How often do you change your car oil?

[TW]Fox;20292415 said:
Hmmmm.

Owner or Porsche Engineer. Who to trust..
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That would be great if two years was the Porsche Engineer's unhindered findings/views.

The trouble is, Marketing probably got their hand in on the service schedule, too.

I tend to go 5k/6 months on anything Turbo, 10k/1 year on anything NA I've had.
 
Kind of off topic but... is there a push for manufacturers to extend service interval from the point of view of the environmental impact of disposing of used engine oil?
 
Every year without a doubt, but more frequent if possible. I do very little miles though. Think I have done 3-4k since April this year, so I don't need to worry as much.

I do it myself (well my oldman) so it costs pennies.
 
Firestar_3x said:
Based upon which engine bench running, endurance and wear testing do you base these reduced oil service schedules on?
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Can it be worse for an engine to run on fresh oil? Genuine question, I am no mechanic. As I don't see the harm in keeping by your own schedule if not.
 
MikeHiow said:
That would be great if two years was the Porsche Engineer's unhindered findings/views.

The trouble is, Marketing probably got their hand in on the service schedule, too.

I tend to go 5k/6 months on anything Turbo, 10k/1 year on anything NA I've had.
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It will be based on the combination of extensive testing and the knowledge of Porsche and whichever oil manufacturer is producing the oil for them. Marketing wouldn't be allowed to extend the recommended life of the oil, it's not for them to decide.
 
Begbie said:
Can it be worse for an engine to run on fresh oil? Genuine question, I am no mechanic. As I don't see the harm in keeping by your own schedule if not.
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No harm done to the car provided you actually put the correct oil in and don't scrimp on some cheaper stuff because you're changing it more often.

However unless you do extensive track driving I can't help but feel that expensive fully synth long life oil isn't even close to the end of it's life by 5k so at the end of the day all you're actually doing is increasing your running costs for no actual gain.

Manufactures have a vested interest in product reliability, after all the reputation and sellability of any given brand counts on it. With this in mind no manufacture is going to extend it's service schedules to the detriment of product reliability.
 
If a car is rated to do 20,000 miles before an oil change is needed, then it will probably be fine doing 25,000 miles between changes.
Remember lots of short trips on a cold engine cause far more wear and this is accounted for.

People will treat a car badly, take it past the service interval and rag the crap out of it cold.......then when it breaks say 'oh manufacturer X is **** the engine was knackered after 60,000 miles'. In a similar way people say 'they don't make them like they used to' when a clutch lasts 40,000 miles yet they always held it on a clutch at traffic lights and on hills.

Manufacturers have to make their cars as retard proof as possible, because mr/mrs average motorist is, well, a bit of a 'tard.
 
lordrobs said:
Kind of off topic but... is there a push for manufacturers to extend service interval from the point of view of the environmental impact of disposing of used engine oil?
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Yup and to appeal to fleet markets by keeping those service costs low. It won't make a difference to the life of those cars during the warranty time, so no impact no the manufacturer.
 
MikeHiow said:
That would be great if two years was the Porsche Engineer's unhindered findings/views.

The trouble is, Marketing probably got their hand in on the service schedule, too.

I tend to go 5k/6 months on anything Turbo, 10k/1 year on anything NA I've had.
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Whilst I can understand this thought about a diesel rep car, sold on its ownership cost, I cannot imagine many new Porsche owners only own one because of the 20k service intervals.
 
Firestar_3x said:
Based upon which engine bench running, endurance and wear testing do you base these reduced oil service schedules on?
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Irrelevant. It does no harm, especially given the fact that all my cars are thrashed daily, regularly used for competitive events etc.

DAnDan said:
It will be based on the combination of extensive testing and the knowledge of Porsche and whichever oil manufacturer is producing the oil for them. Marketing wouldn't be allowed to extend the recommended life of the oil, it's not for them to decide.
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You'd love to think so, but if Engineer says - 10k mile services gives an average lifespan of around 200k miles. Marketing say - how long would it last with 20k mile services? 100k on average - good, job done.

This is by no means an accurate portrayal of what happens, or how decisions are made, but merely an example - manufacturers don't care if their cars are unreliable past 100k miles so if they could increase sales by say 25% just by changing the service schedule from 10k to 20k for example, do you think they are really going to care?

I think you'd have to be a fool to think that the Engineers recommendation on optimal oil changes makes it directly into the service schedule.

[TW]Fox;20293065 said:
Whilst I can understand this thought about a diesel rep car, sold on its ownership cost, I cannot imagine many new Porsche owners only own one because of the 20k service intervals.
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True, or you could look at it as aiding customer purchase justification.

"Hey, I'd love a Porsche, but they cost a fortune to run".
"Not true sir - you only need to service bi-anually"
"So I get a Porsche and it only needs servicing half as much as my old Golf? Where do I sign".

We all know how much average Joe gets caught up on trivial figures like servicing, Tax etc.
 
Whenever it tastes old, my tongue is more reliable than going by just mileage.

Probably every 5k depending on use, but that's generally 12months anyway.
 
Engine oil - every 6 months
Gearbox oil - every 12 months
Transferbox oil - every 12 months
Front & Rear Differential - every 12 months

Usually put a bit of mollyslip in the gearboxes and diffs too, seems to help a lot.

Though because of my uber low mileage in the last 2 years it has been about 18 months since I did any of them. Gotta at least do the engine oil before winter sets in though.
 
I'm in two minds about oil change frequency. It's 12 months since my last service and I've still got 4 green lights left. Not surprising when I've only done 3k.

I phoned my BMW dealer about an oil change and they said 'come back in another year'.

I'm not keen on 2years between oil changes and all the info I read on owner's forums says the same. However I can't help thinking if BMW were purely money grabbers, the oil change intervals would be sooner. Most owners wouldn't even bat an eyelid if the oil changes were every year regardless of low mileage.

It's getting an oil and filter change next week anyway, it's only money right?
 
naefeart said:
I'm in two minds about oil change frequency. It's 12 months since my last service and I've still got 4 green lights left. Not surprising when I've only done 3k.

I phoned my BMW dealer about an oil change and they said 'come back in another year'.

I'm not keen on 2years between oil changes and all the info I read on owner's forums says the same. However I can't help thinking if BMW were purely money grabbers, the oil change intervals would be sooner. Most owners wouldn't even bat an eyelid if the oil changes were every year regardless of low mileage.

It's getting an oil and filter change next week anyway, it's only money right?
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If you're worried about service history, stick to the service indicator for dealer services and change the oil yourself in between?
 
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