348 Oil Change Interval When Driving Sporadically | FerrariChat

348 Oil Change Interval When Driving Sporadically

Discussion in '348/355' started by Volair, Nov 7, 2014.

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  1. Volair

    Volair Karting

    Apr 11, 2013
    241
    Carmel, Indiana
    Full Name:
    Bart
    Since last oil change (11 months ago), I've driven only about 1,000 miles. Question for the oil experts here: change or not?
     
  2. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2001
    13,662
    San Carlos, CA
    Full Name:
    Mitchell Le
    Change oil, once a year. $50 well spent.
    Leave the filter alone. $50 not spent.
     
  3. jerenterprises

    jerenterprises Karting

    Mar 13, 2013
    140
    Phoenix Arizona
    Full Name:
    Joshua Reed
    ...or drive the car, love it, enjoy it and AT LEAST burn up 3000 a year to make an oil change and filter worth the money to change it?
     
  4. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    29,249
    socal
    Blackstone Labs

    The ultimate determiner of oil change interval is the oil test. They are cheap. Do them a few times based on your use history and develop your own custom tailored oil change interval.
     
  5. vvassallo

    vvassallo F1 Veteran

    Aug 4, 2006
    8,329
    Palos Verdes
    Full Name:
    Vince V
    I try to do this once per year no matter how little I drive. The additives age out even if the oil is fine.
     
  6. Volair

    Volair Karting

    Apr 11, 2013
    241
    Carmel, Indiana
    Full Name:
    Bart
    Excellent idea. I have a spare oil analysis kit. I'm gonna sample the oil over weekend and post back the results.
     
  7. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,620
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Meh.

    Drive it till the oil is pitch black. :D :p

    Hahahahaaa!
     
  8. John Glen

    John Glen Formula Junior

    Dec 30, 2009
    494
    Victoria, B.C, Can.
    Full Name:
    John Glen Wesanko
    Leave it alone, syn oil good for 15000 miles.
     
  9. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,782
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mike
    $50 for 10-11 litres of oil? Surely you meant $150....
     
  10. John Glen

    John Glen Formula Junior

    Dec 30, 2009
    494
    Victoria, B.C, Can.
    Full Name:
    John Glen Wesanko
    Here's an idea if your looking for something to do....take off your wheels and go around each corner and have a friend help you bleed some brake fluid from each caliper. All the crud and moisture will be pumped out in a few pumps then top up the reservoir. Good preventative maintenance.
     
  11. Volair

    Volair Karting

    Apr 11, 2013
    241
    Carmel, Indiana
    Full Name:
    Bart
    #11 Volair, Dec 5, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    To sum up, my question was whether to change oil annually if I only drove car c.a. 1,000 miles this year. Here is the result of oil analysis done by a lab that I use normally for airplane oil analysis.

    Overall, very pleased with the results - see below. Let's see, my understanding:

    1. Molybdenum is an oil additive (friction modifier). So good to see some amount in sample.

    2. Magnesium is a part of detergent package. Ditto.

    Having negligible iron (no rust), no silicon (dirt) and traces of everything else means that my oil is most likely good for another year!
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  12. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
    22,620
    The Brickyard
    Full Name:
    The Bad Guy
    Thanks for the update Bart.
     
  13. IAmNotCasey

    IAmNotCasey Formula Junior

    Jul 9, 2014
    290
    Parker, Colorado
    Full Name:
    Casey Duncan
    Is the oil still good after 1000 miles? I'd say certainly, it'll probably be ok after 5000. But bear in mind that the oil also gets contaminated with acids and other corroding contaminants. If you are storing the car for a while, it'll be better off with fresh oil in it. Not by much after only 1000 miles, but still worth it IMO. And come spring you won't have to remember how old the oil is :)


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  14. treedee3d

    treedee3d F1 Rookie

    Apr 1, 2011
    3,726
    Montreal
    Full Name:
    Fab
    I do about 2500 miles per year from April to November, then the car is stored from december to March for the winter and I do not start it while in storage.

    I do like to have my oil changed every year. My question is am I better off doing it right after storage or right before storing it or is there no difference?
     
  15. Meister

    Meister F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 27, 2001
    5,516
    Duluth, MN
    Full Name:
    The Meister
    I always do mine right before storage for the previously mentioned acids/moisture that can be in used oil. But also I like to do it prestorage so that the car is ready to go in the spring. Once spring hits there seems to be so many other things to do around the house, for the other cars, for etc... having the oil change dis just one more thing off the list.
     
  16. AceMaster

    AceMaster Three Time F1 World Champ

    Feb 6, 2009
    34,782
    Ontario, Canada
    Full Name:
    Mike
    You took the words out of my mouth with regards to the mileage and the storage time.

    Regarding changing the oil: I change mine every April, after storage.
     

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