General oil change..or not?

[multiplied]

hi, just changed anti roll bar drop links on multipla & gave her a service. all good. i service my mothers car & decided to do on the same day.
she has a ford KA (great little car), BUT she has only done 3000 miles in last year. i changed the oil, oil filter & airfilter. the oil i dropped from the sump was like new (not surprising), fresh, clear & good viscosity.
is it worth doing every 12 months?. i remember reading somewhere to change oil every 12 months regardless of mileage, can anyone confirm this?, it just seemed pointless, given the fact that the oil i took out looked same as new i was putting in!.

 

[momoe]

Main problem with low mileage/short journeys is that the oil doesn't get up to temp, this doesn't get rid of condensation and oil can get emulsified, also because a higher proportion of the mileage is while the engine isn't at optimum temperature, the mixture will be rich with more carbon than normal.
Exhaust systems also rust through quicker because the water doesn't get boiled off.

However, the oil seemed ok and although it's difficult to check for water in the oil while draining it, a good run would have eliminated this possibility.

In your case I'd double your servicing interval, difficult to see given the cicumstances how this would cause any issues.

 

[Zundapp]

Probably the most important preventive maintenance you can apply to a vehicle are regular oil and filter changes.

For me, that's every six months - regardless of low mileage, which can be harder mechanically on a vehicle than higher mileages.

But many other opinions are available!

 

[umberto]

Probably the most important preventive maintenance you can apply to a vehicle are regular oil and filter changes.

For me, that's every six months - regardless of low mileage, which can be harder mechanically on a vehicle than higher mileages.

But many other opinions are available!

Apart from the Selenia oil from Fiat can i get any other type from halfords?

Cheers

 

[momoe]

As long as it meets or exceed the specification and is of the same viscosity you should be able to use any oil. Halfords isn't the cheapest, most motor factors should be able to provide what you need.

 

[Zundapp]

However, Halfords is always worth checking as they often have offers on. And more importantly, their own brand oil comes in 5 litre containers, many other brands come with only 4 litres now.