oil change - how much time (not miles)

[britboy]

Hi
I am a low usage owner - i have put 3500 miles on the car in the 13 months i have had it from new.

I changed the oil at the local garage at about 1600 miles, maybe 8 months ago. The sticker on the window now says to change the oil on 3/9 or 4600 miles (3 months/3K miles)

Since i will never even come close to 3000K in a 3 month period, and probably can go 9-12 months before reaching that distance how long is time can i wait in months between changes, especially since it is synthetic 0W40?

[jwight]

smart USA recommends maintenance on a miles/year basis. The first oil change is called for at 10K miles or one year: smart USA Owners Portal - 10,000 Miles/One Year

[unicycle]

This might make a good sticky.

[fortow]

There is absolutely no reason to change oil every 3000 miles or three months, unless there has been unusually severe service.

You only need to change the oil once a year if your mileage is short provided that when you drive the car you fully heat the motor up - which means not taking short drives. Proper heating would require a minimum of about 15 minutes at constant speed (preferably highway), not stop and go.

As far as the recommendations of frequent changes per mileage or time there are several reasons for that - quick lube places, local garages, even dealerships want drivers to return frequently for service for obvious reasons. Also, the time factor that is often recommended is done because the assumption is that if a car has low yearly mileage it will most likely only be driven for short trips which do not heat the oil sufficiently to burn off moistrure and other contaminants that can be damaging to the engine. The actual mileage driven is irrelevant to the frequency that the oil must be changed if the engine is driven hard and long enough during each drive.

[Old smart]

smartUSA's recommendation (as well as most manufacturers') is a time/mileage number (e.g. 1yr/10K miles). The intent is whichever comes FIRST.

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by fortow

There is absolutely no reason to change oil, in a Smart or similar high-performance engine that uses synthetic and calls for 10k/1-year changes, every 3000 miles or three months, unless there has been unusually severe service.

Fixed for accuracy. Just so people don't start thinking they can change their old Buick's oil once every year, LOL.

[RVGRINGO]

My Smart is now just past the one year mark and showing -8 with two wrenches at start up. So, next time I'm in Guadalajara, I'll get a jug of Mobil 1, 0-40W Synthetic oil and do the change. I might even stop by the dealer and get some new filters.

[fortow]

Originally Posted by JD10367

Fixed for accuracy. Just so people don't start thinking they can change their old Buick's oil once every year, LOL.

Do not quote me and then change my words in that quote. Correct your post or remove it.

I meant what I said and qualified it in my post.

Once again - there is no reason to change oil every 3000 miles or three months regardless of whether that oil is synthetic or not, provided the car has not been exposed to severe driving conditions. Manufacturers now are recommending Oil Change Intervals of 7-10,000 miles on regular oils. Synthetic oils can extend those OCI's up to 15,000 miles or more.

If extended OCI's are desired then it is advisable to change the oil filter at least once during that period and keep an eye on oil level. Keeping it topped up is a critical factor in extended OCI's since it also tops up additives. It is also a good idea to have oil analysed to know if it is maintaining specs.

Oil changing at 3000 miles is a thing of the past and is mainly still being touted by fast lube places, and others for obvious reasons as I already stated. Oil and other technologies have improved to the extent that those frequent change intervals are now unnecessary.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

My Smart is now just past the one year mark and showing -8 with two wrenches at start up. So, next time I'm in Guadalajara, I'll get a jug of Mobil 1, 0-40W Synthetic oil and do the change. I might even stop by the dealer and get some new filters.

Just had a look at a neighbor's 09 Dodge Challenger SRT8 with the 6.1 liter Hemi engine; oil filler cap reads Mobil 1 0W-40 factory fill.

[JohnnyM]

Hey britboy, pull the sticker off your window and throw it away. Let your car's computer tell when to service at this point. It will tell you by the indicator on the dash pod. Use your owners manual as a guide to understand the symbols. It's easy