In December I purchased a 2000 156 2.4JTD with 7500 miles on the clock. It had undergone the appropriate annual services and was fully serviced prior to purchase. By my reckoning, that's 3 oil changes in a car with 7,500 on the clock.
Needless to say, it has tended to smoke like a goodun when the opportunity presents to take it above 3000rpm. This will partly be down to the injectors being gummed up on such a low mileage and partly oil consumption. The oil level hasn't dropped significantly in 2,500 miles but it has dropped. Unless my dipstick has got longer....
A dose of Winns injector cleaner on 1/4 tank has helped with smoking and I will continue with Millers Diesel Power Plus when I can get to my local stockist. Since the Winns treatment it has barely smoked at all, even on hard acceleration on Dual Carriageway after an 8 mile shuffle across rush-hour traffic.
Now I've always been one for 6k oil changes, but this engine is unlikely to have bedded-in yet. I'm planning to stick with the current oil until the next service is due at 19500 miles (12k from the last one) to give the lump a chance to settle in properly.
Can anyone see any disadvantages to this approach? Am I worrying unduly about the engine not having bedded-in? Any other ideas / advice?
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An interesting question.
With my own cars, I have always ensured a first oil change with just a few hundred miles under the wheels, and then used Mobil 1 every 4,000 miles thereafter, regardless of what the actual service interval was specified as. None of my cars burned any oil, and I was always happy.
However...
My last three cars however were all company cars, the last of which didn't have it's first oil change until 10,000 miles. I was horrified at the thought of all that swarf swimming around, but it wasn't 'my' car to touch. Anyway, with 51K miles up, oil consumption was still zero, and in the right conditions, I used to enjoy working the engine hard.
I understand that friends have had cars whose first oil change was at 20,000 miles. In all cases, none of the cars burned any oil, and some had intergalactic mileages by the time they were disposed of.
I wonder therefore if the need for sympathetic oil changing is now just an urban myth, as a legacy of the bad old days of poor design and poor oil quality? A qualified engineer also informed me that with such stretched service intervals, many engines are designed to expect the swarf, to help the bedding in.
Of course, I now have to decide what to do with my (own) V70 2.4T, currently sitting in the garage awaiting DVLA registration, with 390 miles on the clock. Not only does it have no 'running in instructions', thus implying it doesn't need to be, even though I will do so by progressively increasing use of power and revs over time, with the odd hard burst in between, but I also need to decide what to do regarding oil changes. Certainly the engine is not at all tight like every new car I have had before, and stops gently when switched off, just like a well run in high miler.
My father's S80 has the same basic engine (sans turbo), has been serviced 'by the book' with no extra TLC, and burns no oil.
I am therefore torn between my previous way of thinking (the TLC approach especially with a red hot turbo to cook the oil), and the 'wait for the service light to come on' approach.
Do any Backroomers have comparative experience of either approach to share, please, with current model cars?
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A qualified engineer also informed me that with such stretched service intervals, many engines are designed to expect the swarf, to help the bedding in.
That's were I'm coming from on this. Certainly some of the previous posts on this subject imply that this is the case, but with the amount of Crud a diesel's oil can collect, is it such a good idea?
Of course, I now have to decide what to do with my (own) V70 2.4T, currently sitting in the garage awaiting DVLA registration, with 390 miles on the clock. Not only does it have no 'running in instructions', thus implying it doesn't need to be, even though I will do so by progressively increasing use of power and revs over time, with the odd hard burst in between, but I also need to decide what to do regarding oil changes. Certainly the engine is not at all tight like every new car I have had before, and stops gently when switched off, just like a well run in high miler.
The consensus on this site seems to be that the odd £20 on an extra oil change won't harm, but leave it until after the first full service cycle is complete.
I'm posing my question along these lines, but on the basis of a car that may not have been run-in correctly prior to my purchase of it.
I am therefore torn between my previous way of thinking (the TLC approach especially with a red hot turbo to cook the oil), and the 'wait for the service light to come on' approach.
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Bingo! My same concern. Am I risking the turbo if I go with the 12k oil change this time round (althoug that meets the manufacturers spec)
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ND - which way up is your dipstick (assuming you replace it all the way in)?
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Yellow loop up, grey shiny bit with brown goo at the bottom. As I mentioned, either it has only used a little oil or my dipstick has got longer (and here is the bit I should have added for the pedants.....) and it has burnt a lot.
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