"jw 1111" > wrote in message
...
> Hi, My car (toyota petrol 1.3) does a smallish mileage in a year say
> around 5000 miles, mainly
> on fairly short distances around town. what would be the 'time' limit to
> reasonably extend oil changes for economy reasons using a semi synthetic
> oil ?
>
> I suspect a lot of people will immediately say don't economize in this
> way.
> However some forty years ago I had a conversation with a professor of an
> engineering college and he said engine oil does not degrade 'time wise' as
> fast as most people think ( and importantly as the oil companies would
> wish us to
> believe). So by how much time could one reasonably delay an oil change
> with
> modern oils?
>

Well I always buy a car from new, and keep it 7 or 8 years, typically doing
100 - 130k miles over that time.
Never have them serviced, and just keep the fluids topped up.
Haven't 'lost' an engine yet. How many car breakdowns do you see by the side
of the road due to 'inadequate oil changes"?
Yea you might get a bit of extra wear, but hey, an engine will be scrapped
typically before its 150k mile birthday, well before its expiry date.

This is all myth and magic to get punters to shell out on expensive oil and
spares.

As long as you keep all your fluids topped up it'll be fine IMHO

Kev