I’m sure each location is run a little differently.
I just take my car to my regular mechanic.
Actually Jiffy Lube locations can either be owned by the company (a minority) or franchised. And the franchise owners vary between a few groups which operate a large number of locations and a large number of franchise owners which operate only one location.
OK, does anyone know what, specifically, you are looking for to evaluate the oil?
This would be useful to know in answering this question that has so many variables involved.
mmm
ETA: Well, duh, when am I gonna learn to fire up th Google Machine before asking a question (from AutoZone):
Key Indicators on the dipstick oil level: The oil mark should be between the two dots or hashed lines on the dipstick. If it is below the “add” or “low” mark, you need to add oil.
Color: Fresh oil is a clear, amber, or light yellow/honey color. If the oil is dark brown or thick black, it has accumulated dirt and should be changed.
Texture: Rub a small amount of the oil between your thumb and forefinger. If it feels gritty or leaves a milky/foamy residue (which indicates a coolant leak), get your vehicle serviced immediately.
I don’t do much driving day to day and my vehicles live outside in the Chicago area. I aim to change the oil every six months. Sometimes Stuff Happens and I overshoot that a month or two, but it’s always been more often than once a year, except for the year I had a cancer recurrence and six months of chemo. Vehicle maintenance was not at the forefront of my mind, think that was 14 months between oil changes (oops) but the mechanic assured me no harm was done to either my Ford or Toyota by that neglect.
I had a Ford Festiva for over a decade and much hard use. I recently let go my 1999 Ford Ranger. I currently have a 24 year old Toyota sedan. I am far from a perfect auto owner but when I have had to let go of my vehicles - after a decade or two of service - the engines were all in good shape. They weren’t the reason I let go.
Like I said, oil changes every six months (more or less). I use my local mechanic, so in addition to an oil change I can have him look at/address any other concerns or maintenance issues at the same time. It’s not the cheapest method but it’s one that has worked for me.
I tend to drive my newer vehicle more than my older one, a pattern that has held firm over the last 30 years. Nonetheless, I make an effort to drive the least-driven one at least 20 minutes per week. Of course, sometimes a week gets skipped, but as I’ve been told once a month is usually sufficient I figure aiming for once a week with the occasional skip should be just fine. Much of the year I alternate vehicles - drive one one week, drive the other the next week. It’s a slightly different problem than the OP, but the point is that yes, your car needs to be used on a regular even if infrequent basis.
So… from someone who usually keeps their car/pick up 15-20+ years that’s how I keep the engines running.
Mazda SKYACTIV vehicles I’m aware of use 0W-20 for regular engines and 5W-30 for turbo. The former only comes in synthetic. They publish 2 different maintenance schedules depending on “regular” or “severe” driving. The latter name is a bit extreme - it covers a lot of normal driving conditions, most notably in this case “Repeated short-distance driving.”
The two schedules are either the earlier of 12 months and 7500 miles/12000 km, or 6 months and 5000 miles/8000 km. They have started recommending (US/PR but not Canada???) the longer schedule only if you’re driving in neither: “Extended periods of idling or low-speed operation such as police car, taxi or driving school car” or “Driving in dusty conditions.”
The short of it is that 6 months is the safest to change oil and filter, you can go as long as 12 months if you would like if you don’t meet certain exceptions. The short distance driving you do may be a factor.
25K miles / yr is, for round numbers, 2K miles / mo. Oil changes at 60 day = 2 month intervals implies oil changes at ~4K miles. That sounds like the service interval appropriate to a 1950s car with 1950s oil.
Likewise if you’re getting through a set of tires in 18 months ~= 37K miles something is unusual about your car, your tires, or your driving. This isn’t 1960; tires ought to last better than that.
I’m curious how you’re getting into this situation, if you’d be willing to share. It’s certainly an expensive maintenance protocol you’re using.
A lot of people don’t drive their tires until they reach the legal minimum as you lose too much traction in the rain/snow. Besides this with old cars your wheels are often a bit out of alignment and the shocks are not perfect.
Lancia didn’t mention how frequently he did tire rotations.
Also, they don’t last as many miles if you buy the nice, grippy tires and have occasion to use them as intended. My BRZ is about to get its third set, and it’s only at 33K miles or so across the first two sets. I get them rotated, otherwise they wouldn’t even last that long.