Age of oil matter?

[BobbiSue]

I apologies if this has been asked before
The oil in my car is at least 14 months old, but only has 3,000 miles on it at most. There's no 'change oil' indicator showing. Should I change it anyway?
And is it pretty straight forward? I change it on my little GTI. ... i just don't trust oil change places.
(And no, I don't post often.)

[Bigdumogre]

Age of the oil does matter, it will break down I’ve time and also moisture. It’s very easy to change in these cars just make sure you buy enough oil they take about 8qts

[1JEWLDSSRS]

^^^^ what he said. And also make sure you use a good quality oil like what it had from new.

[AlanRubin]

The Oils we have at the shop actually have an expiration date on them.
From the date of manufacturing:
Mobile says 5-years.
Total says 2-Years.
Valvoline motor oils do not have documented expiration dates.

Penzoil has a USE BY date.

It is possible that a lubricant such as engine oil, atf, coolant, antifreeze, transmission
fluid, grease, gear oil or brake fluid that is in excess of 5-6 years old might have had
some changes at a molecular level which could affect its long-term performance level.
For all practical purposes these products could still be used but only for applications
that do not require reliability or include minimal liability.

In reality, the OIL does not expire, the additives do. They also separate from the
oil after a while, and can lay at the bottom of the bottle;
Copper, iron, PPDs, detergents and dispersants, defoamants, alkaline additives,
oxidation inhibitors, and calcium additives.


General rule is 3-5 years from manufacture date.


From Castrol: You can determine the date of manufacture by locating the fill code on
the bottom of the back panel. It is composed of a series of letters and numbers, with
the first five characters being the most important. For example, if you have
C04001...., the "C" would represent the plant location. The five digits '04001'
represents the date of production. The numbers 04 represent the last digits of the
year (2004) and the '001' represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar
days, on which it was produced (January 1). For C9001 ‘9001’ represents the date of
production. The number 9 represents the last digit of the year (1999) and '001'
represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar days, on which it was
produced (January 1).

[Sir Nuke]

BobbiSue, what the folks above have said is all true.....and a good rule of thumb, and what your owners manual has in it on page 10-15 states, "Change the oil as soon as possible within the next 1 000 km (600 mi). It is possible that, if driving under the best conditions, the oil life system might indicate that an oil change is not necessary for up to a year. The engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year and, at this time, the system must be reset."

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by AlanRubin

The Oils we have at the shop actually have an expiration date on them.
From the date of manufacturing:
Mobile says 5-years.
Total says 2-Years.
Valvoline motor oils do not have documented expiration dates.

Penzoil has a USE BY date.

It is possible that a lubricant such as engine oil, atf, coolant, antifreeze, transmission
fluid, grease, gear oil or brake fluid that is in excess of 5-6 years old might have had
some changes at a molecular level which could affect its long-term performance level.
For all practical purposes these products could still be used but only for applications
that do not require reliability or include minimal liability.

In reality, the OIL does not expire, the additives do. They also separate from the
oil after a while, and can lay at the bottom of the bottle;
Copper, iron, PPDs, detergents and dispersants, defoamants, alkaline additives,
oxidation inhibitors, and calcium additives.


General rule is 3-5 years from manufacture date.


From Castrol: You can determine the date of manufacture by locating the fill code on
the bottom of the back panel. It is composed of a series of letters and numbers, with
the first five characters being the most important. For example, if you have
C04001...., the "C" would represent the plant location. The five digits '04001'
represents the date of production. The numbers 04 represent the last digits of the
year (2004) and the '001' represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar
days, on which it was produced (January 1). For C9001 ‘9001’ represents the date of
production. The number 9 represents the last digit of the year (1999) and '001'
represents the day of the year, based on 365 calendar days, on which it was
produced (January 1).

Great info AlanRubin....!!!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

BobbiSue, what the folks above have said is all true.....and a good rule of thumb, and what your owners manual has in it on page 10-15 states, "Change the oil as soon as possible within the next 1 000 km (600 mi). It is possible that, if driving under the best conditions, the oil life system might indicate that an oil change is not necessary for up to a year. The engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year and, at this time, the system must be reset."

Great info as well Sir Nuke!!!

[BobbiSue]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

BobbiSue, what the folks above have said is all true.....and a good rule of thumb, and what your owners manual has in it on page 10-15 states, "Change the oil as soon as possible within the next 1 000 km (600 mi). It is possible that, if driving under the best conditions, the oil life system might indicate that an oil change is not necessary for up to a year. The engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year and, at this time, the system must be reset."

Thanks. I should have thought of that. RTFM.