Thread: how often is too often (servicing) - some questions

Originally Posted by johntins

Does your mate's KMart have an Auto store? If you get him to stamp the book I can't see there being a problem, warranty wise. Pretty much any accredited workshop can do book services, AFAIK. A few manufacturers have found this out, over the years.

Yep, i bought a book from UK of all places, and he stamps every service. hes very familiar with my work to and happy to look over and stamp that too...

thanks for the tips so far. ill be doing the fuel filter soon

Just out of curiosity I pulled the dipstick on my Discovery Sport this morning. It had its first logbook service at the LR dealer not two months ago and the oil is already black. Is that normal?

This a 2.2L 4 cylinder diesel like the Freelanders had. The recommended service interval is 26,000km or 12 months. We reached about 23,000 in the almost 18 months we had it before the first service – known issue with the DS is the failure for the computer to let us know when a service is due. It's now just past 26,000 and admittedly the past couple of months have had a decent dose of mountains and rough tracks in them.

I've serviced mine every 12000km in the 7 years I've owned my MY08. Now at 170,000km I pull the dipstick before a long trip but have never detected any change in level ever. Is always at full ( and black)

Originally Posted by TB

Just out of curiosity I pulled the dipstick on my Discovery Sport this morning. It had its first logbook service at the LR dealer not two months ago and the oil is already black. Is that normal?

This a 2.2L 4 cylinder diesel like the Freelanders had. The recommended service interval is 26,000km or 12 months. We reached about 23,000 in the almost 18 months we had it before the first service – known issue with the DS is the failure for the computer to let us know when a service is due. It's now just past 26,000 and admittedly the past couple of months have had a decent dose of mountains and rough tracks in them.

It doesn't take very long at all for a diesel engine to blacken the oil, Dirty little Buggers
26,000k or 12 months seems like a long time between services

I'd never ever allow an engine to go that long without changing the oil and filter. Talking to a fellow club member yesterday and as he said "Old habits die hard" and he had his new D4s oil/filter changed at 3K.
As he says that's what was done years ago on all new cars as using it removed all the crap from manufacturing caught up (hopefully) in the filter. Nothings changed now as the same stuff is liable to be floating around in your engine.
I change ALL oils at half LRs service schedules and feel that's the best way to go.
If you want longevity from your vehicle, change them. If you're a polly or bureuacrap it wont matter to you as the taxpayer will buy you another new car every couple of years anyway......
AlanH.

As he says that's what was done years ago on all new cars as using it removed all the crap from manufacturing caught up (hopefully) in the filter.

That is or used to be standard practice with a new engine or after a rebuild, Many of us even do this to standing engines like lawnmowers and gensets.
Run them for a little bit then dump the oil just to be sure that there is no minute metal shavings left in there from where the rings have "Bed" themselves in, Pretty cheap insurance.

Originally Posted by PerthDisco

I've serviced mine every 12000km in the 7 years I've owned my MY08. Now at 170,000km I pull the dipstick before a long trip but have never detected any change in level ever. Is always at full ( and black)

Mine was serviced by the previous owner at the standard 26,000km intervals until 200,000km. It's now at 234,000km and my level drops approximately 100ml over 13,000km. I don't feel the 26,000km intervals have hurt it any, but time will tell if I get to 400,000.
While I'll probably do 13,000km from now on, that's really only because I'll do it annually, not because I don't trust the interval.

If I am doing a lot of dusty low speed work I will change the oil and filter out every 5,000k otherwise at 10,000k at the most.
Maybe the oils are better and the filters are better but I wouldn't think that a hundred bucks spent on some oil and a filter would be a waste of time and money, What price do you put on peace of mind?
To wait a year or 26,000k before an oil change is unthinkable to me, Maybe I am Old School But I have never had an engine seize on me