Is there a formula for servicing cars with very low monthly mileage?

Is there a formula for calculating when to have various types of
service done if the monthly mileage is very low?

I have a 1999 Lexus LS400.

I used to live 30 miles from my office. A year ago, I moved to an
office about 2 miles away. Between the much shorter commute and
walking to work some of the time, I put less than 4,000 miles on the
car in the last 12 months.

The owner's manual says to do an A-level service (oil change) every 4
months or 5,000 miles. One of the Lexus techs told me that mileage is
much more important than time and I could easily go at least 8 or 12
months between A-level services if the mileage was under 5,000 miles.
Another tech told me that I should do whichever comes first.

What is the truth? It seems a little silly to me to take it in every 4
months when it may have gone less than 1,000 miles since the last
A-level service. Now I know that short driving is much harder on the
engine than longer drives. But can I safely go 8 months? 12?

The same question goes for the B, C, and D-level service.

The B-level (A = transmission) is recommended every 12 months or 15K
miles. It would take me 4-5 years to accumlate 15K miles.

The C-level (A + B + brakes & A/C) is recommended every 2 years or
30K. I probably wouldn't accumulate 30K until 8-10 years.

Finally, the D-level (A + B + C + plugs and valves) is recommended
every 4 years or 60K miles.

Thanks

--

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 19:20:02 -0700, LurfysMa >
wrote:

>Is there a formula for calculating when to have various types of
>service done if the monthly mileage is very low?
>

When you are only doing short trips in the car the engine never gets
up to temp so moisture and other contaminents can collect in the oil.
I would stick to the reccomended four month change cycle. I would
also stick to their time schedule for coolant and to a lesser extent
brake fluid. The transmission fluid doesn't get contaminated as bad
because there are no combustion byproducts in the trans so that one
isn't as important. Any hard parts will last their normal mileage
lifetime.

Steve B.

Two miles each way? Those short trips getcha right in the motor oil,
since you never get it warmed up enough to chase the volatile
contaminants. I'm with those who say you should change it according to
the severe-service schedule, or thereabouts.

And try to find excuses to take a good ride on weekends, at least 10
miles and preferably a few tens of miles, with a stretch of highway
speed involved. This might extend the value of "thereabouts." (It's
more or less educated guesswork, not science, unless you drop more than
the price of an oil change for an oil analysis.)

This is also good for the battery, which will tend to go flat on a car
that is driven seldom and only for short distances -- especially with a
lot of electrical accessories running.

Use the air conditioner or defroster for at least a few minutes when
you do this -- keeps their seals happy. Actually, you should probably
exercise all accessories, such as power windows, sunroof,
driver-controlled suspension settings, etc. at least once in a while.

Keep an eye on the exhaust system too, as the years go by. Some
quality cars these days have stainless exhausts so short trips don't
kill 'em from the inside out. As you walk to work, watch the tailpipes
of freshly started cars on a humid day, as their owners pull out of the
driveway. You'll see water dripping or even fairly pouring out!
Whatever water vapor was in the intake air recondenses as the
temperature goes down, and when a car isn't gotten fully warm, it can
linger in the muffler and pipes.

I can't imagine that the brakes, tranny, or internal engine adjustments
such as valves will need to have any work done before their mileage
thresholds. (Does this car have belts or chains to run the timing?)

Best of luck,
--Joe

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 02:59:55 GMT, Steve B. > wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 19:20:02 -0700, LurfysMa >
>wrote:
>
>>Is there a formula for calculating when to have various types of
>>service done if the monthly mileage is very low?
>>
>
>When you are only doing short trips in the car the engine never gets
>up to temp so moisture and other contaminents can collect in the oil.

It's not *only* short trips, just mostly short trips. A few times a
month, it will go at least 10 and as many as 50 miles.

>I would stick to the reccomended four month change cycle. I would
>also stick to their time schedule for coolant and to a lesser extent
>brake fluid. The transmission fluid doesn't get contaminated as bad
>because there are no combustion byproducts in the trans so that one
>isn't as important. Any hard parts will last their normal mileage
>lifetime.
>
> Steve B.


--

On 14 Jun 2005 20:54:10 -0700, "Ad absurdum per aspera"
> wrote:

>Two miles each way? Those short trips getcha right in the motor oil,
>since you never get it warmed up enough to chase the volatile
>contaminants. I'm with those who say you should change it according to
>the severe-service schedule, or thereabouts.
>
>And try to find excuses to take a good ride on weekends, at least 10
>miles and preferably a few tens of miles, with a stretch of highway
>speed involved. This might extend the value of "thereabouts." (It's
>more or less educated guesswork, not science, unless you drop more than
>the price of an oil change for an oil analysis.)

It does go for longer trips (10-50 miles) at least a couple of times a
month.

>This is also good for the battery, which will tend to go flat on a car
>that is driven seldom and only for short distances -- especially with a
>lot of electrical accessories running.
>
>Use the air conditioner or defroster for at least a few minutes when
>you do this -- keeps their seals happy. Actually, you should probably
>exercise all accessories, such as power windows, sunroof,
>driver-controlled suspension settings, etc. at least once in a while.

The LS400 has the automatic envorinmental controls, so the A/C is on
almost all the time. I live in the SF Bay Area so it's never really
cold and can be warm enough for A/C even in February.

>Keep an eye on the exhaust system too, as the years go by. Some
>quality cars these days have stainless exhausts so short trips don't
>kill 'em from the inside out. As you walk to work, watch the tailpipes
>of freshly started cars on a humid day, as their owners pull out of the
>driveway. You'll see water dripping or even fairly pouring out!
>Whatever water vapor was in the intake air recondenses as the
>temperature goes down, and when a car isn't gotten fully warm, it can
>linger in the muffler and pipes.

I don't know if this car has stainless steel exhausts or not.

>I can't imagine that the brakes, tranny, or internal engine adjustments
>such as valves will need to have any work done before their mileage
>thresholds. (Does this car have belts or chains to run the timing?)

I think it has a timing belt because the tech told me I should have
that replaced based on time, rather than mileage, also. The car only
has 50K miles, but it's a 1999 so the timing belt is 6-7 years old.

>Best of luck,
>--Joe


--

On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 22:40:02 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"
> wrote:

>In article >,
> LurfysMa > wrote:
>
>> I used to live 30 miles from my office. A year ago, I moved to an
>> office about 2 miles away. Between the much shorter commute and
>> walking to work some of the time, I put less than 4,000 miles on the
>> car in the last 12 months.
>
>that's what we call "severe service". Your manual has a schedule for
>that.

The owner's manual has a section entitled "Special Operating
Conditions", which are any of the following:

1. Towing a trailer or camper or using a cartop carrier.

2. Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles in temperatures below
freezing.

3. Extensive idling or low-speed driving for long distances as in
heavy commercial use such as delivery, taxi, or patrol car.

4. Operating on rough, muddy, or salt-covered roads.

5. Operating on unpaved or dusty roads.

The only one I even come close to is #2 and around here it rarely gets
below 45F and that would be late at night when I would not likely be
driving.


--

In article .com>,
Ad absurdum per aspera > wrote:
>I can't imagine that the brakes, tranny, or internal engine adjustments
>such as valves will need to have any work done before their mileage
>thresholds.

However, brake fluid absorbs water based more on time than mileage, so
pay attention to the time limit for brake fluid changes.

Also, note that low mileage driving is often mostly city or short trip
driving, which wears out brake pads in less mileage than highway driving.

Pay attention to tire condition -- low mileage cars may have their tires
rot and crack from age before their tread is used up.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee
Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome.
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.

"LurfysMa" > wrote in message
...
> Is there a formula for calculating when to have various types of
> service done if the monthly mileage is very low?
>
> I have a 1999 Lexus LS400.
>
> I used to live 30 miles from my office. A year ago, I moved to an
> office about 2 miles away. Between the much shorter commute and
> walking to work some of the time, I put less than 4,000 miles on the
> car in the last 12 months.
>
> The owner's manual says to do an A-level service (oil change) every 4
> months or 5,000 miles. One of the Lexus techs told me that mileage is
> much more important than time and I could easily go at least 8 or 12
> months between A-level services if the mileage was under 5,000 miles.
> Another tech told me that I should do whichever comes first.
>
> What is the truth? It seems a little silly to me to take it in every 4
> months when it may have gone less than 1,000 miles since the last
> A-level service. Now I know that short driving is much harder on the
> engine than longer drives. But can I safely go 8 months? 12?
>
> The same question goes for the B, C, and D-level service.
>
> The B-level (A = transmission) is recommended every 12 months or 15K
> miles. It would take me 4-5 years to accumlate 15K miles.
>
> The C-level (A + B + brakes & A/C) is recommended every 2 years or
> 30K. I probably wouldn't accumulate 30K until 8-10 years.
>
> Finally, the D-level (A + B + C + plugs and valves) is recommended
> every 4 years or 60K miles.
>
> Thanks
>
> --

This might sound like a smart ass comment, but I live 3 miles from where I
work, and I started riding my bike. I only use my car for shopping and
longer trips. I also lost about 25 pounds!

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 17:50:45 GMT, (Timothy J. Lee)
wrote:

>In article .com>,
>Ad absurdum per aspera > wrote:
>>I can't imagine that the brakes, tranny, or internal engine adjustments
>>such as valves will need to have any work done before their mileage
>>thresholds.
>
>However, brake fluid absorbs water based more on time than mileage, so
>pay attention to the time limit for brake fluid changes.

OK

>Also, note that low mileage driving is often mostly city or short trip
>driving, which wears out brake pads in less mileage than highway driving.
>
>Pay attention to tire condition -- low mileage cars may have their tires
>rot and crack from age before their tread is used up.

How long before a tire will rot and crack from age?

Does my driving qualify as "low mileage" in the sense of requiring
special precautions? My actual mileage from 7/04 to 5/05 was 3,000
(48,000 to 51,000). That's about 300 miles/month or 3,600 miles/year.

I'd estimate that I rive to work about 3 times a week at about 3 miles
round trip. That's about 40 miles/month. The other 260 miles/month is
longer drives (average 10-20 miles each) with an occasional longer
drive (50-100 miles).


--

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:28:04 -0500, "Dan J.S." > wrote:

>
>"LurfysMa" > wrote in message
.. .
>> Is there a formula for calculating when to have various types of
>> service done if the monthly mileage is very low?
>>
>> I have a 1999 Lexus LS400.
>>
>> I used to live 30 miles from my office. A year ago, I moved to an
>> office about 2 miles away. Between the much shorter commute and
>> walking to work some of the time, I put less than 4,000 miles on the
>> car in the last 12 months.
>>
>> The owner's manual says to do an A-level service (oil change) every 4
>> months or 5,000 miles. One of the Lexus techs told me that mileage is
>> much more important than time and I could easily go at least 8 or 12
>> months between A-level services if the mileage was under 5,000 miles.
>> Another tech told me that I should do whichever comes first.
>>
>> What is the truth? It seems a little silly to me to take it in every 4
>> months when it may have gone less than 1,000 miles since the last
>> A-level service. Now I know that short driving is much harder on the
>> engine than longer drives. But can I safely go 8 months? 12?
>>
>> The same question goes for the B, C, and D-level service.
>>
>> The B-level (A = transmission) is recommended every 12 months or 15K
>> miles. It would take me 4-5 years to accumlate 15K miles.
>>
>> The C-level (A + B + brakes & A/C) is recommended every 2 years or
>> 30K. I probably wouldn't accumulate 30K until 8-10 years.
>>
>> Finally, the D-level (A + B + C + plugs and valves) is recommended
>> every 4 years or 60K miles.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> --
>
>This might sound like a smart ass comment, but I live 3 miles from where I
>work, and I started riding my bike. I only use my car for shopping and
>longer trips. I also lost about 25 pounds!

Not smart ass at all. I don't have a bike, but I do walk sometimes.
One problem is I often have to lug a fairly large briefcase with files
and a laptop computer. But it is a good suggestion.

Maybe I'll look into a bike. But then I'd have even lower mileage on
the car and even more questions! ;-)

--