This may seem like a silly question, but I have put less than 1,000 miles on my car since I did the oil change in August of 2021. The car has been in and out of the shop being repaired multiple times. Should I bother doing it again?

What ultimate harm can happen if the oil isn't replaced? I used Mobile 1 as recommended by Porsche.

 

My understanding is that the combustion process contaminates the oil with acid that breaks down the oil over time which is why oil change intervals are based upon mileage AND time. With regard to what harm could it cause, that's an experiment that has been performed before and I don't know the results of it but Porsche does.

 

Change it. Your owners manual specifies oil change intervals in terms of both distance and time. You don’t say, specifically, what MY your Boxster is, but the time is probably 1 year. A car which is sits for a year is actually better off than one which is driven 1 k miles in that year. The one that’s been driven has likely not ever been run long enough or gotten hot enough to cook off the contaminants in the oil, most of which land they’re on startup. Mobil 1 is cheap, compared to the alternatives.

 

My fun fleet gets annual oil changes regardless of miles, which is usually around 1k. As mentioned, oil is cheap insurance, and it gives you a chance to look at your drain plug magnet (if installed) and filter pleats. Also, if your car has been in and out of the shop, I'd expect it had numerous starts w/o fully warming up. Now the large sump gives some buffer, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

Are you asking because you don't know the intervals or because ("in and out of the shop...") you are giving-up? Don't punish the car by avoiding regular maintenance. One has nothing to do with the other.

I believe my manual says 15,000 miles synthetic. I did mine at 131,000 miles when I bought it and will do it again somewhere between 5000 & 10,000 miles. Way under the manufactures recommendation. Fresh oil and filter changes are cheap insurance. Also a good way to observe (if you cut open the filter) what your engine is doing on a daily basis. My 2002 Boxster has had the IMS upgrade (LN Engineering) but it's always good to over-maintain a car that can and could be a money-pit if you don't put some effort into maintenance. Whatever your other issue are or were I suspect has nothing to do with oil change intervals.
At 1000 miles you don't have to or shouldn't have to change it anyway.

 

I have always done 1x per year on my street-only cars that don't get driven many miles.

 

I do 6 month/5000 mile oil changes on all of my cars.
Last year I had less than 1000 miles on several cars when it was time to change the oil.
Oil is cheap, engines aren't.

 

Sorry- bad post in wrong thread!

 

this past year i did 600 miles. this year, i changed it at 16 months. the oil looked brand new, not dark at all. i was too cheap this time around to send a sample to blackstone again. last time they said everything was fine and i could go much longer. i used liquimoly, mahle filter and got a new drain plug and washer. after tax/shipping, i paid about $130 for everything. if you diy its not that expensive, costs much cheaper than filling up my truck with gas

 

If you are unsure, you can also do a drip test, but as already mentioned here, a year or 5,000 mls would be recommended. The template is in german but self-explanatory. Let a drop of the oil dipstick drip onto a white normal paper and dry for 24 hours.

 

Remember TIME IN SERVICE is just as important as mileage. Engine oil becomes very acidic while sitting in the sump. Acidic oil is well known for being a contributor of eating the bearings. I'm not just talking about the IMS bearing.... i.e. main bearings.

6 months OR 5,000 miles on these engines.