Yearly oil change on low milage car

[ph5172]

We have had a little run around for 20 odd years and it does 1000 or so miles a year. 
 

Its been serviced every year aside from 2 when it was in storage. 
 

should I still be changing the oil yearly or should I move it to every other?

its a 1.1 run around not an expensive vintage super car or the like. 

[bruno22rf]

Oil degrades so why not shove a pump down the dipstick hole and suck the old oil out - change the filter and refill with new oil - should cost less than £25 all in - jobs a goodun.

[DUNKS]

I do! But  on around 5000 miles. Oil is cheap enough and short runs not giving even a small engine time to warm up are an engine killer,

 

[ditchman]

feed it expensive petrol for a couple of months to keep it clean inside....and also hoof it now and again to put it to the working temperature.........as well 

[ph5172]

Thanks for the advice. It gets a good run out every few months.

funnily enough I ordered one of those dip stick drainers last month for an unrelated project so good idea on that front. 
 

onto oil. I have loads of 1/2 tubs in the garage (each contains about 2.5l) of various grades. These are about 2-5 years old. Opened obviously but the remainder stored sealed. 
Could I use this instead of binning it ? 
 

it only takes about 2.2l of oil for a complete change! 

I have no problem buying new oil if this stuff if beyond being used. 

[Dave-G]

Hmm, mineral or semi synthetic, petrol or diesel?

Modern semi synthetic engine oil ought to be good for 5K miles IMO - regardless if it takes a few months or years in a non turbo petrol car in UK climate.

[ph5172]

1 minute ago, Dave-G said:

Hmm, mineral or semi synthetic, petrol or diesel?

Modern semi synthetic engine oil ought to be good for 5K miles IMO - regardless if it takes a few months or years in a non turbo petrol car in UK climate.

Petrol. Non turbo - a whole 55bhp!
At the moment it’s on fully synth. 
 

I have odd tubs of semi and fully sat around. 

Edited January 24, 2020 by ph5172

[Davyo]

Low annual mileage is the best excuse to change the oil regularly.Id be stripping brake calipers to keep the slider pins free as well.All moving parts & brushes can deteriorate or seize quicker than a car the covers or does more than average annual mileage.

When I had the MX5 a lot of the club members only did 2k/3k a year and sorned their cars from Nov to April.The only benefit this prove was it slowed down corrosion.But was hell on all suspension parts,brakes and bushes.

When I check the MOT history on my 5 it had only covered 4k in 3 years but failed its 1st MOT.Pitted brake discs,seized calipers (slider pins),misting suspension strut.

When buying a very low mileage car you need to be even more vigilant than with a height miler.

[Vince Green]

Every other year will be OK as long as you are not using cheap oil but on another level of debate, take it on a good long  run several times or more a year. Leave the Rolls  in the garage, Cars are like women, they thrive on being used and abused.

I used to take my mother's car (Nissan Micra 1.4)  down to south wales (from London) several times a year just to stretch its legs and it used to run so much better. Touch wood its never failed an MOT, Plus it used to do about 48 to the gallon against my Aston's 19 to the gallon (if you drove it light) it was a cheap trip and actually more fun to drive,

Edited January 24, 2020 by Vince Green

[team tractor]

I clock 1500miles a year in my terios and if it passes the mot next month I’m going to treat it 😂 to an oil change . It’s covered 3000 miles since it was done in 2 years. 
most of the mileage is off road or through water at the minute  so it needs it.

my van clocks 9000 a year and it’s set on annual but it’s only £80 a year for a basic service. 

[mossy835]

my cars get oil change every 2 years.and its still clean oil.we do 3.000 miles a year.

[snow white]

I have a Nissan navara does 6000 miles per year has oil change every 6 months and a Skoda octave that does 2000 miles per year and that get oil change every mot.

[oldypigeonpopper]

9 hours ago, team tractor said:

I clock 1500miles a year in my terios and if it passes the mot next month I’m going to treat it 😂 to an oil change . It’s covered 3000 miles since it was done in 2 years. 
most of the mileage is off road or through water at the minute  so it needs it.

my van clocks 9000 a year and it’s set on annual but it’s only £80 a year for a basic service. 

hello, have you had to change the timing belt, ?

[team tractor]

Just now, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, have you had to change the timing belt, ?

Has it got one ? I’ve read different things ?

[oldypigeonpopper]

Just now, team tractor said:

Has it got one ? I’ve read different things ?

i thought it had one, my book say change at 60,000

[team tractor]

2 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

i thought it had one, my book say change at 60,000

I read it was chain but looked on line and found the parts  I’ll look into it possibly but I’ve had 2 years at £700 so I’ll possibly just run it and not worry

[oldypigeonpopper]

5 minutes ago, team tractor said:

I read it was chain but looked on line and found the parts  I’ll look into it possibly but I’ve had 2 years at £700 so I’ll possibly just run it and not worry

hello, seems mine  2005 1,300 sport  has a chain, i should have asked when i had it serviced, no need to change a chain as self lubricated

Edited January 25, 2020 by oldypigeonpopper

[team tractor]

1 hour ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

hello, seems mine  2005 1,300 sport  has a chain, i should have asked when i had it serviced, no need to change a chain as self lubricated

I wonder  I guess as mines junk I stopped worrying 😂😂😂

[Hamster]

I think the Terios have a chain from 05 onwards, as for annual oil changes I’d say it depends on the car and it’s value. We had a Nissan Micra CVT auto on an 02 plate or thereabouts that we used to lend to customers whose cars were in for various reasons.

It went years without an oil change 😂 or anything other than what the MOT required and yet it drove and behaved so well that every other customer would beg us to sell it to them as a runabout! £200 quids worth of car but priceless to us. My wife’s Mini is on the scam TLC package which means oil changes are much less frequent than annual but I take it to Formula 1 and for the sake of £60 quid give it the right upgraded oil bang in the middle of the “official” requirement. 

 

[Westley]

Buy a Land Rover, they have automatic oil change  !    It comes out from underneath faster than you can put it in at the top     😂      

[London Best]

Odd that, I have had twelve and not one leaked oil.

[team tractor]

I met a guy with a vivaro last week with 200,000 miles on the clock. 
he has yet to change the oil in 60,000 miles or service it. 

[Saltings]

if run every day  driven like stolen   lack of servicing will cost in the long run a scrap engine      change synthetic oils at recommended or max 12mts  if in daily use    if mineral oils every approx.  5k or 6 mts  the oil is the cheapest part of an engine      short runs better on mineral oil rather than synthetic  oil     as the bores glaze up and burn oil dew to additives  not wear   short runs kills engines  most wear happens before running temperature    200k on a motorway has less wear than once a week to Tesco with 10k despite age   modern engines are better  oil is still the life blood and cheap 

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, the trouble is not using your motor 2/3 days before using like low mileage per year drivers including myself in this cold weather the engine oil drains to the sump and thickens so when you start it can effect the oil pump and expose the moving parts to less oil until it warms up, i always tend to start up and drive, and how ever many miles change the oil yearly including filter, like our 2 stroke motor bikes we warmed up first the 4 stroke was start and off

Edited January 26, 2020 by oldypigeonpopper

[Wb123]

I subscribe to the tractor school of thought. Buy cheap oil and change it often. 

 

The super universal stuff is quite remarkable. Throw the same stuff in the engine, gearbox, diffs, swivels, hydraulics, power steering etc... £45 for 25 litres, and once it’s used filter and mix it into the fuel to get rid of it.