jeware

I don't drive my JK very much, maybe 15 miles per day. It is used as a daily driver, to and from work with some mileage on the weekend. At this rate, I may put around 5,500 miles/year on the Jeep. The manual says to change the oil every six months or 8,000 miles, but should I change my oil at 3 months or 6 months regardless of the mileage?

toymaster

That type of driving is extremely hard on the motor and oil. If I was in that position I'd change every 6 months. Also, drive more on the weekends especially when you can take the top off.

If you put more miles on at a time and only 5-6k a year I'd change the oil annually but, as I said, short trips are hard on the motor.

kik

We use our 10 Rubi about the same annual mileage. I change the oil every 4 months regardless of mileage. I'm on a set schedule with it to cover the summer and winter months. Oct., Feb., June. Maybe a little overkill, but it makes me feel more comfortable. Instead of every 3 maybe go for every 4 then you're obviously at 3x per year instead of 2 and you're covered.

EzK

Six months you'll be nearing 3k. Perfect for the short trip type of driving you do.

dali555

I have a 69 Mach 1 Mustang which I drive when it is nice and when I go to shows only.... I change the oil every 3 months.... just a thought....

RevyJKU08

my thought is every 3-4 months...the oil and filter are so cheap and easy to DIY and it will be good for your motor especially the short city commutes which are harsh on a motor!

phantomandy

I had a truck and a Jeep for a while and only drove them combined about 5000-7000 miles a year. I just put them on a 6 month cycle and never had a problem. I'll do my new jeep every 3000-5000 which will probably fall into the 6 month range after the 'newness' wears off and I quit driving her everytime we go someone besides work

FlyinSquirre1

engine oil oxidizes, collects and suspends moisture and contaminants, and breaks down over time. not to mention how short trips increase the contaminants and build up.

change the oil using the shortest guidelines. its cheap and easy, well, cheaper than a new engine.

nick

JKlad

Yep; what he said!

The type of driving that is the hardest on motor oil is the type many city people exclusively do, ie: short trips of 5 or 10 miles when the motor's been started from cold. Although the temp gauge rises fairly quickly after cold startup this only indicates coolant temperature at the head; it can take up to 30 minutes for the engine oil to reach operating temperature and begin to lubricate properly. And as others have said, if you keep doing short trips without the oil getting to operating temperature then water and unburnt fuel cant be burnt off & builds up in the crankcase, contaminating the oil (ever notice all the steam & water coming out the tailpipe for 20 min or so when you first start up from cold?). So yeah, change it more often if you do this sort of driving.

It's funny how people always like to use terms such as "only driven by a little old lady to church on Sundays" or "city use only; never taken on long trips or off-road" when trying to sell a vehicle when in fact this type of driving will often lead to a vehicle with a damaged motor & drivetrain unless frequent fluid changes are undertaken. It's also why taxi cabs often have in excess of 500K miles on them without any major issues; they run 24hrs a day, 7 days a week & are usually only turned off for re-fuelling and servicing, so their motors, transmissions and diffs are always at operating temperature and dont suffer the expansion and contraction of hot & cold metals that the drivetrain components of regular vehicles undergo on a regular basis.