I have three collector cars ( Z8, E39 M5, and M Roadster), none of which gets more than 1,000 miles per year. I change the oil every other year and don't think there is any harm in doing so.

 

I change every 6000 miles regardless so I haven't done an oil change in over five years. I've been drawing samples to be analyzed periodically and there is no degradation that requires replacement before my UOA established miles. As long as you get the oil up to temperature when you do take it out and are using good oil, there really should be no reason to change it.

 

So can I wait two years,, no problem?

Thanks.

 

I think you'll be fine. Personally, I don't see oil going bad unless it's contaminated.

 

Thanks all.

 

I know a lot of people say to change oil at least once a year regardless of mileage, but I don't believe that's necessary. Maybe if you're not using synthetic oil, but like others have said I don't believe oil goes bad.

I do all my own maintenance and of all the cars I own it would take me a full day or two of work to change the oil in all of them every year. Every other year like Boomster said is a good idea to be safe. I also have some cars that have seen one oil change in five years like josiahg52 and haven't had any problems.

The only thing I would recommend if you do let a car sit for more than a year or so without starting it is to take the spark plugs out and pour a small amount of oil into the cylinders and turn the engine over without starting it to lubricate the cylinder walls and build up oil pressure for the bearings in the event there isn't a good film of oil in the engine.

That's probably not a big concern with a good quality synthetic oil, but I have done that for cars I haven't driven in several years.

 

Like others have said, the oil shouldn’t degrade over a few years from just sitting. It’s contamination (commonly from fuel) or heat that breaks down oil - resulting in the need for replacement before sludging, etc… occurs.

The longevity on these new synthetics is actually quite impressive as well. I see no issue personally in going 3 years between changes if so few miles are put on the car. But that’s just my $0.02.l (We’ve all seen the lips debate threads. Lol)

Just for some perspective on my trends, I go 5-6k maintenance intervals on my m5, 4-5k miles on my Mercedes g500 (little earlier based on how much I offroad), and 3-4 years on my air cooled 911 - given that it gets maybe 1-2k miles over that period. I’ve been running full synthetic in all of them, but recently went back to dyno oil in my 911 since it seemed silly to be doing such expensive changes with so few miles on in the car (I think it has a 10L capacity which also influences oil longevity).

 

This is a debate that will rage on for years to come. Practically speaking your fine. I go 8k-10k on my changes in all my cars regardless of age but I’m hitting that within 2 years or less on my vehicles or I’m doing other work and I’m staring down the drain plug and figure since I’m there I’ll knock it out if I’m close to that mileage. Research for yourself the science data on sythetics and you’ll realize your fine to wait, but hey you also have a sweet S62 there so feeding it new oil every 2 or 3 years even though your mileage is low is ok as it’s the cheapest thing to do on the beast!! Maybe it’s insurance to proper lubrication And the beast deserves the best!!

 

I use bmw twin turbo 10w60
And yes I do started engine every 10 days.
And do drive the car each months for like 80 kilometres distance I think that is enough for oil to heat up.

Thanks

 

The oil does not go bad just sitting in the engine. Time is irrelevant, its the miles you put on that oil that matter. Sometimes it takes me few years to get to where I put enough miles on some of my cars to warrant the oil change. No need to waste oil/money if you don't drive the car.

 

Just be aware if you dont drive it often the oil gets fuel and water in it which wont butn off as its not at operating temp

 

Not by sitting there. Short duration trips or commutes are what will contaminate the oil due to the cold start fuel enrichment and subsequent condensation during engine cooldown.

I drive my M5 once a year at a minimum for at least 20 miles. Gets the engine and oil up to temperature. In-service oil analysis shows no issue with this type of operation. I wasn't sure myself what potential issue I might be creating so I took action to quantify it. Surprise, there is no issue. I have used Mobil 1 5W50 for over a decade. Maybe in three years I'll change the oil just because. Maybe just the filter. I'm not really concerned.

 

As long as we're not talking decades and the car is driven at some interval, most oils and fluids are not age sensitive (i.e., they don't degrade much). This is not true for things like brake fluid, which is hydrophilic. That should be changed every at least every year (DOT4) or every two years (DOT3). You can go more than two years, but I personally wouldn't take that gamble.

 

I'm looking for the currently approved oil for e39 M5 (and not getting into a flame about oils). Last change was Castrol Edge Supercar 10w-60.
On topic, I did ask Blackstone labs how much time can you wait to get an oil change with low miles (I get oil analysis done for all cars at every oil change), and this was their response:

My problem here is that I only drove the vehicle 1300 miles since the last oil change 29 months ago. I've been reading that the oil should be changed yearly at any rate. Thoughts?

Thanks for your question. In our opinion, yearly oil changes are unnecessary for modern engines if they're not driving much. They're sealed up well from environmental factors, so things like corrosion
and condensation/contamination aren't really concerns like they were back in the day. Based on this report, we don't see any signs that the engine had any trouble going a couple years between oil changes, so you can feel good about basing your oil changes on mileage as opposed to calendar time. We still think 3,000 miles or so would be fine for next time, even if it takes a while to get there.
Sincerely,
Blackstone Laboratories

Btw, what's the cutoff for modern engines? Looking at the vehicles I have on my account, do the 2001 740iL and the 2002 M5 also fit into this category?

We tend to consider anything from the 90s on to be modern, so both your other engines would fit too, so doing mileage-based intervals should be fine for them as well.
Sincerely,
Blackstone Laboratories