xphatfreezax

Hi all, hope this is the right place for this question. I've never really driven my car all that much, averaging about 2,000 miles a year (maybe not garage queen status but low miles )but with the things that happened last year i really didn't drive all that much and was wondering how often I should be getting oil changes and what type of oil should I be using in this type of scenario? i've used both penzoil plat and mobil 1 in the past.

A follow up question is a buddy I was talking to mentioned this product: STA-BIL 360 Protection Ethanol Treatment And Fuel Stabilizer. Is this something I would need? I drive my car for about 10-15 minutes at least once a week. thanks all!

B serious

Hard to know what the best thing to do is here, since you're using the car in bit of a detrimental way.

10-15mins isn't long enough to get everything up to temp. So you're just kinda half-cycling it once a week. So its probably got a good amount of moisture in it.

Maybe just change it every 6 months or so.

Idk why you want to know what type of oil to use. But...enjoy the debate!

I would just use a top teir gasoline and skip the additives, to answer that question.

hatsubai

Do an oil analysis. It'll help determine how often you should change your oil for your situation.

xphatfreezax

okay thanks for the advice!

Emil St-Hilaire

I drive mine +/- 4000 miles a year,change oil,fill up tank and add stabil,just before storage ,been doing that for the past 21 years,goes like a champ.

Chuck S

You can draw oil out of the dipstick hole with a little vacuum device. Send the sample to Blackstone Labs. Indicate you're interested in extended oil service and see what they recommend. If you're not using full synthetic switch to it.

From your owners manual:-- Chuck

cosmomiller

Adding the correct amount of Sta-Bil will not hurt anything and you may consider keeping the tank topped off too to keep air/moisture out of the system. (Don't go bananas "topping off" of the tank when filling-you can dick up the evaporator system. Just fill to the pump clicking off)

Also agree on the run time. At least 20 minutes drive is a minimum. Find some fun destination to do and go once a month or something. For the winter or wet months, I use a battery minder to keep the battery up to speed.

Emil St-Hilaire

Been shutting it down Nov 01 and starting it May 01 for the last 21 years,and it runs like a champ...does that mean something ???

engifineer

I default to 6 months if not driven at most for an oil change.

have never used fuel stabilizer in any car I have owned even if it sits over the winter like my s2k. If leaving sit for 12+ months I would consider it but mine typically sits from Nov - April.

The issue with starting and running it 15-20 min is that you do not get much benefit and are just adding more cold starts. Most recommend at least a 20-30 drive (not just idling) or nothing at all. Like some others on here, I just keep mine on a battery tender all winter. If I need to move it for some reason it gets started, but since I pretty much only own extreme performance summer tires for it I dont drive it around in the winter.

Bullwings

You're in los angeles - fairly low humidity region. Since you said garage queen, i'm assuming indoors parking. The main enemy is moisture in your oil.

I've let oil sit in my car for as long as 15-16 months and have even tracked on it. I then sent to blackstone labs and it came out fine - definitely not best practice. Car is mostly a track toy and rarely gets much driving in between events now - life, kid, etc. - mainly kid...

FYI, i'm also located in SoCal. If i live close to the ocean or a high humidity region like Florida or something, I would definitely change more often.