Oil Change Interval for Mustang with Low Miles?
 

My Mustang is my daily driver, but due to my extremely short commute to work and the fact that we use the wife's truck anytime the family goes anywhere, it only has ~6,800 miles after a year of ownership. I last changed the oil with full synthetic at 3k miles back in November. I'd like some input on when I should do the next oil change. I was thinking about doing it this week since it's been 9 months since the last one, but I've also covered less than 4k miles in that time. My commute consists of all urban stop-and-go driving, with minimal highway useage. I've also been to the drag strip once since the last oil change. Should I change the oil now, or should my intervals be longer with the synthetic?

i am in the same boat, my car only has 9k miles and it has already had 4 oil changes since march of 06, i go by the month, but if i start changing the oil by myself then how many months should i wait

mobil one once a year or every 8 to 10k miles which ever comes first

That is a little long for his usage. If his miles were all highway, that would be perfect. I would say a good full synthetic like Pennzoil Platinum or Mobil1 every 5K miles. If you want to save some $$ you can go with the Motorcraft semi-syn for less than half the price, and change it around 3K miles.

OK, you all know that I'm in the oil business.

API reccommends 3000 miles or at least 6 months on "dino" oil.

Mobil one , Pennzoil, etc. 5000 miles or 6months.

Redline, Amsoil extended, Mobil one extended 12,000 or once a year?
I even have a problem with that last one.

In 6 months time with little or no mileage accumulation, acids can and will build up in the oil. Change it.

TDS

So does oil in the store have a shelf life? If I buy oil and store it in my garage do I have about 6 months to use it or it will go bad???

mobil one has been tested up to 18k to still be doing a good job. I feel its still doing a great job with only 8k miles on from test results I have seen.

No, it won't go bad sitting on a shelf. But driving causes heat to work on breaking down the oil, plus some of the byproduct of combustion also gets into the oil and becomes an acid, also working to break oil down.

Are you asking a "for real" question or is this a "SA" response?

No, oil in the store does not h vae a "shelf life" unless it is very, very old, then there maybe some separation of additives.

When oil in put in an engine, mixed with old oil residue, varnish , etc. then you start the chemical break down process. Also giving the acids a place to start growing.

If this was a serious question, excuse my response, if not
a serious question?

TDS
TDS:nice:

No, serious question, I don't drive my 07 Mustang GT that much. Maybe 8000 miles a year. So I plan on doing mobil 1 once a year. But I have oil left over that I store in my garage that I use at a later date. I store oil in my garage for a year somtimes. I thought doing mobil 1 once a year (driving 8000 miles a year) was a good plan but now I'm second guessing it.

I was asked this very question last night by an older gentleman who recently purchased an older Ranger. I said the same thing as mentioned above, keep a record and maybe go with an extended oil possibly.

Mobil 1 and 8K a year is probably fine if you are comfortable with it. I just recommended less because most people on this board are not comfy with extended oil change intervals. I am, I am changing my Pennzoil Platinum at 7,500. It could go 10K I'm sure with my driving style, but I have a bunch of it I got for cheap or free, so 7,500 will help get it out of my garage sooner.

I change it at 5k or 4-5 months even with synthetic because I dont exactly baby the car....I would rather have good clean oil and pay for it than to wait just a little to long and do damage.

8000 a year is a good deal of miles.....there are many people that dont even put 4k a year on there mustangs. I would change it every 6 months atleast but it also depends on the type or milage or if the car just sits in a garage for a month then is driven 10 miles and then back to the garage.

Another thing...i knwoa guy that posted once that he would only drive it like 6 miles or so every other week.....this will kill the car and oil as it is not even getting to operating temps really.....you would ahve to change that more often than if you drove 10-12k a year IMO.

I drive 25K a year with mine. It definitely gets up to operating temp. every day, so no worries there. 90% of my miles are at 70-75 on the interstate. Them's some easy miles.

I would be interested to see a test done on your Pennzoil Platinum after 7500 miles. I think that is a bit long for the pennzoil.

here ya go
http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html
I am sure tests differ with the miles you drive or how hard you drive those miles but the best way to tell if your oil is still doing well is to have an analysis done. I believe its around 20 bucks or so. I know thats half the cost of an oil change. It will save you money in the long run to know your oil will go farther than you thought.