsburg,CA. Bay area.
Posts: 487
vipergrhd is on a distinguished road
Blackstone oil analysis

If you don't mind paying for an analysis get it done and you will get the answers to your oil issues. I work for a Gov. fleet and we send out oil analysis to Blackstone all the time and they tell us exactly all their finding and how much life is left in the oil so that we could extend their interval if needed we also find potential problems in the process like finding water or diesel fuel in the oil etc.
vipergrhd is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 10:31 AM #13
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
Quote:
Originally Posted by wcjeep View Post
Disagree with Firebird with oil in the engine. Oil is designed to lubricate, hold dirt and has a time release of detergent for cleaning. Once the oil is in the engine it's considered activated. It only has so much time release detergent.

Oil service at the dealer is not expensive. Definently cheaper to service at least once a year than deal with whatever happens when you do not service the vehicle. Avoid Fram filters.

Oil sitting on the shelf i have no opinion.
can you post your resource or a document for this "time release detergent" thing you speak of? so your saying that once oil is poured in the engine a magical clock starts ticking & the oil just goes bad from time alone? no offense, but you really need to do some research on oils if you think thats the case.

oil is not "activated" when it gets put into the engine, oil doesn't know if/when it was poured into an engine & absolutely does not have time release detergents. the additives in oil, including detergents, are there to counteract acids & combustion byproducts & hold debris & it does that as they are produced from the engine... until the additives are depleted or worn out from use, they will remain in the oil & are not effected by time alone. granted you dont want to leave it in there with a couple thousand miles for 5-10 years, but a couple years with low miles is not an issue at all. oil analysis labs will say the same thing.

oil sitting on the shelf isnt really subject to opinion... oil companies say for a fact that oil doesnt expire if stored properly.

i agree 100% with having oil analysis done if you want to know what the condition of your oil is. its usually about $20-$25 to test a sample & they will tell you not only what the condition of the oil is, but also tell a lot about how the engine is doing, they can identify worn bearings or other metal parts, coolant contamination for head gasket issues & fuel percentage to identify worn rings etc. i have read countless analysis results where people send in samples with very high miles, 5000-10,000 miles & 2-3+ years of use & the results come back saying there is still plenty of life left in the oil... of course if the engine is in good running condition.

do what you like with your oil, but just realize the whole 3000 mile change or every year regardless of miles thing is a myth & doing it that soon is a waste of money & resources.

Last edited by firebirdguy; 10-06-2019 at 01:59 PM.
firebirdguy is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-06-2019, 09:09 PM #14
wcjeep's Avatar
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
wcjeep wcjeep is offline
Member
wcjeep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Earth
Posts: 912
wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about wcjeep has a spectacular aura about
Articles I read on engine oil detergent was late 2006, early 2007. Not available on the internet. Can't find any current deep dives. Most like what I found at Penzoil say detergent is sacrificial over the life of the oil.

One could do an engine oil analysis. The base price for oil analysis is $28. Not much more just to have it changed. I don't get the drama on avoiding an oil change. It's cheap.


What is Motor Oil? | Pennzoil


Why Motor Oil Deteriorates
__________________
2018 Offroad Premium w/KDSS

1993 Jeep YJ w/stuff
wcjeep is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-07-2019, 10:09 AM #15
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
firebirdguy firebirdguy is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: iowa
Posts: 905
firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light firebirdguy is a glorious beacon of light
ok was just curious where you got that info from... ive been researching oil since the early 2000s or so when they started first reducing the zinc additives (zddp) due to damage to catalytic converters it caused. in older v8's, zddp is the main additive used to combat extreme friction on cam/lifters, big cams need zddp or they will fail & that was a very big problem starting in the late 90's & early 2000's.

& with all the research i did in the early-mid 2000's, i found nothing saying oil is "activated" when poured into the engine nor do detergents expire just from time alone. (within reason) & still today there is no mention of what you claimed about oil being activated. bottom line is additives & detergents get depleted or used up from use, not time.

no drama at all, someone asked a question & i provided accurate information & some info on what was said... & nobody is trying to avoid oil changes, just not change it when its not needed. quality oil these days isnt really cheap, a good synthetic costs upwards of $6-$8 per qt, plus a good filter thats close to $40-$50 for just the oil/filter. & a dealership or most shops charge $30-40 for regular oil changes. some guys are on a budget &/or dont want to throw away perfectly good oil.

again, use whatever oil you like & change it when you like, but if you are changing it just because its been 1 year or you have only 1000-2000 miles, it's a waste of money.

Last edited by firebirdguy; 10-07-2019 at 07:09 PM.
firebirdguy is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Tags
drive , it’s , miles , oil , time

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Hands-Free/Bluetooth Rarely Works (2012) AirspeedX 5th gen T4Rs 9 08-31-2018 11:18 AM
Newbie asks: How hard is it to find the rarely needed part? Scrounger24 Classic T4Rs 5 03-06-2014 01:53 PM
Why do I rarely see 5th gen advertisements? subst4nce 5th gen T4Rs 45 01-31-2013 10:25 PM
[photo]...In the ongoing conflict between car and immovable object, car rarely wins K.C. Off Topic 3 07-12-2011 03:56 AM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.2

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:36 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
***This site is an unofficial Toyota site, and is not officially endorsed, supported, authorized by or affiliated with Toyota. All company, product, or service names references in this web site are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Toyota name, marks, designs and logos, as well as Toyota model names, are registered trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation***Ad Management plugin by RedTyger
 
Copyright © 2020