Car oil change intervals
Mar 30th 2015, 6:54 pm
#31
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2007
Location: Kamloops BC
Posts: 1,023
Re: Car oil change intervals
So if you do it yourself , you get synthetic for free , Without warranty constraints , It actually works out cheaper because intervals are longer , Plus better economy/ better cold starts etc etc
Mar 30th 2015, 7:07 pm
#32
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Mission and loving it
Posts: 464
Re: Car oil change intervals
Im not really arguing with you buddy. Just the saving is small and I wouldnt do the work for that amount. If it works for you then perfect. Everyone is a winner.
Mar 30th 2015, 9:49 pm
#33
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Car oil change intervals
Our Mazda has a combined handbook for US, Canada and Puerto Rico with different charts for each.
But that is essentially what they did for the Canadian schedule for maintenance.
For the US schedule which because of our driving (lots of short, stop and go trips and mountain driving) say's not to use anyhow and say's not to use for Canada, they have it as every 6 months or 10,000km.
The warranty though say's to follow the Canadian maintenance schedule so we do.
Question is, why does Washington state get to go further vs Southern BC with the same weather and climate?
I just don't want to risk having BS issues with warranty stuff so we follow their schedule, once it's out of warranty at the end of this year, then we will likely just do it 2 times a year, but then does stop and go driving (90%) and mountain driving (10%) allow one to go that long between oil changes?
When our oil is changed after 4 months, its not as black as say mineral oil is, but it's pretty damn dirty looking still when it's changed.
Almost all our driving is less then 10km's, less then 50km/hr (average speed is 25km/h according to the car.) and all stop and go, either at stop signs, or red lights, only a small percentage of our driving is highway, maybe 2 times a month, but its still not flat highway driving, lots of hills and grades to go up and down, turns requiring constant speed changes, can go from 100 to 60 then back to 90, down to 60 the entire trip.
A few hills are hard for the car as well, RPM's get pretty high up a few even at slower speeds, they are just too steep for a little Mazda 2 designed for city driving.
The dealer we go to, all in with taxes and fees, is 62 dollars for synthetic. They even wash and vac your car along with a basic maintenance check and tire rotation if needed.
Mr.Lube for synthetic wanted 78 + taxes and enviro fees.
Wal-Mart is 69+ taxes and fees.
I figure I can do it for around 50-55 dollars, so really not worth it considering I would then have to take time and effort to dispose of the old oil, and have to fuss with finding a place to do the oil change since can't do vehicle maintenance in the apartment complex parking, and of course the frustration since the car is low to the ground and the places you need to access not fun to access without the ability to life the car off the ground.
All said and done, there is not enough savings to fuss with it myself.
Surprisingly more dealers are becoming very cost competitive with the quick lube places and doing it yourself, I was shocked with how low the price is. Their entire maintenance pricing and labor is in line with what you'd find at a non-dealer.
But that is essentially what they did for the Canadian schedule for maintenance.
For the US schedule which because of our driving (lots of short, stop and go trips and mountain driving) say's not to use anyhow and say's not to use for Canada, they have it as every 6 months or 10,000km.
The warranty though say's to follow the Canadian maintenance schedule so we do.
Question is, why does Washington state get to go further vs Southern BC with the same weather and climate?
I just don't want to risk having BS issues with warranty stuff so we follow their schedule, once it's out of warranty at the end of this year, then we will likely just do it 2 times a year, but then does stop and go driving (90%) and mountain driving (10%) allow one to go that long between oil changes?
When our oil is changed after 4 months, its not as black as say mineral oil is, but it's pretty damn dirty looking still when it's changed.
Almost all our driving is less then 10km's, less then 50km/hr (average speed is 25km/h according to the car.) and all stop and go, either at stop signs, or red lights, only a small percentage of our driving is highway, maybe 2 times a month, but its still not flat highway driving, lots of hills and grades to go up and down, turns requiring constant speed changes, can go from 100 to 60 then back to 90, down to 60 the entire trip.
A few hills are hard for the car as well, RPM's get pretty high up a few even at slower speeds, they are just too steep for a little Mazda 2 designed for city driving.
The dealer we go to, all in with taxes and fees, is 62 dollars for synthetic. They even wash and vac your car along with a basic maintenance check and tire rotation if needed.
Mr.Lube for synthetic wanted 78 + taxes and enviro fees.
Wal-Mart is 69+ taxes and fees.
I figure I can do it for around 50-55 dollars, so really not worth it considering I would then have to take time and effort to dispose of the old oil, and have to fuss with finding a place to do the oil change since can't do vehicle maintenance in the apartment complex parking, and of course the frustration since the car is low to the ground and the places you need to access not fun to access without the ability to life the car off the ground.
All said and done, there is not enough savings to fuss with it myself.
Surprisingly more dealers are becoming very cost competitive with the quick lube places and doing it yourself, I was shocked with how low the price is. Their entire maintenance pricing and labor is in line with what you'd find at a non-dealer.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Mar 30th 2015 at 9:59 pm.
Mar 30th 2015, 10:00 pm
#34
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2011
Location: Back in Scotland after 4 years in Calgary
Posts: 1,403
Re: Car oil change intervals
I once drove my 99 Honda Civic for 20,000 miles without an oil change (D16Y7 engine), and that thing got death from cold daily...couldn't kill the thing...felt kinda bad when I swapped it out for a more powerful lump
doubt you could do that to a newer car without serious consequences
doubt you could do that to a newer car without serious consequences
Apr 1st 2015, 1:03 am
#35
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Location: Calgary, AB
Posts: 348
Re: Car oil change intervals
I had this same problem with the oil changes being 5,000km.
From what I could gather from what people talked about, old vehicles back in the day had 5,000km oil changes. Whether this is true I have no idea, but this idea has stuck as default with locals.
Synthetic oil can go longer between oil changes. That being said as others have mentioned above, depends on weather and driving style. I find im not doing as much start stop, accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake driving as I did in the UK. Here i find its more of a gentle accelerate, gentle brake as the roads are more free flow(well in Calgary anyways). So its not as harsh on the engine. But temperature can get pretty low here.
I drive a old 2002 Honda CRV. 270,000km on it. Oil being so dam cheap ($30 oil change). I change it every 5000km for the sake of keeping the engine clean and clear of sludge as I need this vehicle to last.
But realistically, you don't need to change the oil every 5000km. I do it as it feels a lot smoother. If its a newer vehicle with Synthetic oil. It can go up to 15,000km or more and it works out cheaper.
From what I could gather from what people talked about, old vehicles back in the day had 5,000km oil changes. Whether this is true I have no idea, but this idea has stuck as default with locals.
Synthetic oil can go longer between oil changes. That being said as others have mentioned above, depends on weather and driving style. I find im not doing as much start stop, accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake driving as I did in the UK. Here i find its more of a gentle accelerate, gentle brake as the roads are more free flow(well in Calgary anyways). So its not as harsh on the engine. But temperature can get pretty low here.
I drive a old 2002 Honda CRV. 270,000km on it. Oil being so dam cheap ($30 oil change). I change it every 5000km for the sake of keeping the engine clean and clear of sludge as I need this vehicle to last.
But realistically, you don't need to change the oil every 5000km. I do it as it feels a lot smoother. If its a newer vehicle with Synthetic oil. It can go up to 15,000km or more and it works out cheaper.
