I bought my 2014 Z51 last September. Oil was changed at 6/2019. Since then, about 3K miles were added. Mobil 1 oil was used. Do I really have to change the oil or can I just reset the message? Does this message indicator come on after 1 year or does it really analyze the oil? Thanks.

 

I do not know of any auto that really senses the oil....they are based time and milage and I believe some take in account driving style. So if you where me I would change the oil since it has been about 1 year. This is not unique to the corvette my MB and Audi worked the same way.
hope this helps.

 

Dave is correct about the monitor’s functionality, and for most situations, it gives a reasonably good indication of when to change oil. Even for cars not driven very much, it’s ok in some low miles situations. But it doesn’t distinguish very well between the two possible reasons for low miles, and those two possible reasons have vastly different effects on oil life. If the reason for low miles is that most trips are short, and the car doesn’t get thoroughly warmed up very often, then even in the low miles situation, the monitor is reasonably accurate. If the reason for low miles is that it isn’t driven very often, but when driven, it is almost always driven far enough to get thoroughly warmed up, then the monitor is overly conservative. In that case, you could reset it and go most or all of a second cycle before changing.

The reason for the above is that water and carboxylic acids form from piston blowby into the crankcase. The acids are broken down and both water and acids are driven off by heat. By heat, I mean the oil temp getting into the upper 100’s, say 170 or so. That not coolant temp, it’s oil temp, which you can only read on the DIC. One of the dumbest things that some people do with low miles cars is start them briefly every few weeks to “coat the engine with oil” or some similar silly reason. What that actually does is form acids in the oil which aren’t driven off until the oil gets into the upper 100’s. So bottom line, if you are confident that both before you bought it and since you’ve had it, it wasn’t started and shut down very often without being thoroughly warmed up as defined above, then you are ok resetting the monitor and running most or all of a second cycle before changing. But if you aren’t sure, then change it now.

 

My advice - change the oil/filter and reset the OLM. At least that is what I would do.

 

Unlike the C5 and C6, the C7 oil life monitor also includes time. After 1 year, it will tell you to change the oil. And yes, change it.

 

Someone posed a similar question to Tadge in "Ask Tadge." Here's the link: Oil life monitor calibration same for dry and wet sump? Not a direct answer to OP's question, but it still gives a good insight into how the oil life monitor works on the C7's.

 

Oil is probably one of the cheapest things on these corvettes. Why bother skimping on it? Same with gas.