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I wonder why oil change intervals vary so much. In the USA they tend to be quite short as well. My Renault is scheduled for 18K which I think is too long. I've had it done at 8K and on the advice of one RTE, I'm thinking of having it done every 6K.
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I've just changed the oil and filter on my Corsa. The handbook says it can go for upto 2 years/20,000 miles but theres no way its staying in that long in a chain-cam engine. It gets changed every 6000 miles with fully synthetic. Mind you, the handbook says that diesel Corsas can go for longer, upto 30,000 miles before a change is needed which I find frankly unbelievable.
Ben
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Mind you, the handbook says that diesel Corsas can go for longer, upto 30,000 miles before a change is needed which I find frankly unbelievable.
As I have previously mentioned, oil technology has moved on and we no longer need to change the oil as frequently as our Grandfathers once did.
Granted, I wouldn't wait 2 years / 30k but then again, I would wait a bit longer than 6k before having it changed.
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I wonder why oil change intervals vary so much. In the USA they tend to be quite short as well.
That is strange - you'd think that with (generally) big, low revving engines, it wouldn't be a problem. However oil is stunningly cheap in the US - 4 US Quarts (almost 5L) of Mobil 1 fully synth was just over $20 in Walmart. Ordinary stuff was 7 or 8 dollars.
My Renault is scheduled for 18K which I think is too long.
I had a right argument with my Renault dealer getting my wife's car an annual oil change & safety check. They really didn't want to do it. They then found both rear springs snapped!
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I use Renault Minute for interim oil changes. The 18K service will coincide nicely with one of my many trips to France.
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I wonder why oil change intervals vary so much. In the USA they tend to be quite short as well.
Correct me if i'm inaccurate. In the UK the motor manufacturers persuade the fleet managers that they can buy the cars, use them and move them on without needing to do a service. Does this happen in the US too ?
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Coincident with HJ, last week took Lynx #2 to Ford Alabang for its 10km service: doesn't do many miles as it's a rainy day car and the bikes get more use. All labour was included under the warranty and the rest of the bill came to about 28 quid, synth oil, filters etc included. I need to deduct from this whatever they charged me for doing the annual registration . I got the insurance and the emission test done myself but couldn't face sitting around at the LTP on a plastic chair for 3-4 hours in the open waiting for my name to be called with the new stickers, so had Ford do it. I think they charge all of 5 quid for this plus compulsory CPTL insurance cover and the reg-o itself is about 19 pounds annually.
But what did catch my eye on the servicing receipt was "next service due 35,000 km". No matter what today's fashion, somehow Ferdie's Garage on the corner (slogan "we fix cars for keeps") will be getting that baby every 6 months for new oil and filter! Old habits die hard!
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I am sure the chickens will come home to roost when these long service interval cars get a bit older. Oil is the life blood of the engine and turbo. A sump of oil and a filter is hardly expensive relative to the value of the car. Especially as I get mine done in France.
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I'm not too sure about the homing chickens. While there are, doubtlessly, some troublesome cases, like the failure of some GM cam chain tensioners/lubricators, engineering changes are put in place to deal with the problem.
Most people will simply service their cars according to the manufacturer's schedule. Any manufacturer with engines failing prematurely will lose out because word will spread. The required engineering changes to allow engines to run for prolonged periods on one oil change will soon follow.
I think that there may be a temporary rise in engine failures because of these extended service intervals, but, I believe, in the longer term engine life will simply continue to increase as it has done throughout the last thirty years or so.
Most major changes in engine design, construction and service have been accompanied by people who knock the changes, but I don't think many would prefer their cars to be powered by the engines of the 1970s.
A practical measure to make sure that your own engine isn't a casualty of engineering needing to catch up with operational practice, is to change the oil more frequently than recommended. However, I hope that it will soon be possible to have 30,000 mile oil changes with confidence.
For me, the Astra and the Escort get a sump full of cheap semi-synthetic and a genuine filter every 10,000 miles.
Number_Cruncher
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>chickens will come home to roost when these long service interval cars get a bit older.<
I'm sure they will, but the cynic in me says that when that happens the cars will be 8+ years old and just thrown away as worthless junk. Cars are steadily becoming disposable like most other things. Disgraceful.
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That is strange - you'd think that with (generally) big, low revving engines, it wouldn't be a problem. However oil is stunningly cheap in the US - 4 US Quarts (almost 5L) of Mobil 1 fully synth was just over $20 in Walmart. Ordinary stuff was 7 or 8 dollars.
"Quick Lube" service centres seem much more popular throughout the US; they seem to have retained the concept of the Service Station where attendents pump the fuel for you, check the oil etc.
Have a read of the forums over at www.bobistheoilguy.com if you're interested in oil opinions over the other side of the pond.
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