What should be the oil change frequency if the car is used 3750 miles per year?

Yes, that is 3.75K miles. I am looking at this car to buy which has been driven at an average of 3.75K miles per year for the last 8 years. The owner has been getting the oil changed every year. Which turns out to be about every 3K mile, regular prescribed oil change interval. But on the other hand it is a loooong time between oil changes.


I want to know if this may have damaged the engine in any way? Is there a good test I can get done before purchasing the car that can give me some confidence level?


Quick answers will be appreciated as I have to finalize the deal tomorrow.


By the way, the car is 1999 Infiniti I30. Lived all its life in San Francisco, CA.What should be the oil change frequency if the car is used 3750 miles per year?
you should do it at least every six months. The oil companies tell you every 3000 miles or 3 months. That is too soon. I tell my customers to do it at 5000 miles and or no longer that 6 months. You get a lot of moisture built up in an engine and you should not go a full year. there is no shelf life for oil like the one person said. But that is unopened new oil. Once that oil is dumped into a crankcase and ran through the engine then yes there is a shelf life for it. That shelf life is 5000 miles or 6 months. Same thing for canned food. It can sit for ever in a cupboard but once opened it has to be refrigerated and used by the date on can. Same thing for oil.What should be the oil change frequency if the car is used 3750 miles per year?
Thanks everyone for chipping in! I finally bought that car after getting it inspected by AAA. They said everything looks fine! I am enjoying my new (used) car! Thanks! Report Abuse

Being a SF car, no harm done. All my cars were Chevrolet's or Buicks and were only driven 2000 to 5000 per year.with the oil and filter change always at least once in spring and once in fall (6 month cycle). Most of the vehicles were 15 to 25 years old before selling.
Remember oil that sit for extended periods gets cold and sluggish and old/cold oil can leave crud particles within the valves and other engine parts. The odds that the oil has degraded or hurt the engine is slim to none, but I would recommend that you take the car for a fast and hard run on the interstate. You're going to have to heat that engine up and break away the crud particles and with your regular oil changes (3k) you will remove any hazards that could potential harm the engine or cause poor performance.
Every 3 months. Slow down. Take it to a mechanic before you sign on the dotted line. What type of oil is used? That is very important.





Best wishes.
the manufactory recommends every 3000 miles.
every three months or three thousand miles because oil attracts moisture. chances are no damage is done to the oil
since your in the city look at the color, if its black it needs to be changed more often because theres alot of engine running and not alot of wheel motion. if its honey colored or light brown its ok. for 3k miles a year i would recommend every 6 months. however synthetics last longer,if it was used then it wont break down . ask if it was used or not.
Every three months .
oil change intervals are 3000 miles OR 3 months. this is due to the breakdown of the oil once it starts being used in the engine. actually, a car that is not driven that much, the ol' ';grandma drove on sundays 2 miles to church'; kinda deal, is just as bad as excessive driving.


1. the oil spends most of the time in the pan. not getting circulated regularly leaves the top end of the engine for the most part unprotected.


2. by not driving the vehicle enough, the oil does not get hot enough to remove water vapor and contaminates from itself. water vapors will begin rust spots in the internals of the engine.





hope this helps you in your quest for answers
It should be fine. Once you purchase the vehicle, change the oil right away with the manufactures recommended oil. Then keep it up at 3k miles and/or twice a year, whichever is more frequent. I'm confidant no harm was done, and I own a used car lot.
Sorry dodge man, but I have to say used oil will hurt it if left for a long time. Sulfer from the combustion mixes with condensation to form sulfuric acid in small amounts. every 3000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.
Moisture and condensation build up in the engine with the nice cool nights and warm days. Change it at least every 3000 miles if you have a lot of short distance driving, long idle times, and heavy stop and go traffic. Compression tests are the simplest way to find mechanical failure in the cylinders but don't show damage to the crankshaft or rod and main bearings if you have excessive moisture build up.
every three months sounds better if that car isn't being driven that much.
there is NO shelf life for oil....if there were, all of your retailers would be throwing away a lot of oil every three months....depending on the year of the veh, most oil changes are three month-three thousand miles....the three month thingy is purely for reminders...3k is what you are looking for.....a lot of your newer veh are 5M-5K
Many factors go into determining the oil change intervals of vehicles. This is why it is recommended to follow the mfgr. recommended change interval. Any Nissan dealer should be able to provide this information.





I just called a friend that owns an I30. He says the manual recommends 5-7K miles of normal driving using reqular oil. Using the recommended Synthetic oil the interval changes to 10-15 K miles. He uses the synthetic. He averages 10 - 15 k per year and receives a notice from his dealership once a year for the oil change and other services.
Depends a lot on how it was driven. Fairly long trips, or just short around town excursions that never warmed it up properly and left contaminants in the oil?





Under 'normal'; driving conditions change every 3 to 5k miles, or every three months, which ever comes first. Dusty conditions, pulling a trailer, mountain driving, you would change more often.





Got a good mechanic? Have him run a quick compression check to see how it holds up there, if there is wear in the rings it will show up pretty quick.
i own a repair shop,and that hasn't hurt it any at all i change mine once a year sine it was new ,and its 11 years old now,and in perfect condition,that's not even a factor in this case oil doesn't get hurt by just being there unless it been driven a lot once a year was fine for the way he drove it so it shouldn't be hurt at all,he was smart he changed it only when he needed to change it,so it will be fine ,if you don't but it,,your missing out on a real good buy,on a car,,,good luck,i hope this help.s,,,PS do your self a favor,,don't even try and flush the engine out on this car,,it don't need it,,good luck.
NO NOT DAMAGED JUST FLUSH THE ENGINE OUT AND CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 3-4 MONTHS OR EVERY 3000 MILES OR WHICH EVER COMES FIRST THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF IT MY FRIEND , TAKE CARE
every six months
your oil change intervals should be based on your driving habits. I am sure that you will be driving more than the person that you are getting the car from. I reconmend pulling out the owners manual and see what it says as far as oil change intervals. As you can see from this forum that their is a lot of opinions here on this subject. If you do what anyof them tell you and you blow your motor up I am sure that they will not help you in paying to replace your motor. Pull out the owners manual and you will not go wrong. Good luck.