General Mileage vs oil changes

[cirian75]

Looking at a 2016 500x 1.6 MultiJet tomorrow with only 17000 miles on the clock.

This is its service history as per the service book and cross checked with its MOT data by me so looks to be true.

Looks good except for the period of 2 years between oil change when it did 2234 miles

Opinions, should I consider this car?

 

[s130]

Oil does not degrade with time if unused. Oil that has only done 3000 miles is going to be pretty good. Of course there are always additional factors in that short start/stop cycles with low/short runs can lead to high moisture levels and emulsification. This was common many years ago (mayonnaise on the oil filler cap etc.) but it is quite rare these days unless large amounts of water have found their way into the oil/sump.

If everything else checks out OK on the car then I would not be concerned. Looking at your data it has only done 420 miles since the last oil change.

If it is a dealer selling than you could make an oil and filter change a condition of sale. Will only cost them £50. If private sale then for peace of mind factor in +£50 or get £100 knocked off the price.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

I’m kinda inclined to agree with @s130 there are some issues with oil when it is stood for a long time, bugs do tend to crawl around inside engines and other atmospheric contaminants can get in but it’s 2200 miles so even with the worst the weather and environment could throw at it, is would still not degrade the oil in the same way as driving it around for a year racking up 12k miles or more.

Really the car should feel like a new car with that amount of use, I would just have a good look around the brakes and under the car as idle cars can tend to rust around the brake discs and suspension components especially if stored on grass, worst case you might need a set of discs and pads all round.

 

[cirian75]

didn't get to see it today.

Overtime was supposed to be 08.00 to 10.00, it turned into 08.00 to 14.15 and the car is an hour away. CBA with that plus was in foul mood.