Dumb newb question: service x months or y miles

[ejaf]

Hi...I've owned my Yaris now since January, and have only put on 2000 miles.

Maintenance, I believe, is 5000 miles OR 6 months. Question is, why should I bring it in if I haven't put on 5000 miles yet? I gather that not following recommended service would probably make warranty issues harder to deal with, but besides that, what could go wrong?

TIA...Eric

[IllusionX]

some say used oil gets contaminated quickly and lose its properties...

[yaris-me]

If you drive short distances at a time, five miles or less, your engine never fully warms up. Blow by can accumulate in you oil and never get a chance to burn off. This can lead to a build up of gum, varnish or sludge. Modern oils have detergents, but once used up, they have to be changed, therefore the six months.

[R2D2]

I agree with with IllusionX and yaris-me. In addition the combustion byproducts contained in blow-by can mix with water to form acids that can cause corrosive damage. The 6 month limit is to make sure people who drive less than 5k every 6 months (who potentially do more short trips and don't evaporate the moisture out of their oil) are not depleting the reserve alkalinity and running the oil past it's safe service life.

While under warranty I would definitely change a 6 months if you don't reach the 5k. After warranty you could confirm longer drains with oil analysis and /or use a more robust oil for longer drain intervals. Any API SM rated, ILSAC GF-4 oil from Wal-mart or elsewhere should get you the 5k/6 months, or have it serviced at the dealer if you prefer.

BTW, this is not a silly question, it is a good one.

R2

[ejaf]

Thanks guys...will bring it in...I would assume that even using synthetic type III's or IV's would have same issue?

Eric

P.S. Apologize for not jumping on your replies...got a nasty virus that made me have to reinstall XP from scratch.

[silver_echo]

you know, i have never heard of ANY manufacturer being cranky about changing oil more often than the minimum specifications... i would recommend changing as often as you like, as long as you at least change it when recommended... i personally will recommend to most of my friends to change at 3000 miles even if the manufacturer says 5000... part of that comes from my understanding of the manufacturer specifications, and the fact that the 5000 mile timeline is for "normal" driving(which if you read closely, maybe 1 out of 50 drivers actually does)... the vast majority of drivers should be following the "extreme" driving option...

[N9QGS]

My comment is if you have only put 2K on your vehicle, I like to change my first oil change earlier then the 5K. I usually with a new car change it after 1,000 to 1,500, then again at the 5K (3,500 later), then I do my normal 5K intervals. I feel the most wear occurs at this time, its a good idea to just move it on out of the system. I also am vary particular in also the first 1,000 not driving at same speed or high speeds, I know new engines dont require this, I still did it with my Yaris, and I have had no signs of premature wear at 100K per my oil samples by Black Labs.