[Guaji]

I purchased a 2018 GTS this past July. The car was built in March 2018, and still has the original factory oil. I am almost complete with the 2000 mile break in. I am inclined to replace the oil since it has been in the car for so long. The dealer says the free oil change is not until one year ( +/- 2 months) from the purchase date. That will be a little over 2 years since the oil was put in. I would rather be cautious and spend the $350 for an oil change now, and do the free oil change next September. I wanted to get some feedback from others as to your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[Viffermike]

I purchased a 2018 GTS this past July. The car was built in March 2018, and still has the original factory oil. I am almost complete with the 2000 mile break in. I am inclined to replace the oil since it has been in the car for so long. The dealer says the free oil change is not until one year ( +/- 2 months) from the purchase date. That will be a little over 2 years since the oil was put in. I would rather be cautious and spend the $350 for an oil change now, and do the free oil change next September. I wanted to get some feedback from others as to your thoughts. Thank you.

My point of view (though others likely have better insight than I):

Does oil on an auto parts-store shelf have an expiration date? I've never seen one. To me, oil can 'sit' for an extended length of time, both on a shelf and in a vehicle that's only occasionally driven (i.e., a car on a dealer lot).

I think the oil-change cadence has much more to do with heat cycles than any other factor. That's why more frequent oil changes in cars that don't get up to operating temp all that often are recommended. Oil that doesn't completely 'cycle' breaks down differently.

All that said, I'd change the oil anyway to flush out any break-in particles and/or wear. IIRC, @Guaji, you live in a fairly harsh climate, too, with temps that go below freezing often -- that's even more reason to change the oil.

 

[Guaji]

Thanks for your input. I was thinking to change it out after break in for the reason you stated above. May not be entirely necessary, but just as a precaution.

 

[CaymanMatt]

I purchased a 2018 GTS this past July. The car was built in March 2018, and still has the original factory oil. I am almost complete with the 2000 mile break in. I am inclined to replace the oil since it has been in the car for so long. The dealer says the free oil change is not until one year ( +/- 2 months) from the purchase date. That will be a little over 2 years since the oil was put in. I would rather be cautious and spend the $350 for an oil change now, and do the free oil change next September. I wanted to get some feedback from others as to your thoughts. Thank you.

That is exactly what I did.

 

[Guaji]

I made an appointment for mid October to change the oil. In September 2020 I will take advantage of the free oil change.

 

[DriveInHouston]

I am no expert... However, I often had lunch with one, when I was working in the Research Company of an oil major. The following shared wisdom is from the 90s, so take it for what it is worth...

- Use synthetic oils, they have better and more robust/durable characteristics.

- Oil degrades because of short runs that the engine/oil do not get warmed up. Water in the form of condensation gets in the oil and because the oil does not get hot enough, it doesn't get a chance to evaporate. This water will eventually deteriorate the oil's lubricant characteristics and durability.

- Don't believe the longevity claims (15k mi. or more). Chose the interval your manufacturer recommends, less if the conditions are challenging (I think this may be the heat cycles Mike is referring to). Personally I change oil every 5k mi.

- Don't forget hypoid oil for your diff. At least we don't have to worry about hypoid oil. But... I used to have a Subaru Forester MY 2007, manual, back when I was in Europe. At 20k kilometers I decided to change the Subaru brand diff lubricant with the much revered Castrol Syntrax. To my horror, the supposedly viscous (90W IIR) Subaru hypoid oil ran out like black water! I thought, well Castrol surely will not be like this. 20k km later, ...it was! Like black water! From then on, I changed diff oil every 20 k km.

- Interestingly enough, he recommended buying gasoline from any premium brand. The reason was not the chance for off-spec gasoline, no batch of gasoline leaves the refinery off-spec. It was for the additives.

That is all my lunchtime lube oil education! For what it is worth...