Time for Oil Change?
 

I bought my 2002 SE in January and the oil was just changed by the dealership. I drive the car only on the weekend so now almost 4 months later I barely put 2200 miles on it. My question is when should I change the oil? Every other car I've had, I changed the oil always at 3K miles. I know "they" say , "or every three months", but is that really true? I don't want to do it more than necessary, but I'm also not going to risk creating an environment for sludge.

Also, I live in an apartment building and have no option for changing the oil myself. The dealer said to stay away from Jiffy Lubes, but Valvoline is ok. Does anyone have any recomendations? If i go to Valvoline, do they normally carry Saab oil filters and are they ok, or pieces of junk. What kind of oil is recomended? I always hear that I should use synthetic for these cars, but the machanic at the Saab dealership said that if I'm changing it every 3k, I can use regular or semi-synthetic. I don't mind using the good stuff if it will give me good performance out of the car, but I don't want to throw my money away.

Thanks guys!

Mobil1 filters are ok. DO stay away from Jiffylube. Those places are such a ripoff. No you shouldn't change the oil yet, at least I know I wouldn't unless there was a harsh climate involved. Buy your own oil and filter at an auto parts store and most independent garages will change the oil for no more than $10-15 for you.

Thanks Roto. I'll wait a little since most of my driving is on the highway. That's good to know about bringing the stuff to an indie garage. I figured they'd look at me like I was crazy if I brought my own oil to them.

here's a list of tools and things you'll need to perform this procedure:

• a 3/8-drive socket set (metric will work for both)
• a combination wrench set (closed- and open-ended, metric)
• an oil filter wrench
• something to catch the old oil -- an oil pan, a used kitchen basin, a kid's pail
• a couple of empty one gallon milk containers with screw-on lids.
• a funnel and a one quart Ziploc baggie
• a lot of old newspapers and several dirty rags
• presoiled work clothes and, if you have long hair, a baseball cap
• two pair surgical gloves (optional; no, we won't ask you to cough)
• a new oil filter (see vehicle's owner's manual for requirements)
• enough oil to refill the engine (check back page of owner's manual for grade and number of quarts); we recommend name brands, such as Valvoline, Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Mobil, etc.

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oil
 

If you car is being driven that lightly, probably once every 6 months or so should be sufficent. If a good quality oil is being used, there is not much to worry about. As long as a generic oil is not being used such as "Autozone oil" or "NAPA oil" or "Stop & Shop oil", etc. Yes, Stop & Shop sells oil...do not buy it and use it haha. Oil sludge only happens from when the oil is being broken down from use and the oil is not changed over a long period of time. As technology has increased over the past decade, car manufacters have begun to realize that oil lasts longer than the standard 3 month/3,000 mi interval. I used to own a 1992 Acura Integra and Acura (a.k.a. Honda) recommended an oil change every 6 months/7,500 mi. You can get away with changing your oil every 5 months/5,000 mi safely without much risk of sludge. This is not recommended for Saabs however. Since the vast majority are turbocharged, the temperature of the engine is hotter than a standard one. Because of this, as well as other reasons, it causes the oil to break down faster than a normal engine. Synthetic oil is recommended for Saabs but is not necessary. Given your situation since you're only driving the car on the weekends here and there, I wouldn't worry too much about the oil but do check it fairly often since Saabs have been known to leak oil frequently. Good luck with your Saab!

Thanks for your reply. I put almost 4K miles on it because of a road trip and started to freak out. I took it in for a synthetic change. They charged me $75! I'm used to $19.99 at Valvoline.

Thanks again for the info guys. I love this car!

Holy crap! I keep being reassured that I'm in the wrong profession. Why didn't you do the oil change yourself? On this car it's incredible easy, don't even have to lift it up.

You're not making me feel any better. I live in the middle of Washington, DC in an apartment building. I'm lucky to find a spot to park my car, let alone room to change the oil.

You think I can get under the car enough to change the filter with out lifting the car? In that case, it might be worth driving 45 minutes somewhere and then changing it on the side of the road.

You should put a sign in front of your house "Saab Oil Change: $50". You'll make money and people(like me) will think they're getting a good deal.

If only I didn't live in an apartment complex... now do yourself a favor and stick your head under the front bumper of your car on the passenger side...guess what you will see sitting RIGHT THERE within reach?