Oil Shelf Life

[m3f_bmwstephen]

Hey gang, don’t mean to start another oil thread but here goes...


Situation: fresh oil change about 2 years ago. Since then the car has only been drive about 2k miles at the most (mostly freeway). Do people change oil based on age or mileage more?

[m3f_SamGrant951]

I usually swap it out 1x a year on my 951 and the M3 as they rarely get driven - or based on track events on the M3 so not really mileage based.

[m3f_Solaris99]

You could check with what the oil manufacturer recommends, but you know that they'll recommend buying more of their oil sooner. If you really want some useful info, check out Bob Is The Oil Guy forums. A lot of people put oil to the test and publish lab results there. I have been sticking to once/year for my truck, since I don't use it that much. I'm probably going to drag out the time on it this year, though. 15 quarts of blacker than black diesel engine oil is not something I look forward to draining.

[m3f_Nate047]

Check the dipstick, see if the oil looks alright or not. is it black or still kinda golden/yellow? I mean it's pretty cheap and easy to change it, if you are concerned at all may as well do it.

[m3f_bmwstephen]

Check the dipstick, see if the oil looks alright or not. is it black or still kinda golden/yellow? I mean it's pretty cheap and easy to change it, if you are concerned at all may as well do it.

its definitely yellow. Its not about time, costs, or anything but rather if I am overkilling it.



I don't know if oil just sitting in the engine will degrade or not when it is not used. I.e. does the protective properties, lubricity, cleaning agents, etc.. so visual check may not do it.

[m3f_Nate047]

You could call the oil company and ask them.

[m3f_scoobiedoo2029]

if its been sitting and not started id change it. ive seen engine bays wet from condensation when temps shift. its a simple piece of mind for starting a car thats been sitting, new fluids and crank it over several times before starting it to get oil back to the top of the motor. dumping some fresh oil in the fill hole does wonders for getting oil to the top of the head. its amazing how quickly camshafts and whatnot get scored when run dry.

[m3f_Hankdoll]

BMW has pretty long intervals for oil changes when they’re covered under free/included maintenance (10k+ Miles), but will also change if it’s been 12 months regardless of miles. That’s revealing bc they definitely would not do it if it wasn’t necessary.

[m3f_Hasan Shaikh]

The experts here say that if its an ester based fully synthetic its fine even if it sits for over a year. They don't recommend using a semi synthetic beyond 1 year.