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Low mileage oil changes

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Old Aug 29, 2010 | 03:08 PM
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Default Low mileage oil changes

I live close to work and only put about 4000 miles a year on MY04.
I change the oil & filter (mobil 1) before I put the car away for the Winter.
A mechanic recently told me that it would be better to change the oil in the spring due to condensation. I searched the topic and consensus seems to be in spring and fall however not sure if this applies to low milers.
I want to do what is right but don't want to waste money.
Appreciate your help.
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Old Aug 29, 2010 | 05:23 PM
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On my motorcycle which gets stored in the winter, I change the oil before I put it into storage to get clean oil in it, but I usually just use a cheap oil, since it's just sitting. Then in the spring, I change it again because of condensation. I would probably do the same with the S2K. If I were to do it only once, I would probably do it in the spring so I have clean oil for when I start driving again.
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Old Aug 29, 2010 | 07:46 PM
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Thanks for the advice
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Old Aug 30, 2010 | 08:17 AM
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I would just change it in the spring. All winter the oil will just sit in the pan, and if you do any brief startup in the spring before an oil change, any moisture would be minimal and quickly burned off, before being drained with the old oil.
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Old Aug 30, 2010 | 09:03 PM
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My S is now my rainy day driver and sits unused for 9-10 months while I ride my bike, first sign of rain the S comes out to play. I change the oil before I put it away for the summer.

I kind of miss my S being my daily driver which it was for 2 years but give me a choice between 2 and 4 wheels and 2 wheels always wins.
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Old Aug 31, 2010 | 07:13 AM
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If you don't want to waste money then buy Amsoil. Then you won't have to change it for 25,000 miles. My stepdad's a dealer and I speak from experience with several cars.
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Old Aug 31, 2010 | 10:19 AM
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Originally Posted by common reactor,Aug 31 2010, 07:13 AM
If you don't want to waste money then buy Amsoil. Then you won't have to change it for 25,000 miles. My stepdad's a dealer and I speak from experience with several cars.
The problem is your oil filter could fail in 10,000 miles without changing it.
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Old Aug 31, 2010 | 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by JLUDE,Aug 31 2010, 08:19 PM
The problem is your oil filter could fail in 10,000 miles without changing it.
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Old Aug 31, 2010 | 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Saki GT,Aug 30 2010, 12:17 PM
I would just change it in the spring. All winter the oil will just sit in the pan, and if you do any brief startup in the spring before an oil change, any moisture would be minimal and quickly burned off, before being drained with the old oil.
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Old Aug 31, 2010 | 03:08 PM
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change it in the fall so your oil doesn't have acids in it that accumulate over the summer months and sitting all winter long. Clean oil sitting in the winter won't harm the engine, as mentioned above condensation will burn off quickly on the first drive and clean fresh oil has additives to deal with it just fine.
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