Scheduled auto maintenance- months or miles?

[VanWinkle]

Always miles for me, I forget how long it's been unless the mileage reminds me.

 

[rk911]

There was a guy at w*rk who bought old used cars and just topped off his oil when it got low. Eventually, he decided maybe he should have the oil changed. when the shop took out the drain plug, nothing came out. The sludge build up had blocked the hole. They advised him to sell the car - quickly.

Instead, he decided to drive it to California. It made it to mid Kansas where he abandoned it in a small town when it seized up on him.

A buddy bought lis daughter a vehicle so she could get back and forth to work, etc. A few years later the engine seized. A technician at the shop where the car was taken determined that the crankcase was empty...no oil. When confronted with the report the daughter allegedly said..."I didn't know the oil had to be changed".

 

[OldShooter]

A buddy bought lis daughter a vehicle so she could get back and forth to work, etc. A few years later the engine seized. A technician at the shop where the car was taken determined that the crankcase was empty...no oil. When confronted with the report the daughter allegedly said..."I didn't know the oil had to be changed".

BTDT. DS bought himself an old truck shortly after he got out of high school. Didn't take care of the oil, engine seized. Towed it home to our driveway, took DS to a friend's (commercial) junk yard and brought home an engine. Unloaded it to sit next to the truck, told DS he could borrow my tools but he would have to rent a cherry picker. A week or two later the old truck was running nicely. To this day he is not afraid of any project. It's the best gift I have ever given him.

 

[rk911]

BTDT. DS bought himself an old truck shortly after he got out of high school. Didn't take care of the oil, engine seized. Towed it home to our driveway, took DS to a friend's (commercial) junk yard and brought home an engine. Unloaded it to sit next to the truck, told DS he could borrow my tools but he would have to rent a cherry picker. A week or two later the old truck was running nicely. To this day he is not afraid of any project. It's the best gift I have ever given him.

Muy bueno! My buddy is very likely to pick up the tab on repacing the engine or the vehicle itself. Consequences ARE the best teachers.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

A buddy bought lis daughter a vehicle so she could get back and forth to work, etc. A few years later the engine seized. A technician at the shop where the car was taken determined that the crankcase was empty...no oil. When confronted with the report the daughter allegedly said..."I didn't know the oil had to be changed".

Dad should've had the lecture with her beforehand about the importance of vehicle maintenance. I've made sure to stress that to all my sons, especially oil changes.

 

[38Chevy454]

I typically go by miles, except a critical item like a timing belt. I perform most all repairs myself. So oil changes every 5k are cheap. Also keep my vehicles inside garage for most part. That helps with condensation issues. Living out in far suburbia country, all my trips are getting up to full operation temperatures. Another reason miles are more significant.

Now on my classic vehicles, which have lower use, they can go 3-4 years between oil changes. With most likely less than 5k miles when I do eventually change oil. They don't have timing belts.

 

[Sunset]

For oil changes, I go by months. My car has a maintenance meter that shows the oil life. I can go a year and the meter shows that the oil life still has about 80%. The manual says change oil according to meter but no longer than 12 months. So for that is what I do.

That tells you the meter is really just measuring mileage, not analyzing the quality of the oil.

 

[FIREd]

Since I don’t drive enough to trigger service by mileage, I use time for scheduled services on my car. Given the potential consequences if the timing belt breaks, I think it’s wiser to replace it sooner rather than later.

 

[Cortina]

"Break in oil" is back? Do you know which make/model of such oil?

I don't believe it is . Work to the handbook recomendation ..... With oil , if you are doing lots of miles , and run a bit over with a long trip , it will not do any harm. It's all the short trips that do the "damage" ... when engine etc does not get properly warmed up (and hence drive off water / condensation that may have built up)

 

[Music Lover]

That tells you the meter is really just measuring mileage, not analyzing the quality of the oil.

I thought some meters could factor in cold starts, short trips, mileage, etc. It doesn't seem overly complicated.

But perhaps I'm being overly optimistic...

 

[Cortina]

I thought some meters could factor in cold starts, short trips, mileage, etc. It doesn't seem overly complicated.

But perhaps I'm being overly optimistic...

I believe you are correct - whilst I don't believe they analyse oil "quality" , I do believe they use some data and "intelligence" to better project when you should change oil - otherwise it's just a mileage counter !

 

[Texas Proud]

I believe you are correct - whilst I don't believe they analyse oil "quality" , I do believe they use some data and "intelligence" to better project when you should change oil - otherwise it's just a mileage counter !

Not sure what it is but in my Honda the pct has been at different mileage when it said I needed new oil... so I would think it did some kind of analysis based on starts, short trips etc... but not the oil itself...

OHHH, and it is not just oil... I have 4WD transfer case and a few other items it says needs to be done... they might be on miles though..

Well, looked it up...

The system counts down oil life based on engine operating conditions (both normal and severe). The on-board computer continuously monitors engine operating conditions such as speed, engine temperature, ambient temperature, time, and vehicle use to determine when an oil change and regular maintenance is necessary.

 

[Dash man]

We don’t drive much, so we just service our cars once per year.

 

[Cortina]

We don’t drive much, so we just service our cars once per year.

You are being very kind to them (not a bad idea) - ..... but if you stretched the gap to 18 months , it would do no harm and save you lots of $$.
Just cause you have it , doesn't mean you HAVE to spend it !
Cam belts - where they exist , I would change on time or miles ,whichever comes FIRST !

 

[kgtest]

I used to stick with the maintenance schedule for most things. Now I just play it by the ear (except for timing belt, oil and transmission fluid). But either way, please stick to "whichever sooner" policy. Anything hydrocarbon (oil, rubber, plastic, etc.) do age with environment factors so age is equally important as miles for auto maintenance.

I just change the oil, wiper blades, brakes and tires. Then, I sell the car at close to 200k miles to someone who needs it way more than I do.

 

[surprising]

I've been watching engine tear down videos on youtube. Engines that get regular oil changes look pristine even after 100K+ miles. Engines that aren't maintained well are tarnished and covered in sludge. That sludge can lead to blocked oil passages that can lead to oil starvation that, even briefly, can cause components like bearings to start to melt, which then causes metal to circulate with the oil, causing more damage and reduced power.

I would say worst case follow the manufacture's recommendation and do whichever comes first. My cars don't get a lot of mileage but I make sure to get oil changes every year. If you want to own the car forever, consider every 6 months/5000 miles. It is cheap insurance and a pretty vital maintenance item.

 

[Out of Steam]

My daughter drives rarely enough that all her car maintenance has to be by time. Her instructions are to do an annual oil change even if she doesn't reach the mileage on the sticker.

I've never encountered the situation myself, as the least I've ever driven was 10K miles a year, and we've always driven my wife's car often enough to make sure It gets than many miles.