Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - Doc

I have an almost full 1 litre can of fully synthetic 0w/20 Castrol professional left over from last year's service.

Will this be OK to use this year, does engine oil 'go off ' in time?

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - bathtub tom

Does it have a 'best before' date on it?

If not, NO.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom

It's already billions of years old --- I wouldn't worry about it.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - RobJP

It's already billions of years old --- I wouldn't worry about it.

I must remember that .. all the work I used to do on oil formulations, the millions of pounds that a major international company used to spend on oils research every year ... all for nothing. We could have just used it packed it straight out of the oil well head, and delivered the barrels to the dealerships.

In all seriousness though, it'll be fine for a decade or more in a closed bottle. Ensure you close the bottle up properly, and keep it dust free.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom

Yes, a little flippant of me. When we consider that modern engine oils are made to survive for 12 months in the harsh environment of a petrol or diesel engine, it shows the quality of engineering that has gone into the production of them. Engine lubrication isn't a closed system - there are 'breathers' through which volatiles can escape, which is just one of the many things which causes oil to degrade, but still they are made to last for twelve months or more.

It follows that oil in a container which is sealed to prevent the escape of volatiles should easily last for a decade and still be good for purpose.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - Gibbo_Wirral

Twelve months? I've seen some service intervals of two years.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - RobJP

Twelve months? I've seen some service intervals of two years.

I'll also put my apology in too - my comments were somewhat sarcastic.

Are we back on the 2 year service interval again ? Not for me, old boy, I prefer my engines to have a long lifespan, not longlife servicing.

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - Gibbo_Wirral

Same here but I don't want it to end up with the thread being a b****fest about how we're wasting our money on oil!

Suzuki Swift - Oil shelf life - Andrew-T

Will this be OK to use this year, does engine oil 'go off ' in time?

Of course it will, if its container has been kept closed, and preferably cool. If the oil can stand being hammered in a hot engine for hours on end (what it is designed to do) it will be quite happy at ambient temperature for years.

Edited by Andrew-T on 12/06/2014 at 15:38