Do I have to replace Synthetic Oil every 3 month if I haven't reached mileage?

Question

Do I have to replace my car's synthetic Oil every 3 month if I haven't reached mileage? For example, I plan to be out of the country for 2 month...by the time I'm back my car will be due for oil change according to the date..but it'll be 2000 miles before the mileage requirement.

Answer 1

1st off, without proper diagnostics you cannot get a proper repair... with that being said...

2nd, if you are going on an extended trip then synthetic is probably the better type of oil that you would want in your car because of the properties of synthetic oil, also you will want to change your oil just before you leave and run about 100miles on your car to lubricate the engine well. The next question I would be asking is if you are going to have someone start your car on a daily/weekly basis while you are away?

3rd, check your owners manual for any recommendations for such a "question" and maybe that will give you a better answer.

4th, the date/mileage is just a recommendation, if you aren't going to be driving your car for weeks/months then go with the mileage. Most manufacturers actually recommend an average of 3-5000 miles using synthetic oil so you can go a little farther than what is recommended for conventional oil, again, check your owners manual for this information.

Good luck and hope this helps. Have fun on your trip.

Answer 2

Ahh the old oil argument.

Replace the oil and the filter every 3 months or 3000 miles whichever occurs first.

Lets do a little Automotive 101 shall we???

Whether the oil is synthetic or natural does not matter. it still needs to be changed on a frequent basis, and that is exactly what we are going to talk about here, and why its in your best interest to keep that oil changed.

Oil does several things inside your engine. It cleans, lubricates, cools, protects and flushes away debris. Most if the solid material gets caught in the filter and is retained there until a new filter is installed at the next oil change.

However, the filter does not stop the liquid contaminants such as water and acid that accumulate in the oil over time. Having said this, this material must be flushed out of the engine. How? Oil Change!

Inside the engine the oil is subjected to a pretty hostile environment. So where does this acid come from?

The acid comes from the condensation that happens on a nightly basis when you shut your engine down for a long period of time. Indise the engine small water droplets form just like a cold glass of Ice Water on a summer day.

This water mixes with sulfur that is left behind from the burning of hydrocarbon based fuels, (gasoline), and the sulfur that naturally occurs in lubricants such as engine oil.

This sulfur binds with the water to create small amounts of sulfuric acid. If the oil is left unchanged for long enough this acid jells the oil in the locations where circulation is poor and forms engine sludge.

This corrosive combination of oil and acid can and will locate itself in locations where the oil circulation is at a minimum. So what happens when you leave acid in a certain location for a long period of time? Damage to the parts in that location.

So here is where we get into the Synthetic portion of our discussion. Synthetic oils are better a lubricating and protecting parts. This is very true. But they are also limited by the same factors that natural oil is too. They will eventually break down and cause hardware failure too.

Its is not that the oil itself becomes the problem. It is the additive packages that are engineered into the oil. These detergents are designed to improve the oil's ability to flow, coat, cool and lubricate. Unfortunately they eventually become overloaded with contaminants and will start to do more damage than good.

So as a rule of thumb, we use the 3000 miles or 90 days as a marker for maintaining the best possible performance from your oil, and offering the best protection for your investment.

Look at it this way. You can buy lots of oil and oil filters for $5000.00. Because that is probably the bill you will be looking at when its time to replace the motor.

I like to use my uncle as my case and point.

Both of us bought 1996 Chevrolet S-10 trucks with the 2.2L engine. He elected to change his oil at the 5000 mile mark regardless of time. I elected to change mine the way I have been told and trained, every 3000 miles or 90 days. His truck is now dead and gone, engine bearing failure at 96,000 miles. Due to poor maintenance and lubrication failure.

My truck, well lets just say that with 200,000+ miles on it and still going strong, it will be around for a few more years.

As for the oil I recommend:

Mobil 1 Full Synthetic Formula

Yes it gets changed every 3000 miles or 90 days!

Don't worry about the milage requirements either. You can NEVER change your oil too often!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

The fully synthetic oil usually can go over 3K. The recommended oil change by the car manufacturer is around 3K.

One thing you may notice is that the synthetic oil will not leave too much of residue (check at your dip-stick) while the over-due regular oil may.

Answer 4

too little information to answer the question.
What synthetic oil is it. Mobil, Castrol, Shell, etc.
Go to the manufacturers website and download their recommendations. Some newer synthetics are designed to go 7 - 10,000 miles between changes. Time lines are also different because they are synthetic and do not break down as fast as "regular" oil.
If still in doubt contact the local distributor for your oil and ask them.

Answer 5

Now they are saying with the new oil you do not have to change it until the car says it needs it. Mine shows a read out of the percentage of oil life left and some say you can go up to 7500 miles. So your car will be fine.

Answer 6

I have a 2002 Mustang that I change oil on every 3 months faithfully. I do this because I have a Oil Change For Life Warranty from the dealer and because it always helps to have fresh oil and filters. I never reach the due service kilometers for my vehicle either.Hope this helps.

Answer 7

in the case of letting it sit for two months whats the difference between it sitting on the shelf for two months or in your car? however if you only drive half a mile a day to and from work and a quick trip up the block for lunch. then all of those short trips will really take a toll on any oil synthetic or not.

Answer 8

You SHOULD replace it every 3,000 miles, or 3 months, what ever comes first.

Now, if you put synthetic motir oil like the mobil clean 5000, or mobile clean 7500, what ever comes first, the milage, or the time frame of 3 months.

Answer 9

Nope. That's not true. Change the oil every 3 to 5K when using synthetic.

Answer 10

I usually just go by mileage and my car runs great.