Does my car really need a service?

Tokmon

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

But if you want the car to continue to perform at it's best and last longer than that or you have a car older than 10 years and want it to continue functioning well for longer then 1 year oil changes are the way to go.

Where is the proof of this?
Why should we ignore the manufacturing saying it's fine to leave oil changes longer?
In a world where we're trying to cut oil use and waste, why on earth would you go against the manufacturer?

Just a quick search of Castrol and Mobil who are major players in engine oil manufacturing and they both only offer a 1 year warranty on their oil after it has been put in a car:

https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home/car-engine-oil-and-fluids/castrol-engine-warranty.html

https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-personal-vehicles/our-products/mobil-limited-warranties/mobil-1-extended-performance-limited-warranty


Oil deteriorates and gets contaminated over time in an engine due to the constant temperature cycling from cold to very hot and back again each time it is driven. Some manufacturers might say actually it's alright to leave it for two years because they know they won't have to deal with it after the warranty runs out and the engine is still going to last a long time.

But changing it every year instead will mean less contamination and the oil will be more effective this leads to lower fuel consumption (so a decrease in oil use and emissions; a small increase in fuel consumption will have a far bigger effect than a few liters of oil each year) and also makes cars last longer. It's much better for the environment if cars are used for longer and maintained instead of being scrapped earlier and new one's made instead.

What's the relevance of a warranty an oil company gives?
Who even knows they offer these and would go after them?
No-one, any engine failure would be against the car manufacturer and as long as you've complied with their servicing requirements, that's the end of it.
Hey, it's your money though, nothing stopping you changing more frequently if it makes you feel better.

The oil company are the one's who manufactured the oil that goes into the cars engine and have carried out extensive testing so they know how well their oil performs and for how long. If they aren't happy to guarantee it longer than a year then that shows it's not going to perform as well after that. 

If they knew it would last longer they would offer a longer guarantee as a marketing technique.

BOWFER said:

Ibrahim5 said:

I have never heard anyone say more frequent changes are detrimental except to the environment. Premature engine failure isn't  good for the environment though. For £30 it's better to do more frequent changes.

Isn't unnecessary purchasing of new oil and disposal of old oil enough these days...?!?
Of course there's no mechanical harm going to come from changing the oil more frequently than the car manufacturer recommends, but there's no advantage either.

The advantage is a longer lasting engine at a higher performance level due to the reduced contaminants by changing the oil yearly. 

Just think the oil from the same manufacturer will last 2 years according to one manufacturer and 1 year according to another and considering there isn't some secret technology that makes oil last longer it will simply be due to them allow a higher level of contaminants before it needs changing. 

A good example of this is Haldex AWD units. Some manufacturers state and oil and filter change on the unit every 3 years and some say never to change the oil but it's the exact same unit on both!. The Haldex unit will most likely function enough to 100,000 miles and 10 years but then the lack of service can catch up with it and an expensive bill for whoever owns the car then. 
This just shows how the manufacturers are specifying service intervals based on preference and not some scientific process because these Haldex units are identical so should need identical service schedules but they don't.

So like i said above if you want to buy a new car and do the bare minimum then fine. But if you want you car to last or you buy older cars then you will want to service them properly so they last longer and have fewer problems which is much better for the environment.

johnkelon

Well, I will say 300 pounds is not too much for a milestone service. It's better you sacrifice the money rather than making your car loose value when you want to later sell it

facade

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

. A yearly oil change minimum is a must for all driving styles if someone wants to look after their car.

I'll be sure to ignore BMW/Land Rover/anyone else who think it's fine to leave the same oil in for 2 years/20K miles then.
Thanks....(sigh)

You really really should if it has the "snappomatic crank" LR tdv6 or "chocolate chain" BMW n47 engine in it

BOWFER

facade said:

BOWFER said:

Tokmon said:

. A yearly oil change minimum is a must for all driving styles if someone wants to look after their car.

I'll be sure to ignore BMW/Land Rover/anyone else who think it's fine to leave the same oil in for 2 years/20K miles then.
Thanks....(sigh)

You really really should if it has the "snappomatic crank" LR tdv6 or "chocolate chain" BMW n47 engine in it

Neither thanks