Now that I've finished the 5 annual included oil change services at the dealer, I'm bringing next annual oil changes to local Indy shop down the street.
My daily driver R does numerous short trips to/from office, & to/from lunch, so I've got less than 14,000 miles in last 5 yrs.
So with today's full synthetic oil, can/should I extend the annual (12 months) to maybe 18 or 24 months, if I'm still only driving less then 3,000 miles/yr?

 

No, I wouldn't extend your oil changes if I were you....and my driving habits resemble yours. Couple of reasons...
1) short hauls as you mention are hard on the oil, that continuous starting and stopping, sometimes not getting the engine up to full operating temps.
2) most all the oil companies and car manufacturers tell yo to change your oil every XXX miles or one year, whichever comes first. I spent my career working for a Caterpillar dealer and had numerous conversations with chemical engineers and degreed engineering specialist in motor oils. That "once a year" comment they live by for low mileage drivers, especially in the automotive world (if you're low mileage because you do a lot of road racing with the car, once a year won't cut it).
I know how you feel...I've numerous times told the mechanic whose changing my oil, I want the used stuff to put in my lawn mower! My recommendation...do the right thing, suck it up, change that oil on an annual basis.

 

You are in a dilemma.
On one hand it makes sense to extend the oil change intervals to longer than 12 months if you are only doing some 3,000 miles per year.
On the other hand your driving pattern - lots of short trips and few if any long trips - dictates more frequent oil changes as that driving pattern is bad for oil and engine longevity. Especially on our GDI V6 and V8 engines with timing chain issues caused by oil sludge.
So which way should you go?
My view is that more frequent oil changes can never be a bad thing and are often a good thing, especially if you are able to easily DIY and can buy suitable oil at a good price.
I used to change the oil every six months but I have now changed to every 12 months as my driving has decreased a lot and is now down to around the same as you, 3,000 miles per year. I reckon changing the oil every 3,000 miles or so is cheap insurance and I would not go longer than 12 months.

 

Following the advice of these two is CHEAP insurance to take care of a valuable asset, the engine.

 

Grin and pay up is my view. I have the same issue because I share my mileage between a few cars, but I still change every year. The oil in my E Type sometimes comes out as clean as it went in, but for a relatively low cost ... ?

 

Yeah, cost of an oil change is peanuts compared to replacing the engine!

 

Oh No, ANOTHER oil thread!




It isn't that short-trip mileage kills the oil, by itself...it is the fact that the lack of thorough warm-up operation allows contaminants (some of them corrosive) to accumulate in the oil. This is especially prevalent in GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engines like ours, where particulates are held in suspension by the oil.

The F's ~7L oil capacity mitigates the issue somewhat. (It's lucky that we don't have a 3L oil sump like some GDI turbos of other makes.)

If you can't take the time to continuously run your car for 30 - 45 minutes all in one session, at least weekly, then FOR SURE change the oil yearly. As mentioned, it is cheap insurance. (And, the F is FUN to drive...take the long way home)
If you keep your F in winter storage but predominately drive it an hour at a time in the summer, you might get away with a two year interval...

 

Easy to determine if you ask me. Modern oils do a much better job at protecting the engine than ever before. I run my car pretty hard, track days, rallies, etc. I feel confident knowing that every 6 months is what works for me. I only use Liqui Moly LR Spec oil and recently changed to their Top Tec 6600 series. In addition, I get yearly oil analysis from Blackstone. This gives you the specifics on how your oil is performing, how much lubrication is still available, deposit, etc. Its $40 for an oil analysis. They are an industry leader and trusted by many, so they know what they are talking about. If you know how your oil is performing, then you can decide how often to change it. The last couple of times, they indicated I could have probably gone another 2-3k miles without much of a concern. So for me, the 6 month mark is the sweet spot. YMMV, but at least this way you will know what to do based on data versus opinions.

Blackstone Laboratories (blackstone-labs.com)

 

The alternative to feeling bad about paying for oil changes every year or 3,000 miles is simple.
Drive the car more miles!!

 

@skizot has the correct approach. The best way to know is to use Blackstone to analyze your oil.

However, typically the oil change intervals are mileage or time. Moisture can build up in an oil system so that is typically the reason why you want to change the oil at least annually if you are not putting a lot of miles on the car.

 

I certainly agree with that approach but with the price of premium fuel today it sure won't take long to equal the cost of one oil change !
My last change cost about $115 for the Castrol Edge Professional EC5 oil plus OEM filter and I did it myself using a Mityvac. 18 gallons of 91 octane fuel where I live cost $117 !

Even under the best conditions I am uneasy with JLR's recommendation for 15,000 mile oil change intervals so I would certainly stick with a 12 month cycle even if you are putting less than 5000 miles a year on the car.

 

Oil is relatively cheap...Repairs and engines are not.

The reason there is a spec for mileage AND TIME on oil, is because of the properties of oils, engine use, and the heat cycles. Heating, cooling, and blow by makes oil acidic and it can begin to eat away at gaskets, bearings, and seals. Oils contain additives to reduce the acid build up in the oil. As the oil becomes contaminated and turns acidic, the additives also get used up. Preventing acid buildup is a big reason for changing motor oil regularly. Short trip driving is the worst kind of driving for this problem as moisture is not boiled off during driving cycles.

THAT is why there is a time interval, as well as mileage. Do what works for you.

DC

 

i'm still in my covered oil change period but i'm looking forward to changing it myself someday. there are a few youtube videos out there. it's not that hard.

 

The best description of changing the oil using a vacuum pump / oil extraction pump is "an absolute doddle".
Also beware many of those YouTube vids which show the oil being pumped out by pushing a plastic tube to the bottom of the dipstick tube, it doesn't work that way on the AJ126 and AJ133 as they do not have a dipstick let alone a dipstick tube instead they have a dedicated oil extraction tube with the top of it in the middle of the oil fill hole.
You don't shove anything down that extraction tube instead you fit a plastic tube over/around the top of it, making sure you get a good airtight seal.

 

I changed out the factory fill oil on my 2021 F Type R at 2750 miles using a Mityvac. It was actually a pleasure compared to jacking up or pulling a car up on ramps, crawling under the car, removing the underbody panel, pulling the plug, getting scalded and scraping my knuckles, cleaning up the spilled oil from the drip pan and taking two Advil from the old age aches and pains afterwards.

I only spilled a couple of drops and that was from spinning the filter cannister more than the two turns that are recommended to relieve the vacuum and allow any remaining oil in the filter to drain down into the sump and be picked up by the extractor tube. I quickly wiped up the oil that seeped out around the cannister base before it made a mess.

Therock88's explanation regarding oil breakdown over time is correct and is excellent advice. If you like to work on your cars and bond with them, a DIY oil & filter change using a Mityvac is really an easy procedure and the cost of the materials is negligible considering the cost of our cars.

 

Just a comment from above? The oil must NOT drain back down into the crankcase! When you remove the filter you will have oil puddled inside the filter housing. If you do not the anti-drain back valve has failed. Now the engine starts dry for a few seconds until oil pressure is built up. We have had a handful of people that have had this failure so do watch when you change oil filters.

The valve is down in the engine on top of the oil cooler brick.

These cartridge type filters no longer contain the anti-drain back valves like the older spin on filters do.
.
.
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I was aware that you need some oil in the bottom of the oil filter cannister housing before staring the engine again. I poured 3-4 ounces in when I was installing the new filter element.

These pages from the oil change procedure says to loosen the filter cover to allow the oil to drain from the filter and makes for less chance of a mess when you remove the filter. That's how I did it.