When Should I Change My Oil

[Edgemere]

Greetings,

I have a 2022 Mustang GT Premium with 1800 miles on it. I bought it 1n the Fall of 2023 with 563 miles. I then changed the oil at 700 miles using the Ford required synthetic oil & filter, and stored it for the winter. It is a Summer car only and I will probably put 3500 miles on it each year. I do not track or drag race my Mustang.

I would like to change the oil once a year in the Fall before I store my Mustang for the winter. Can I get by changing the oil only once a year? Should I change it mid Summer again because of break in, and then start my yearly routine of changing my oil in the Fall.?

My Mustang computer states that I have 30% life left before an oil change is needed. What are you all doing? Please advise.

Thanks...............

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[momalle1]

You'll find that many people in your situation change it once per year. Personally, I change mine when I take it out for the good weather and again when I put it away for the bad weather, so twice a year.

 

[HKusp]

I would do what he said^^^^^^.

 

[luca1290]

I'm in the crowd of doing it once, before storing.

 

[markayash]

He did a good video on when to change your oil for new engines and makes it interesting.

 

[Jjmoberg]

I change mine every Nov around its delivery date anniversary.

I change my 6.2 F250 every May around its delivery anniversary.

Both see 2500-4000 miles a year. Both are driven in winter (obviously for the truck and when conditions are nice for the Stang)

 

[Qcman17]

I basically do mine once per year as I put on maybe 4000 miles or so each year. I try to get it close to the end of season before parking but this year it didn't work out so I just parked it as is. Car only sat unused for 2 months so it wasn't long enough to matter anyways.

 

[raydog1]

Every March for me and it's always around 5-10% on the oil life gauge.

 

[skier75]

I agree with @momalle1 - When previously living in snow states, on any car I've stored for winter, I changed in the spring when I took it out and in the fall when I put it away. Oil change is cheap insurance.

 

[Fly2High]

Did you read what is in the owner's manual?

pg 449 - 450 says:

Your vehicle is equipped with an intelligent oil-life monitor that determines oil life based on engine operating conditions.

• Under normal operating conditions, a message appears in the information display to indicate the regular oil change interval.
• Under severe operating conditions, the oil change interval may reduce, and the message interval may adjust.

High performance vehicles can be driven in such a way that may lead to higher oil consumption (this includes extended time at high engine speeds, high loads, engine braking, hard cornering maneuvers, and track use).

Under these conditions, oil consumption of approximately 1 quart per 500 miles (1 liter per 800 km) is possible. As a result, the engine oil level needs to be checked at every refueling and adjusted to maintain proper level to avoid engine damage.

Note: Oil level should not exceed the maximum mark on the indicator. See Engine Oil Check (page 263).

When the oil change message appears in the information display, it is time for an oil change. Make sure you perform the oil change within two weeks or 500 mi (800 km) of the message appearing. Make sure you reset the Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor after each oil change. See Oil Change Indicator Reset (page 264).

If your information display resets prematurely or becomes inoperative, you should perform the oil change interval at six months or 5,000 mi (8,000 km) from your last oil change. Never exceed one year or 10,000 mi (16,000 km) between oil change intervals

pg 452 starts with

NORMAL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor™ Your vehicle has an Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor that determines when you should change the engine oil based on how you use your vehicle. By using several important factors in its calculations, the monitor helps reduce the cost of owning your vehicle and reduces environmental waste at the same time.

got to pg 453 shows this:

If it is a V8, I do not know anyone who doesn't drive the car, shall I say, 'spirited' which , to me, pushes us to severe or extreme.

For me, I have a '19 GT PP2 which gets an oil change every 4 months like clockwork. Did I mention I only have 11,600 miles on it and yes it is my daily driver. I am fortunate to work 5 miles from home. YMMV but I would rather change too much and do all the other checks I do than push my luck.

For those who drive it in non winter months, I could see myself changing to start of the season and again at the end of the season just like I do with lawn gear and snowblowers.

 

[Skye]

I received my car in June of 2022, new.

In the Fall of 2022, right before Winter storage, I crossed 1,000 mi / 1,600 km, a break-in milestone for the engine and drivetrain. The car was then stored until the Spring of 2023. A few hundred more miles in the Spring of 2023, the car received its first oil change. Oil analysis came back normal, nominal, what was expected at the first one.

Weather can be very unpredictable between Winter end and Spring start. In October of 2023, I changed the oil again. One reason why and the benefit it gave me, is, for the next several seasons, I'll be changing the oil towards year end, when weather is more pleasant. Oil analysis on the second change came back normal, nominal. In 2023, after several more drives, the car was then stored for the Winter.

When the car is stored, once turned off, the car stays off, until Spring start. Two seasons thus far, the car starts again as if I just turned it off minutes before, with oil pressure building immediately.

For 2024, I'll change the oil in the Fall, drive it until first snow, then store the car for the Winter.

Unless I encounter conditions requiring it, I'll be changing the oil once a year.

I use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, 5W30.

You'll do fine consistently tracking these ideals:

- Follow the Owners Manual and the OLM. If you'd like to go above and beyond that, you can

- Use materials that meet or exceed Ford's recommendations

If you were not already aware, time is one factor in the OLM countdown. The OLM ticks down 2% a week, even when the car is sitting. Time is something of a catch-all for the OLM and the car. While several factors contribute to how much or how quickly the OLM counts down, it will always expire No Later Than one year after the last oil change.

 

[galaxy]

The only useful recommendation you should ever listen to on the topic of when to change your oil is - what does your oil analysis tell you?!

 

[sms2022]

I change oil at 5-6000 miles in my charger hemi (full synthetic) and will do 3500-4000 miles in the mustang (should be about a years worth of driving for me. Full synthetic but on E85).

I look at it this way, on the hemi does it make sense to change every 4k with full synthetic? No. it’s a very standard pushrod V8 and costs 5k to rebuild. But on the coyote, with all sorts of cam phaser screens and 4 cams and 7500rpm redline that I see often, and a 10k+ rebuild cost, yeah it’s worth the extra peace of mind to change oil sooner.

Now if you drive like a grandma by all means 6-7k is probably fine even on semi synthetic.

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