My 05 Almera only does about 7000m p.a.
It has a main dealer service once a year every summer.
But being a belt & braces sort of OCD ADD ADHD ASD person I'm a'gonna change the oil come the weekend :)
Usually, I would stick some decent oil in and fork out 40 odd notes for 4 ltrs of the stuff.
But, I'm considering using Carlube Triple R Fully Syn 5w 30 @ £19 from Wilco's.
Any thoughts anyone? tinyurl.com/2vrp5qf
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Over lubrication means the engine will outlast the body or suspension...
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Why bother? I really can't see the engine falling apart doing that sort of mileage... as Madf says its more likely to be the body with all the salt on the roads...
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Give me the 40 quid if you want to waste your money
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I know most would leave it until the next service, but I'm not most people and I've always seen the engine oil as the lifeblood of the engine, so I will change it and to hell with the cost.
Gotta look after that timing chain :)
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Carlube stuff always comes out pretty well on the oil forums when they analyse virgin & used samples.
Pretty much everything that the Tetrosyl (or whatever they're called) guys make seems to be fairly good, which is surprising given its always keenly priced.
Carplan Wonder Wheels is well respected if you're into acid wheel cleaners
Carlube premium oils, not their out and out cheap stuff, seem to do well. Factory fill on Lotus and TVR according to the bottle
Plus you're buying british... :-)
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>> Any thoughts anyone?
Do what your Owner's Guide says, for both the oil specification and the frequency with which it's changed.
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>>Do what your Owner's Guide says, for both the oil specification and the frequency with which it's changed.<<
Cheers L'es. I'll check the spec on that Carlube oil, mucho pronto.
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I am an expert (self proclaimed) on low mileages.
Wife's 106 diesel did 46k miles over 17 years before a crash killed it. Oil and filter change once a year.
Engine like new..despite average journey of 1 mile!!!
(HJ would recommend two changes a year - waste of time and money).
As long as you use original filters (or good quality ones) and quality oil, with 7k miles a year sludge and oil contamination is unlikely to be an issue...
(If it was a Ford CVH I would say differently but that was 30 years ago..carp).
My Yaris gets an annual oil and filter change on 7k miles/year...old oil looks OK...Engine as new, burns nothing.
Last edited by: madf on Thu 25 Nov 10 at 09:57
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based on the mileage you supplied ,your car does 0.8 of a mile for every hour of every day for a year, so personally i would save your £19 and buy some new baubles for the tree from wilkies
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Go to a tyres'n'zorsts'n'oil place and get them to do it every 5,000 miles. It'll save you time and money, and the oil will be good enough. 'Bout £25 for oil and filter.
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If you did 12K/yr then an interim change at 6K may be an idea to satisfy OCD/caring needs. But at 7K/yr once a year will be absolutely fine. In fact I'd far far rather a major brand high-spec oil at £40 once a year than £20 Carlube twice a year... have you ever smelt/tasted the stuff??
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have you ever smelt/tasted the stuff??
>>>>
>>>>>> i know it can get quiet in the winter in the fens when all the turnips have gone to market, but surely you could find a better pastime to idle away the boredom hours rather than slurp lube?
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Thanks for all the advice, its being computed by my grey matter, but I'm watching the tits at the moment,
which reminds me - I must put the feeders out that I bought ... from Wilco's
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Ok... so I was joking about the tasting... but seriously when you've spent years putting oil into cars it is true the cheaper oils smell stale/burnt new in the can.... a quality fully synth smells more like a decent wine.
BTW true there is no end to the odd fen activities over a long winter.
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Duckhams Q20 50 smelled best.
But it is well past its sell by date.. and no longer made.
Judging oils by smell is an interesting idea :-)
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Its a free (ish) country and your cash, change the oil as often as you like. Just make sure it meets the car manufacturers spec.
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>> Its a free (ish) country and your cash, change the oil as often as you
>> like. Just make sure it meets the car manufacturers spec.
>>
>>>>sorry but i disagree as OP would be depriving my grandchildren of this oil if it runs out due to his fastidiousk use of our worlds resources
THINK OF THE CHILDREN
;-)
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>> THINK OF THE CHILDREN
>>
>> ;-)
>>
Isn't there a saying about necessity and invention?
Do you think they will be using antiquated oil fired individual transport devices?
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>> oils smell stale/burnt new in the can
>> would be depriving my grandchildren of this oil
The stuff you guys are using is the reclaimed guff. Not Triple R :-) Your grandkids can drink that stuff too once it's been through Dog's engine.
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>>Its a free (ish) country and your cash, change the oil as often as you like. Just make sure it meets the car manufacturers spec.<<
That's right O/N ... I've always been 'funny' about engine oil, and I'll sleep better knowing its nice & new
I'm going for Havoline Energy 5w 30 now, half price @ Morrisons ~
www.hotukdeals.com/deals/all-havoline-oil-1-2-price-morrison/644724
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>> I'm going for Havoline Energy 5w 30 now, half price @ Morrisons ~
>>
Thats just how thick it is, is it the right spec?
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>>Thats just how thick it is, is it the right spec?<<
OK, I'll have to check that out.
>>The link refers to a promotion about 6 months ago ??<<
Ah! well done that man, I didn't realise that, Thanks :}
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>> I'm going for Havoline Energy 5w 30 now, half price @ Morrisons ~
>>
>> www.hotukdeals.com/deals/all-havoline-oil-1-2-price-morrison/644724
>>
The link refers to a promotion about 6 months ago ??
J
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It's an Almera, what we used to call a 'cooking' motor.
It's not even new.
Any oil of the correct viscosity from a reputable maker will be fine.
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I've an Almera also and do only a few thousand a year. I too worry about my timing chain. I found my local factors were doing Planet oil (made by Comma), £14/5L that meets the spec.
I've changed back to 10W/40 as economy seemed to be falling off on 5W/30. I don't know if it's made any difference yet.
You'll hear me shout if the chain lets go!
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Now i've got the Toyota dealer to put Millers top spec oil in at service time (i supply from my 25 litre drums) i don't bother with an interim change, otherwise i'd be doing the same as D.
8k is about as high a mileage as i'd leave it mind, and that's only with premium oils.
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>>i don't bother with an interim change, otherwise i'd be doing the same as D.<<
Sound advice gb, and I go along with that, the only reason I'm set on doing an interim, is because my last main dealer service was only £112, so I complained to the service manager that they weren't charging enough :)
Anyways - they used a naff oil instead of the Total Quartz full syn and being a car man of 35 years, I can hear the difference in me ole mechanical bitz.
(don't he go on!)
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>>It's an Almera, what we used to call a 'cooking' motor.<<
That's right! I doubt if its been over 4k rpm in its life, so 'cooking' oil it is then.
>>You'll hear me shout if the chain lets go!<<
I don't think they do, Looseat, they strrretch and the timing comes over all unnecessary, like.
A 5w/30 oyl is thinner (as you know) than a 10w/40, so it should show some improvement (in theory) over the latter.
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Planet oil?
Is that whats specified in the Galaxy or the Orion?
Ho Ho HO
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 25 Nov 10 at 19:09
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>> Ho Ho HO
>>
You on the booze, Z?
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I've only ever had my cars serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's service schedule and never ( in quite a lot of miles ) had any problems which could be attributed to oil degradation. I once bought a car at 18 months old but with 85k miles which had never been serviced. I had a service done and it went on fine with no further problems for the couple of years / 70 odd thousand miles I had it. Not entirely sure it's as vital as some would have you believe. I think it's more to do with how you drive them. Lots of short runs kills cars. Hacking about all day every day so the engine never really gets cold seems to suit them.
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I think the frequent oil change habit predominates amongst the more elderly contingent, like me. We just don't believe the dramatic improvement in oil technology and quality.
Hands up those who do interim oil changes and can remember using straight 30 grade oil, and engine sludge. Also when was the last time you saw a sludged up engine?
With synthetic oil the inside of my engine is cleaner than the outside.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 25 Nov 10 at 20:31
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its exactly the reason i love modern oils
do you remember having to take a donkey out of an old car ON? with a rope and a scaffold pole if you were lucky, but first you had to unbolt all the engine bits covered in inches of old oily gunge and then when you finally got the old lump out and stripped it the gunge everywhere was unbelievable
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It will be interesting to see what happens to the Fiesta as that is starting a new 18 month oil change routine. I will pay the final one to be done early next year. I just don't see the point on spending money on an oil change every 6-7k (which is all the car does now) when the body work is rusting to bits.
I am also just getting the Panda done every year when it gets serviced. Anything else is over the top.
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>> do you remember having to take a donkey out of an old car ON?
>>
Oh yes, when I was a youngster it was "Fix it yourself or walk", main dealer, a garage would have been luxury. If you haven't done a big end bearing shell change in a wet gutter you haven't fixed a car!
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 25 Nov 10 at 20:49
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I always remember the spare A series my grandad had in his garage for when one his engine packed up. My uncle then fitted it when it did happen.
My dad never used to bother fixing his bangers he just used to dump them in his works car park!.
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Also when was the last time you saw a sludged up
>> engine?
Last two years when my MB indy had 2x V12's out of 90's SL600's stripped out on the bench, well below 100K miles too, caked on black death just like the old days.
Long life servicing...it does not compute.
edit, rethinking that i seem to recall one of them was an early noughties car.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 26 Nov 10 at 19:38
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>> Long life servicing...it does not compute.
>>
Had they ever been serviced? How often?
Well below 100k miles from 1990 could mean well below 5k per annum miles over 20 years.
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>> Had they ever been serviced? How often?
>> Well below 100k miles from 1990
I have no idea about their servicing, though neither car looked to be in neglected condition.
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>> though neither car looked to be in neglected condition.
Unlike one coupe we can think of...
:-)
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>> Unlike one coupe we can think of...
>>
>> :-)
Ho blinkin Ho...yah boo sucks...:-)
Mind you she do look a bit forlorn covered in frost, could bring a tear to the eye, assuming one was capable of such....the boot lock still works without fail every time though.;)
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....the boot lock still works without fail every time though.;)
I refer m'learned friend to the technical section...
:-)
Crying shame though, wasn't it only last year we were treated to pictures of the old girl, paint sparkling, winter rubber on, ready to take on another winter sure in the knowledge that if she didn't let her owner down there'd always be a place for her in the family ?.....
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>> Crying shame though,
Stop twisting that dagger it 'urts john.
Quite right though it is a shame and i hang me head, if i'd got the sort of wonga that Cheshire residents have i'd keep her purely for the pleasure, but i'm a mere working class boy and got to cut me cloth accordingly, come down to a crummy battered pick up now i'll be living in't orange box soon lad.
:-)
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>>come down to a crummy battered pick up now<<
Yea! ... And tis ideal transport for the return of Ice Age Briton.
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When I was in the mobile tuning game, I had some customers who never changed their oil at all, they just kept topping it up, I even had one customer down in Rotherhithe who had a proper job new Ford V6 engine fitted to his Transit, but he never changed the oil.
Talking of the dreaded black sludge, I went to a Simca 1301 'Special' once, took the rocker cover off, and I'm not a'kidding you - you've never seen black sludge like it ...
Ran OK though!
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I never changed the oil on my first car (Morris Minor) but it used so much oil it probably didn't make much difference. Rust got it first.....
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...I never changed the oil on my first car (Morris Minor)...
We had a Minor pick-up at the garage.
It ran on oil drained from pint and half-pint top-cans which had been sold on the forecourt.
We used to leave them top-down over a bulk tank.
There was always plenty of oil in that tank and I suppose it must have been the multi-ist of multigrades.
We gave it away to regular customers who wanted a drop to oil the garden gate or the lawnmower.
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>> I've only ever had my cars serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's service schedule and
>> never ( in quite a lot of miles ) had any problems which could be
>> attributed to oil degradation.
Me too.
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Manufacturer's extended oil change intervals are implicated in premature turbocharger failure on Renault and VW diesel engines.
I think it depends on the interval. Anything up to around 12k, I'd be happy to leave it to the manufacturer, but when you start pushing up into the high teens and 20's, I find it quite hard to believe that even a modern oil will be doing as good a job at this stage as it was when first put into the engine.
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>> teens and 20's, I find it quite hard to believe that even a modern oil
>> will be doing as good a job at this stage as it was when first
>> put into the engine.
>>
>>
As has been stated often, it is not the mileage number on its own that matters, but how that mileage has been racked up that matters.
Last edited by: John H on Fri 26 Nov 10 at 10:04
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I've gorn for the carlube triple R full syn (ACEA C3 API CF SM) 4 ltrs £19.
Unusual for me as I normally go for premium brands such as Castrol,
Seems like an arf decent oil, to me.
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...Seems like an arf decent oil, to me...
Should slip down a treat.
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>>Should slip down a treat<<
More than enough really, for a 'cooking' engine.
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>> I think it depends on the interval. Anything up to around 12k, I'd be happy
>> to leave it to the manufacturer, but when you start pushing up into the high
>> teens and 20's, I find it quite hard to believe that even a modern oil
>> will be doing as good a job at this stage as it was when first
>> put into the engine.
>>
>>
My diesel car has a 20,000 mile or one year change interval, I do about 15,000 miles a year, 50/50 town and long distance. I change my oil at 6 months between services and as my cars (all diesel) are noticeably quieter after the oil changes I will stick with my routine. I would not leave oil in my engine beyond 10,000 miles even if it had gold as an additive.
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Mobil 1 - 5 litre packs - petrol/diesel - £28.xx @ Costco (inc VAT)
thought it was a good price - unless you know better!
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Tesco full synthetic 5w/30 B4/C3 4 litre pack £20.
I was in Costco this morning, the Mobil oil is the same spec (B4/C3).
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 26 Nov 10 at 16:00
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>>Tesco full synthetic 5w/30 B4/C3 4 litre pack £20<<
Ah! I'll have to check out (pun?) my local store tomorrow as Wilco's didn't have any blimmin Carlube.
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>> I would not leave oil in my engine
>> beyond 10,000 miles even if it had gold as an additive.
I think that's good practice for anything with a turbo ON, although if there was gold in the old oil, I'd maybe run it through a strainer first :-)
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Engine oil - madf
