How long would you let 'new' oil sit in the garage?

So I have 5600 miles on my 2008 and only change oil every six months. I don't like oil sitting out in the garage and was wondering if the leftover 1/2 quart is okay for the next oil change?

 

Thanks for the quick reply, I wonder what the shelf life of oil is normally...

 

I understand I'm resurrecting this thread, but....

Blackstone laboratories did some really cool tests where they bought antique oil off of E-bay and actually tested the oil to see if it's still good (decades old oil). Surprisingly, IIRC, most of it was still pretty good. I would not recommend putting it in your engine, but the moral of the story is that oil lasts a long time (which makes sense, thinking about where it comes from in the first place).

Hopefully this link will work

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/News...ist&utm_campaign=50f64859e4-&utm_medium=email

 

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1590284

The OP's lead post is a bit of a cautionary tale.

It makes for a good read...they cover both sides pretty well. Upshot seems to be 2 years is conservatively safe, so long as storage conditions aren't extreme and either unopened or bottle well sealed.