I’m sure there is already a thread for this but my search couldn’t find it. Just put my 2005 Roadster back on the road this week after winter storage and was about to DIY change the oil. Checking it first I noticed it was so clean I could barely see the topped up level. This car get driven very minimally every year, only goes through 1 tank of gas before storage again. Do I really need to change it every year? Could I extend it to every 2nd or even 3rd year?

 

All I can say is synthetic oil lasts longer than the old school oil.

 

I average around 3000 miles a year. I change mine oil once a year when winter comes.

 

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It is entirely up to you. I have gone 1 1/2 years and the oil still looked good (reason I didn't change it at the 1 year mark). Good luck with whatever you choose.


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Thanks all. I guess you noticed my error in calling it a 2025 Roadster. Fixed!

 

I would recommend reaching out to one of the many car museums and ask one of their tech advisors or hands-on techs. The Lane Car Museum in Nashville, TN, and the Savoy in Cartersville, GA move a lot of cars in and out of inventory and curate displays of cars from private collections that don't get driven very much. The Lane even sponsors events where the general public can drive selected museum cars for short distances for the experiences. I wouldn't be surprised if a letter or email to Jay Leno or some other celebrity car collector yielded a good answer.

My personal reaction would be this: I have always understood that cars benefit from at least a modest amount of use on a regular basis, and although collector cars are not driven all that much, the seals, bearings, tires, and most moving parts last longer and perform better if they are put in motion or subject to circulation of fluids, etc. I don't know what the "sweet spot" is for this, but I suspect that it may be more than one tank of gas a year. Also, my military training for preventive maintenance (back in the dinosaur days of the 1970's and 1980's) required regular fluid changes at times intervals even if mileage/usage intervals had not been met. I honestly don't know if this is technically necessary, but I do know that the military probably maintains more vehicles than any other entity, and throw-in the Feds with all their vehicles (Black Suburbans, anyone?) and there is probably a wide variety of mileage/time interval at play. Find a savvy Vet Motor Pool NCO (many in car clubs) and ask. Finally, my own experience has been that when I wiggle my aging body under a car for an oil change (I have no faith in the suction extractors from the top) I get a chance to inspect things that I normally don't see: suspension/bushings, ball joints, seals and plugs, exhaust components, CATs and catalytic converters, etc. This not only gives me a chance to identify and fix potential problems before they strand me on the roadside, but it also helps give me confidence that my car is in good condition for the demands I place on it.

OIl and filters are relatively inexpensive. Inexpensive is my favorite price! I don't know how hygroscopic motor oil is, so I don't know if water and condensation play a part in this question. There are basically two schools of thought: 1) If it ain;t broke, don't fix it. 2) It couldn't hurt and it just might help.

Bottom line: Ask the experts. Although you may well get as many different answers as you would here on this great Forum!

 

NWGACarGuy, thank you for your valuable reply. You have moved my 50/50 position on doing an oil change now to a 80/20 in favour of. I already have the materials so it will only require me to endure once again getting oil up to my armpits in an attempt to keep it all in the recovery pan. A small price to pay for the peace of mind knowing that the engine will at least be happy!
Thanks also for the other responses.

 

Rag Top, I'll throw my 2 cents in here: I think it depends on how your car is stored.
A heated and cooled storage space (think forced draft, or heat pump for keeping it warm and A/C for cooling) with a fairly constrained and consisitent temperature will do a lot to reduce condensation and prolong the life of your engine oil. If it is stored were temperature and air flow are not controlled you will develope corrosion on wire connectors, rust on steel parts and condensation within the engine. The longer the car sits in one place, and importantly the longer between driving intervals the more important the storage space becomes. Even with near perfect storage your tires will break down and must be changed about ever 5 ~ 6 years regardless.

 

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No need to get oil all over the place, many here use a vac pump (like the topsider) and slip the hose into the dipstick tube. This way everything is on top of the engine. Make sure when you replace the filter you put the top "o" ring in the correct slot, or you'll wind up with oil throughout the engine compartment. Just an FYI.


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Thanks, Zip439. All excellent points. My storage is in an unheated garage, so not the best environment to be sure. Four months of solid sub zero temps but six weeks of Spring variation before I get it going in early May. I will monitor accordingly.

 

Well NO WONDER you only burn a tank of gas a year!!! Where are you storing it? In an igloo? I didn't know one could drive to the North Pole!

 

You should invest in a pneumatic pump. It makes life so much easier. No more raising the car up and crawling under it, removing the splash shield, etc... I got it for a decent price from amazon.
Here's a post I did when I first changed my oil with one: LINK - Oil Change from the top

 

I have heard all the arguments in favor of the pump method, but you will never convince me that it actually gets all the crud that settles to the bottom of the oil pan. Gravity will have its way despite nature abhorring a vacuum. And how does one clean the metal particles that appear on the magnetic portion of the drain plug? Believe me, my Geezer body complains loudly every time I jack-up a car and crawl under it! However. I also assert that if one is not inspecting the underside of one's car, then one better be paying someone else to do it regularly. Or, as the old commercial goes "Pay me now, or pay me later." Someone will be under your car after things go "CLUNK" in the night. And it will likely cost you more than if you had caught it earlier.

 

I do all of my own work on my car. The only time I would let a mechanic work on my car is if it was physically impossible for me to do it, or if I didn't have the right tools.
You're never going to get all of the oil out of the car, unless you disassemble the engine and clean it.

 

Oil change intervals are controverrial. Lots of opinions. I agree: Run synthetic oil and change the oil filter every 10,000 miles. Regular oil breaks down over time. Synthetic does not. I have known car and trruck owners who never changed their synthetic oil. Even after 200,000+ milles. Just changed the oil filter and added oil as neccessary. I run Euro 0W40 synthetic and change oil and filter at 10,000 miles on my SRT-6 and 2 Audis (per service manuals).

 

In the old days with nonsynthetic oils and carbureted engines, it was mostly the high tolerances between the engine parts that allowed oil, gasoline and exhaust gasses into the crankcase that contaminated the oil. Unless you have very high mileage there is far less contamination. IMHO

 

A few things I have learned from an AMG engineer in Affalterbach, Germany.
1) The American oil change intervals claimed by service stations are just to make money for them (3,000 miles usually). Per the engineer, synthetic oils can easily last 10-12K miles and sometimes more. He does caveat this with the fact that it's good quality oil (like 0W40 or 5W40).
2) Most importantly he said is that there is always enough oil in the engine - to him that was more important than these low mileage oil changes.
3) ALWAYS use a synthetic filter, NOT paper.
4) Mercedes Dealerships do NOT release the oil from under the vehicle. They use pneumatic pumps to extract the oil from the top, which is why oil and filter are readily available to withdraw from the top. He said that is perfectly fine and he claims if it's a good pump, taking your time, and the car is either perfectly straight or slightly lifted in the read, you will get as much out, if not more, than releasing from the bottom. If you have deposits in the pan, they won't come out if you release from the bottom.

I do trust the experts. I know some of those statements might come as a surprise. But was very interesting talking to him and seeing the factory. High tech, super clean, very cool place and fascinating.

 

The interval oil change on my 2005 Mercedes CLK 500 is 12,000 miles per the owners manual and the FSS. It has the big brother engine the M113 to our M112. Which is what nickwe21 posted above.

I also change the oil from above. One time out of curiosity I wanted to know how much oil I was leaving in the engine after vacuum from the top. I removed the drain plug and got an additional tablespoon and a half to drain out.
I also use Needswings oil catch can and sometimes it will have water mixed with the oil and at others it will be just oil. Which is showing me the conditions of the oil changes with the environment the car is driven or stored.

PS I have a lift in my shop.

 

So, after all the excellent explanations and research done by my fellow Forum members, I am now a newly converted "Extraction From The Top" Car Guy. All I have to do is save up the money for the equipment (and survive the current total brake job I am doing, but more about that later...)

There has actually been one more happenstance that helped with the conversion. I took my Porsche Boxster to my trustworthy and expert Indy shop for a full suspension refresh (yeah - at age 74 those days are behind me - thank goodness!). While I have touted the benefits of crawling under the car for an oil change and inspecting the components and parts underneath at the same time, it turns out that I missed some things that could only be discovered on a lift (or by a person with a rubber neck and X-ray vision). As you can imagine, most of the issues involved aged rubber parts and bushings that had broken in spots practically impossible to see on one's back. My Indy (who has done great work on my Crossfire) will actually do these inspections free (no mystery as to why, but they are scrupulously honest). So, henceforth, I change the oil from above, and let the pros with the lifts do the inspection underneath. On behalf of my back, my neck, my shoulders, and my skull (yeah - I invariably bounce my head off of something under there) I would like to extend my sincere gratitude for showing me the error of my ways, and pointing me toward the light (NO not THAT light! I am a young 74 year old Car Guy) Thanks!

I would appreciate some recommendations about some of the better units out there for topside extraction.

 

Here's the one that I use. It can be used manually or with an air compressor. If you don't have a compressor, you can get a less expensive one with a manual pump only. Make sure that it has a 2.3 gallon/9 liter capacity.