does engine oil have a shelf life?

[omodos]

here is my query, alas don't drive my x5 much at the moment, had an oil change recently, now if I don't cover the 10km before an oil change could I leave the oil in a biut longer?I know everyone(bmw, audi etc etc) recommends a change everyear regardless of mileage but what is the truth?

[JCL]

If the oil in the engine is clean (ie, you haven't driven it at all) you could leave it longer without any worries. That is the definition of shelf life, to me. If you have been driving it, but not much, and it gets to a year but has very low mileage it is really your call. The oil is contaminated somewhat. Manufacturers aren't recommending annual oil changes like they used to. It has long been considered good practice to change it annually at a minimum, and many enthusiasts will do it annually on principle. Personally, I now let mine go more than a year, and my usual change is closer to 18 months. I wouldn't leave it much longer than that.

[X5 Meister]

BMW does recommend annual oil changes which are covered under warranty. There is an SIB on it as well.

[omodos]

ok thanks for th replies

[faz]

To the best of my knowledge, engine oil inside the engine goes acidic with time, and there are additives in the engine oil to cancel this out. Synthetic engine oils have enough of these additives that can keep them ok for a year, non-synthetic oils have a lot less and are recommended to be changed every 3 months.

So, if the oil is on the shelf in your garage, it stays ok.

If it is in your car, and it is synthetic, change it at least once a year.
If it is in your car and is regular oil, change it at least every 3 months.

In colder climates, where people store their motorcycles for the winter, it is recommended practice to change the oil before storing the bike, and again immediately afterwards before riding it again in the summer.

[TaMbALoLoNg]

I determine my oil life based on milage not time. It's just common sense.

[dkl]

Originally Posted by TaMbALoLoNg

I determine my oil life based on milage not time. It's just common sense.

That logic only works if you drive reasonable milage during the year. The OP's question was for low usage.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by mgruber

BMW does recommend annual oil changes which are covered under warranty. There is an SIB on it as well.

Not anymore. The SIB is on the home page if you want to review it. It is old. It applies to models that aren't in production any longer. It also recommends an oil spec that has been superceded by a few generations of improved oils.

It is not a bad idea to do an annual change, but you can't necessarily play the BMW recommendation card. Some dealers will do it as a courtesy under your maintenance plan. Many won't.

[X5 Meister]

I have to disagree. The SIB was issued a while ago, but it has not been superceded by a new SIB/TIB to cancel it out. Thus it still applies. MY 05 X5 just got it's annual oil change 2 weeks ago under warranty. I'm also pretty sure it says in the service book to do an annual change, though I'll have to double check.

[X5 Meister]

You are correct. Oil does degrade over time regardless of use.

By the way, it also says in the manual to change the oil at least every 2 years for those cars that get very little use (less then 6,000 miles)

Originally Posted by faz

To the best of my knowledge, engine oil inside the engine goes acidic with time, and there are additives in the engine oil to cancel this out. Synthetic engine oils have enough of these additives that can keep them ok for a year, non-synthetic oils have a lot less and are recommended to be changed every 3 months.

So, if the oil is on the shelf in your garage, it stays ok.

If it is in your car, and it is synthetic, change it at least once a year.
If it is in your car and is regular oil, change it at least every 3 months.

In colder climates, where people store their motorcycles for the winter, it is recommended practice to change the oil before storing the bike, and again immediately afterwards before riding it again in the summer.