iaink

Cant just be the size of the motor. My old 1.8 mazda 4banger was also on a 6000km schedule. Same for a 2.5l Subaru thats the exact same basic design as in the UK 2.5 legacies where its good for 12000km or more. Same car in california is recomended for a change every 7500 miles (12000km) too, so draw your own conclusion.

Mikey B

Maybe a mechanic can shed some light all I know is after 9-10000km on my 5L mustang there was no oil left and it basically fubared the engine up, spoke to a dealer who said bigger engine cars are oil thirsty, who knows whether it was BS or not but Ive been a good boy since and done regular oil changes and no fubared engines

chinnybloke

I had an M5 in England. It was a 5 litre v8, they are within "acceptable oil usage range" if it uses up to 1 litre of synthic oil every 1000 miles. Oil change and oil usage is a different thing though. I always check my oil level and top up if needed. It needs to be changed though before it becomes dark, thick and gooey. The service interval on the M5 was vairable and usually around 15,000 miles. I just topped up often at 20 quid per litre. Ouch!

Steve_P

9,000-10,000 km and you never even checked the oil.

Back in the sixties and early seventies if you only used a quart of oil every thousand miles in a standard V8 engine you were doing well.

iaink

Makes sense...bigger engine has more cylinder wall area for the oil to leak around the piston rings.

Its good practice to check your level every couple of weeks, regardless of service intervals. Do the tire pressure and other critical fluid levels at the same time.

Mikey B

Nope I know rookie mistake, it was my 1st car here, Id just moved, I was like a kid in a candy shop driving that car, also took the summer off to enjoy life, bought a boat to water ski'd loads, tubing fun, enjoying the weather, basically having a mint summer all over Ontario so was having way too much fun to check stuff like oil, what can I say I was young and foolish then (well ok 27) but Ive learn't my lesson

Canada Jane

We have a Ford and that is "serviced" every 5,000 km which we have always thought too often. Although only the 10k ones are required, the others being oil changes we do tend to have them all done. Servicing is much cheaper here, but the frequency does irritate, especially as you tend to drive a lot more here.

In the summer when we are out and about a lot it feels like we are always in the garage, but hey ho - when in canada....

Charlie Bass

As people have already said there are services and there are services. I'm a mechanic (in Australia) and generally I always recommend a service every 10,000km or 6 months, whichever comes sooner. By service I mean oil and filter change, engine tune check, transmission and final driveline check, and general overall check (check and adjust brakes, suspension, steering, fluids, wipers, lights, belt condition, etc) together with a road test to varify any faults. If any faults/issues are found I report them to the customer and make reccommendations. Generally it takes about half an hour to complete, and together with a new filter and engine oil it's about $80. Obviously the cost goes up with extra parts and repairs.

With most book services I do most manufacturers tend to specify an oil change every 10,000km with all the basic checks such as above. There specified intervals for other items such as timing belt replacement, transmission fluid flush etc. Some vehicles indeed don't recommend a service for 20,000km, but this is false economy I think.

My opinion is that you should have basic checks and replace your oil and filter every 10,000km / 6 months whichever comes sooner. This will not void your warranty if your book schedule states every 20,000km, as more frequent services keep a vehicle in better condition. Frequent oil changes dramatically increase your engine's life, and basic checks over the vehicle help to pick up items wearing out such as brakes. If you leave your service for 20,000km, you might for example find that during that period you've worn away your pads so much and now need new rotors, which will cost you more than just having your pads replaced. Or your coolant concentration is so low that when the temperature drops below 0 degrees C, it freezes and cracks the block or radiator. Or maybe a hose is on it's way to letting go, and if that happens you're looking at a head gasket most likely.

All these items should be picked up in a basic service. I say “should” because unfortunately there are a lot of mechanics out there who don't do this stuff, or who may say they do/have and give the industry a bad name. Equally some people are hugely overcharged for what work is done. The saying you get what you pay for does not always apply to mechanics. But my advice would be stay clear of places offering very cheap services since the quality of the service, parts and oil used is likely to be poor. Oil changes are only as good as the oil and parts being used.

If you smell a rat, find another workshop. Or do your own oil changes if you can manage. At least that way you are sure of the work being done and you will save a lot of money.

Sorry to waffle on!

Kittykerr

i dont think its necessarily bigger engine cars are oil thirsty, i think its more american engines are very poor compared to some. so are burning oil due to poor tolerances.. the power to size ratio for american cars is terrible. my 1.9 diesel back in the uk had a lot more power than many 4.0l V6's here... american engine technology is almost stone age compared to europe or japan..


but the quick oil changes i dont think is a bad thing due to the extremes of temperature here. we do our older cars every 5000k, and doing it yourself only costs about $15 for oil and filter..

and you dont need to go to the dealer for most of your services, places like minute lube or your local independant garage are warranty approved...

pauly1664

not a lot i can add to that except well said mr bass.....nice to hear the wafflings of a proper tradesman keep up the good work!!! where in aus are you?

Charlie Bass

Hi pauly1664

I'm on the Gold Coast mate. Though hopefully moving to Perth next year to make the most out of the resources boom as they are crying out for tradies What about you, are you in Oz or Canada?

pauly1664

neither im in uk...been to perth a few times mate lives there and is trying to get me out to live..im a spraypainter by trade and it seems they are pretty desperate for em,but once your in perth..your in perth a bit to isolated for my liking but guys were offering me $40 per hour....is that good?

Charlie Bass

Mate I sent you a PM.