Putting my car away for the winter, oil has ~3k miles on it- should I change it?

[dragonsi]

I'm getting ready to put my car away for the winter and am trying to decide if I should do an oil change so it's stored with fresh oil. Right now I've got about ~3k miles on the current oil. Thoughts?

[TomHudson]

Hmmm,

You don't want any moisture in the engine. You can go for a nice run and put it away hot, or change the oil and don't run it.
An engine just mildly warm will build up condensation, which you don't want.

I used to just go for a nice end of season run and then store it, changing the oil in the spring.

Resist the temptation to run the car over the winter.

[kaede]

I will change it, but as TomHudson says, i will do it in the spring because of moisture build up (even though i highly doubt the tiny bit of moisture is going to be detrimental the the overall health of the engine).

Personally, i went for a last drive and stored it. When spring comes around, i will start it up, then change the oil. eventhough the oil is relatively "new" at 3k, it doesnt hurt to change it for some peace of mind =) Cheers!