Right. And I was doing that (following Audi recommended schedule which was every 10,000 miles) 17 years ago while many were doing every 3000-5000 miles. Well, the 2.0T fsi motor didn't fail in any way and it had more than 200,000 miles on it when I sold it.

 

Interesting read on how mobil tested their 20,000 miles interval oil 6 years ago

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...000-mile-claim

 

Just want to point out that it was 20,000 miles OR one year, whichever comes first.

 

The thing is that oil doesn't just "go bad" because it is sitting around for a year or two or three.

Hell I have cases of oil I order for certain air-cooled motorcycles that sit on my shelves that long before they are all used.

I think the one year is a catch-all conservative mark by which OEMs say to change it but that's to cover all possible conditions from short trips to boiling temps to freezing temps to large ambient temperature swings in the storage area etc. etc. etc.

The Ducati in our bike fleet (my wife's favorite toy) doesn't get more than 1k miles in the average year - only on sunny days (unless we're touring and she's chosen to ride it and we get caught in the rain). But temps are generally ideal, mostly sunny skies when it is ridden and it gets put away in the insulated garage the rest of the time. I do NOT change the oil every 1k miles.... that has definitely seen something close to 2 years in the 11 years and 13k miles we've owned it.

Trust me when I say the motor is pristine in and out.

 

Agreed, it doesn't. But you seem to be conflating (with that sentence) oil that sits in its sealed container on the shelf in your garage at temps ranging from 40 to 90 degrees for a year with oil that sits in a comparatively open crankcase and gets run every few days up to some temp that's hot enough to create moisture as a byproduct of combustion but not hot enough to boil it off, then sits for 48 hours cold with the moisture and oxygen mixture in it, then heats up again, and repeats this cycle all year.

Most cars that don't hit the oil-change mileage are operated like this, and manufacturers are wise to tell people to change out their contaminated oil on a calendar basis if that's the case.

 

^^^ 100% ^^^

 

I am not conflating that in any way, shape or form.

Readers Digest Version:
​​​​​​(time alone often won't do it even in the crankcase, if there's not enough heat cycles, there's not going to be enough moisture for acid to use up the additive package).

Full Version:

I'm quite aware of the roles that warmup, cool down, condensation, contamination with byproducts of combustion and the slow use of the additive package etc all play in oil condition.

You can bet the OEM engineers took this into consideration with their recommendations.

You can bet the large capacity on these motors plays a role.

As I've said my own uses tend to be far from "severe" with most motors run well to temp most times they are started.

Ambient temperature swings in the garage likely mean nothing to me. It is rare (like once or twice a year at most) that any condensate is formed in it by ambient conditions.

So with cool down moisture regularly boiling off in my crankcases and little or none forming in any other conditions the passage of time itself is a negligible to minor contribution to my oil's condition.

Other people in different circumstances will have to take their conditions into consideration. I'm sure the humid summers of GA are very different from anything in most of AZ. It's hard to compare Canada to Texas or New York to Florida.

Yet still OEM's set general standards they feel will cover most/all conditions. Those standards either must be dangerous or conservative.

My experience is, like the lawyer speak found throughout the owners manuals, that they usually err on the side of conservative.

Trust me, the oil is not aging in the Ducati crankcase because it's month 14 or 15. Not in my garage.

 

Here in NYC we have alternate side street parking so I have to move my car 2 or 3 times a week, usually just a block or two to find a new spot.

I know that ideally I would warm the car up to operations temps by driving calmly until it warms up, but in this case sometimes the best spot is only a half block away so this is not practical. Was wondering what’s better for the car, starting it and turning it off within a minute or two before it’s warmed up OR starting it, drive a block, then idle in the new spot until the car is warm?

 

My understanding is that cold start and off (frequent short trips) before reaching optimum temperature is something that should be avoided as it would cause moisture build up in the motor.

 

Agreed, but prolonged idling should also be avoided no? Especially prolonged idling while the engine is cold