How Long Will My Motor Oil Last In Storage?

We often get concern from potential customers about how their oil will hold up over the course of storage. Average stay at our facility for a vehicle is 2.5 years but even a 6 month stay can get people concerned.

However the bottom line is that oil, when not being used, has the same shelf life when it’s in the plastic bottle as it does when it sits in your engine. I did some research on this and most sources say about 5 years…some will purport that it is basically indefinite (10 years or more).

The important thing is that the oil is relatively fresh when the vehicle comes into storage. Oil effectively will break down with each heating and cooling cycle of the engine. Having ‘used-up’ oil is definitely a concern.