You could go once a year, but. Those low miles will cause condensation in the oil that might not burn. Make 6-month changes with any synthetic product. A daily driver usually accumulates 2 to 4 driving cycles per day, about 28 per week.
Therefore, 2,000 in 6 months indicate a lot of short trips and it is absolutely necessary to change that oil. A weekend that can have 3 to 6 driving cycles a week can generally go a year without oil changes. An average 3,000 mile quick lubrication sticker gives you a general suggestion about when to change the oil based on a very strict maintenance schedule. After all, their job is to sell oil changes.
The real authority you should consult first if you're making a precautionary mistake and aren't looking for a new lawn mower is your vehicle's owner's manual. Different vehicles have different maintenance needs, especially with recent advances in automotive technology, which have reduced the oil change intervals of some newer cars to 7,500 or 10,000 miles, or once every six to 12 months. Even if you don't drive very often and don't reach the recommended mileage range, it's best to change your oil twice a year. The oil may be fine, but the real enemy is engine moisture.
If you don't run your car for a long time and very often, the engine won't get hot enough to burn this moisture and the oil won't be as effective at lubricating the engine, eventually shortening the engine's lifespan. Few things are better than simply taking the rod out of the motor to check it visually. Even new cars can consume some oil and may need to be refilled, so it's a good idea to do this about once a month. Taking a look at the dipstick can also give you an idea of when you should change the oil based on your habits of driving.
Watch for common warning signs of engine damage while looking at the dipstick. If the oil looks lighter or cloudy than usual, frothy like coffee froth with milk, in extreme cases coolant may enter the engine, perhaps due to a broken cylinder head gasket. Watch out for shiny pieces of metal, too. This usually means internal damage to the engine, possibly because the metal parts are not lubricated well enough.
Either way, if the oil looks too shiny for comfort or smells too much like another liquid (such as a coolant), it's a good time to perform an analysis of the oil to determine how it could have occurred. Heating the engine oil helps the oil circulate one last time, heating it up so that it can flow out more freely through the oil drain plug. You could extract enough to take a sample, but the results may exaggerate the amount of dirt hiding in the drain. Instead, be sure to take the oil sample halfway through the flow to get the best representation of what's in the oil pan oil.
I used an empty, dry water bottle, of course. In the case of Blackstone, you wrap the sample jar in absorbent material, seal it in a plastic bag, and then place it in a larger plastic container, which you also seal. That one has a prepaid USPS sticker on it, so it might not work. Oil is not a dangerous material, but some post offices may make you foolish to send it.
Refer them to USPS Publication 52, “Dangerous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail.” Alternatively, simply place the sample in a box. How to choose the right motor oil for your car How to clean your headlights and make them shine How to check your car's 6 essential fluids. The “every 3,000 miles or every three months” rule is outdated due to advances in engines and oil. Many car manufacturers have oil change intervals of 7,500 or even 10,000 miles and six to 12 months.
Each rod has some way of indicating the appropriate oil level, whether it's two holes, the letters L and H (low and high), the words MIN and MAX, or simply a scratched area. On many newer models, the weight of the car's engine oil is printed on the cap where the oil is added and appears in the maintenance section of the owner's manual. For my older cars, as long as I'm within the mileage limit for the oil change and I'm at the proper level, I'll wait to do the next oil and filter change after a full year has elapsed.
