Oil Service for New Defender 2008

[mac]

My dealer tells me that the first oil service is at 20K. Looking at my owners manual and service manual, I don't find anything except a Service B service at 20K. From a practical perspective, I'm going to have the oil and filter changed now that I have a couple thousand kilometers on the Defender. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone else has information on the factory recommendations.

Thanks

Mac

[spudboy]

I had the same question a few weeks ago. Hang on and I'll find a link to the thread......

[spudboy]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/58589-initial-service-new-engine-not-needed-any-more.html

No definitive answer but sounds like you just start off at 10,000Kms......

[Xavie]

Don't know where you are Mac but I was told 12,000 for first service and then around every 12 after that.

[gromit]

Xavie, was that 12,000 miles which is 20,000Kms ?

Mac, LR website lists 12,000 miles or 12 monthly service intervals.
http://www.landrover.co.uk/gb/en/Owners/Your_Guide_to_Ownership/service_maintenance/Owners_ServiceMaintenance_ServiceIntervalTable.htm

Everywhere you read about frequent oil changes giving longer life but the motor industry is extending intervals to reduce running costs. I remember years ago when you went back at roughly 1,000 miles for an oil change (and so they could tighten a few bolts), then they went to 10,000 miles for the first oil change. I remember a Renault I ran back in the UK where they only changed the filter every second oil change ?! Wasn't happy with this so got the dealer to change every time, sold it with 212,000 miles on the clock (yes miles!) ....

I don't think you will invalidate the warranty by changing the oil & filter early as long as you can justify the cost.


Colin

[dullbird]

Don't know where you are Mac but I was told 12,000 for first service and then around every 12 after that.


funny as i know we all had this discussion before as it was supposed to be 20k BUT funny how you were told 12k as we were told 10k by the dealer who recognises that is 20 but strongly suggested we did it at 10k

who was your service centre xavie?

[TimNZ]

I also questioned the service manager on this when I picked up my 110. I was told that the required service was a 20000kms but it certainly wouldn't hurt to change the oil and filter sooner. He reccomended between 7000 and 10000kms.
I must admit they were suprised when I asked for a spare Air, Fuel, and Oil filter to keep in the vehicle "just in case".

Tim

[one_iota]

Interesting thread.

If the major reason for a service is to change the fluids and associated filters then it would boil down to the life expectancy of the fluids used under the conditions the fluids are expected to operated in.

So the manufacturers of the oils, coolants and grease should be the determiners of this.

Not our friendly LR service people...

I'll be checking out the warranty conditions.

I've usually changed engine oil and filter on the 300 Tdi at 5000 km...half the recommended...hasn't done any harm...but I did that myself.

LR must work on average conditions in the UK...so why is Australia so much different?

[dullbird]

i have asked ian to call landrover uk and have a chat about the servicing lengths...

as much as we want to care for the vehicle landrover uk say that the seriving period would only need to be shortened for arduose work on the car

it states offroad, wheels of the ground and a few other examples none of which our car has done yet!!!!! so why the 10k i wonder

one thing that does spring to mind is 20k in the uk or 12000miles is very much a tempter for someone buying in the uk...hence a possible sale of more vehicles...here 20k over 10k is very much a lose for landrover i'm assuming as they dont sell more vehicles to cover the cost of losing there every 10k serivce money

do you think i'm way off the mark here.:angel:

[scarry]

Interesting thread.



LR must work on average conditions in the UK...so why is Australia so much different?


i believe ambient temperatures are the difference.when the 1st td5 disco came out in 99,i was advised by the dealer that services could be done at 20k if ambient temps were under 32c.,and the vehicle was not used in a severe environment,or for towing,etc.they used to change the spin on filter at 60k service,& do a full auto service at 80k.the auto service has now been reduced to every 40k,after a few failures,but i think other service intervals are still the same.

as for the new deffy,i dont know for sure,just my 2c worth

[Xavie]

funny as i know we all had this discussion before as it was supposed to be 20k BUT funny how you were told 12k as we were told 10k by the dealer who recognises that is 20 but strongly suggested we did it at 10k

who was your service centre xavie?

I was also told 10,000, I just had a look at my diary where I wrote it but was told 12,000 would be fine. And yes Kilometers not Miles.

It was Trivetts.

I am led to believe as someone else said it may have to do with climate and definitely dependent on type of usage.

Might just quickly add that I did 2 oil changes on the Defender. One at about 1500kms or thereabouts and then one at 6,000. I know people say that periods can be extended due to good advances in oil but I do feel initial changes while the engine is new are still very important and then 20,000 is to far no matter how good the oil. I basically wonder if all this has been changed to cut the companies cost as first service was always free anyway and then it looks better running cost wise if your booklet says you only need one (rather expensive) service Per annum. Of course this is just my opinion but especially on engines which don't use Delvac 1 oil changes are pretty cheap.

Xav

[gromit]

Landrover South Africa have an intermediate service every 10,000Km for the Defender.
Land Rover ZA - Service Intervals (http://www.landrover.co.za/za/en/Owners/Service/service_intervals_new.htm)

LR USA & Australia do not mention service intervals on their websites.
In Canada the first 6 services are complimentary (LR3, RR & RRS), no mention of intervals.

Each market is 'serviced' differently I guess to compete with local offers/expectations or to generate the appropriate return (maybe you're on the right line dullbird).

The LR dealer will be more than happy to charge for changing oil & filter whenever you see fit......


Colin

[PAT303]

One thing I think causes alot of this is that Euro engines are and always have been more efficient than Jap diesels.Most people in oz grew up with engines that sludged up if the oil wasn't changed every 5k and feel un-easy with letting it go further.Remember that LR engines burn around half the fuel of a jap six engine and what they burn they burn cleaner and oil has come a long way.It woudn't bother me changing at 20k,most euro diesel cars are around that now,they Know,they build them. Pat

[one_iota]

What are Ford's recommendations for the Australian Transit van with the Puma donk?

[rick130]

The quality of oils used, the quality of fuels (big one ATM thanks to certain aromatic components that are killing previously good lubes) all play a big part in service intervals, and particularly the quality and sealing of the air filter.
I cannot get a decent air filter for the Patrol ATM, or more precisely, one that seals properly.

Dirt ingestion is the biggest killer of oil and engines, and the only way to get it out once it's in there is dump the fluid, regardless of how good your oil filtration is.

Fuel dilution is another biggy, and if your average trip length is under 25-30km, reduce your oil change interval, even with today's common rail and unit injector engines. Some of the components of the new ULSD's are hard, very hard on the lubricant when it gets into the crankcase, even in small quantities and at levels most labs can't measure.
The same thing goes for the new petrol's, particularly with ethanol.

[Craig]

Well I’m a bit confused as well. My Dealer told me 12,000 Kms but the book says 20,000.

I wasn’t quite sure especially after reading that some of you have been told 10K,12K, and 20K.

So I sent an email to Land Rover Australia. I had a guy call me up today and tell me that it was defiantly 12K and that the ford engine was 20K because it had two oil filters in it and land rover only used one. So I asked him if the 12K service was an A or a B service and he told me that he wasn’t a technical person and didn’t know what the difference was.
He also told me that it HAD to be serviced by an authorised dealer and I couldn’t just take it into the local Ford dealership or local mechanic.

You got to love the support.

Its now got 4500 km on the clock, so I hope I can get it sorted soon.

Craig

[dullbird]

right well i'm not impressed:mad:

as our car went in for a 10,000k service today under recomendation of the service centre:mad:........

so i will be calling land rover australia tomorrow to find out if it is 12k and if it is i shall them be calling the service centre and enquire why they have asked us to ring our car in 2000k's early:mad:

[one_iota]

I'll add this to the list of questions to be asked.

There appears to be very little science practised and a lot of rumour applied.

What do they take us for? :twisted:

Having taken a big breath I remember that owning a Disco for eleven years had nothing to do with Land Rover Corporate and a lot to do with the LR owning community.

[Matt11]

i was told 12k even had a big sticker slaped on the top right of the windscreen to remind me.

[gromit]

If LR Australia say it has only one filter so therefore it needs changing at 12,000kms then why does the LR UK site say 12,000miles (20,000Kms). Do they get 2 filters on the UK Defender motors ?!
I could understand if you were told that it was due to different climate conditions, poorer quality roads in Australia or something similar. Sounds like LR Australia need to get their act together (but then we knew that anyway).

I guess at the end of the day whatever figure LR Australia say you'll have to accept if you want any warranty claims honoured. Whether it's to improve the life of your engine or just to line their pockets doesn't matter, if it's not done they will try to wriggle out of any warranty work (even if it's not engine related !).

As to the claim that service work must be carried out by an 'authorised dealer' I think they're skating on thin ice there.....

Colin

[dullbird]

If LR Australia say it has only one filter so therefore it needs changing at 12,000kms then why does the LR UK site say 12,000miles (20,000Kms). Do they get 2 filters on the UK Defender motors ?!

I could understand if you were told that it was due to different climate conditions, poorer quality roads in Australia or something similar. Sounds like LR Australia need to get their act together (but then we knew that anyway).

I guess at the end of the day whatever figure LR Australia say you'll have to accept if you want any warranty claims honoured. Whether it's to improve the life of your engine or just to line their pockets doesn't matter, if it's not done they will try to wriggle out of any warranty work (even if it's not engine related !).

As to the claim that service work must be carried out by an 'authorised dealer' I think they're skating on thin ice there.....

Colin


i couldn't landies get very much abused over in the uk.....not only do they constantly do higher speeds than here, they are subject to constant damp conditions and most people live in mud and filthy water when they are off road....

if anything i would say they get a harder time over there...

[muddymech]

well, landrover australia confirmed service intervals at 12k or 12 months depending which is ealier, the 110 went into the dealer the day before for its 10k service that they recommnded and confirmed as 10k or six months which ever is earlier only yesterday, some one is trying to either rip us off or there communication/training leaves a lot to be desired, all i know is i feel ripped going from 20k service schedule to 10k then back to 12k all in the space of 7 months, with the trip we have planned later this year we will end up giving the 110 three services rather than two this year to keep with in the warrenty, not cheap.

[rick130]

i couldn't landies get very much abused over in the uk.....not only do they constantly do higher speeds than here, they are subject to constant damp conditions and most people live in mud and filthy water when they are off road....

if anything i would say they get a harder time over there...

dust, high ambients and stop/start city driving/short trips are much harder on lubricants and engines than high speed highway stuff over reasonable distances in mild conditions.

It's a backward step losing the centrifuge off the Td5 IMO.

[dullbird]

dust, high ambients and
stop/start city driving/short trips are much harder on lubricants and engines than high speed highway stuff over reasonable distances in mild conditions.
It's a backward step losing the centrifuge off the Td5 IMO.

yes exactly have you ever sat on the M25.....and i would not say england has mild conditions...

granted we dont have the dust.....i would imagine the cold can be just has hard on an engine as the hot.

australia may have the heat (although not all the time) but it doesn't have the constant minus temperatures and dont forget about the extremes that europe has..

IMHO i dont believe ozies are as hard on there vehicles as they like to think

[muddymech]

went to the dealer today tryingh tosort out the fuek tank issues.

they gave me a copy of service schedule, so it looks like the officail service is 12k or every 12months, this i got from landrover australia.
but if you treat the car harder it drops to 10k or every 6 months, this is the one we were qouted as they belived the car was to be off roaded, tahts true but just not yet.

hoepfully that clears things up a bit more

[one_iota]

The Maintenance Check Sheet is attached. Page 2 describes the conditions under which reduced service intervals are recommended.

[justinc]

Rick has mentioned distance travelled, Take taxis for example. The longer the engine is run for after start up, the longer you can leave the oil change intervals. (Basic rule of thumb)

I changed my oil before I left for QLD, and changed it again 14K later after I got home, due to the fact that the engine was running for on average 6 to 8 hours a day quite often. (It used 300 to 500ml of oil in this distance)

With good quality oil, and filtration, I would have no hesitation doing this.

JC

[PAT303]

I think people change change their oil too often.If you think your engine will last longer because of it you are dreaming.With any LR TD post Tdi running modern oil I would not do it before 10K.If people worried about correct serving as much as engine life half the mechanics around would be out of a job. Pat

[scarry]

I think people change change their oil too often.If you think your engine will last longer because of it you are dreaming.With any LR TD post Tdi running modern oil I would not do it before 10K.If people worried about correct serving as much as engine life half the mechanics around would be out of a job. Pat

i agree,,,,,know a few people who change the oil in their td5 at 5k intervals& use synthetic oil....a total waste of time & money.i had the oil in my td5 tested by the oil manufacturer at 15k & they said it was ok,go to 20k.they tested it at 20k & said it is still ok but change it as it wont get to 25k.this was normal type driving,doing around 35k a yaer.

another thing that a lot of people dont realise is there is also a time factor as well.oil should be changed at a certain mileage or a set time whichever comes 1st.

my brother has had a 3.5 litre v8 disco since '94 & changes the oil every 10k,as per spec,uses the cheapest oil around& still going strong at 300k,doesnt use a drop,no rattles etc.....is always fixing oil leaks on it though

we do the engine oil in our lpg work vans at 15k,most get sold at around 230k& never had an engine problem ever,mostly around town type work

[TimNZ]

Hi all, I've just changed the engine oil/filter on my 110 at 5000kms. I realise this is quite abit shorter than the 20000km interval required in the schedule, but for the sake of less the $100 I figured it was worth it.
I also changed the oil in the diffs and main gearbox, (I didn't bother with the transfer box as it was replaced only 1000km's ago). I did this, (for the engine aswell), to allow any crud in the system from assembly/packaging/manufacturing/etc to get flushed out. When I changed the oil in both diffs a layer of very black oil came out first, followed by clean EP 80/90, so I'm glad I did it now.

Tim