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

Originally Posted by shanegtr

I've been changing around the 15k mark - I dont wait until 12 months - done 2 oil changes this year already. Heres my last 5 engine oil samples for you - 1% fuel for the last 4 and less than 1% for the oldest in the list
22-07-2017 7-21-30 AM.jpg

That's fantastic, thanks.

How much does it cost to have the oil tested?

I am wondering too, with your 2.7 litre TDv6, do you get the injectors checked? Evidently their behaviour can predict bad behaviour - namely crankshaft failures (1.3% evidently in the 2.7). Don't want to scare you, but from what I'd read if I recall correctly, the injector performance / feedback indicated potential issues. I did not understand why and it was some considerable time ago when I was researching before buying a Disco myself. With Toyotas, their common rail diesel injectors need to be changed when their performance drops otherwise they'll likely have a catastrophe.

Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

That's fantastic, thanks.

How much does it cost to have the oil tested?

I am wondering too, with your 2.7 litre TDv6, do you get the injectors checked? Evidently their behaviour can predict bad behaviour - namely crankshaft failures (1.3% evidently in the 2.7). Don't want to scare you, but from what I'd read if I recall correctly, the injector performance / feedback indicated potential issues. I did not understand why and it was some considerable time ago when I was researching before buying a Disco myself. With Toyotas, their common rail diesel injectors need to be changed when their performance drops otherwise they'll likely have a catastrophe.

No worries, Checking the injector figures regually with my IID tool is something I've been meaning to add to my list of things to do, however I keep forgetting to make some time to research what the figures mean and what I can gain from them, otherwise its just a bunch of meaniless numbers

I pay around $28 per oil sample. I also check the diffs, transfer and auto trans

Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

Toyota also give fixed priced servicing for 3 years.

However, various dealerships will rip you off. I took a Camry Grande V6 2006 when it was 6 years old (and had just 4k on it) to Brighton Toyota in Nepean Highway, and I said fully service it. They rang and said "do everything that's needed" and said yes - they charged me $1,400!!! The same dealership charged me the fixed price charge for a Prado ($210 I think) and then they charged me over $100 for oil. I took the car to Werribee Toyota for a service (the Prado) and they changed all the lubricants, did the brake fluid, diffs, and they charged me $210 all up.

I guess it depends which dealership you go to. Obviously fleet gets a much better deal than a bunny like me does!!!

Had a van done today(Saturday),at the dealer,big service,$392,engine oil and filter,coolant flush,brake fluid,diff oil,brake test on some machine,couple of other little things.

Not bad,now if that would have been the D4,i recon $1k at the stealers at least,probably actually more like $1.5K,but it may have also included two diffs and possibly a transfer case as well.My Indie would do the D4 for i am guessing around $790 to $990,and do a better job.

Originally Posted by scarry

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Not bad,now if that would have been the D4,i recon $1k at the stealers at least,probably actually more like $1.5K,but it may have also included two diffs and possibly a transfer case as well.My Indie would do the D4 for i am guessing around $790 to $990,and do a better job.

A Concern with Toyota (and other big) dealerships was whether when they said they changed the diff oil - that they really did!!

Originally Posted by Melbourne Park

A Concern with Toyota (and other big) dealerships was whether when they said they changed the diff oil - that they really did!!

LR is the same. I don't trust any dealerships personally. You only have to get one lazy guy on the tools and you can forget that diff oil change actually being done.

Originally Posted by DiscoJeffster

LR is the same. I don't trust any dealerships personally. You only have to get one lazy guy on the tools and you can forget that diff oil change actually being done.

Or they put the wrong type in which is what my indie did once.

If I hadn't picked it up on the invoice,no one would ever have known.

One of my brothers had the TC on his Plado filled with the wrong oil,by the mechanic he had been using for over 20yrs.The TC was destroyed and the mechanic paid for a new one.You would have thought the mechanic would have known,particularly as this happened in Darwin which is Toyota country.

Rotating tyres is another thing they seem to miss,or do it incorrectly.I have caught them out more than once on this one.

Pretty easy to check if oils have been changed,by checking not only the oil but seeing if both the filler and drain plugs have oil around them.Same for filter,a visual.

Originally Posted by shanegtr

I've been changing around the 15k mark - I dont wait until 12 months - done 2 oil changes this year already. Heres my last 5 engine oil samples for you - 1% fuel for the last 4 and less than 1% for the oldest in the list
22-07-2017 7-21-30 AM.jpg

Old hands on here will be sick of hearing me mention this, but fifteen years ago I was able to extend the service intervals to 20,000km on the ex's GU Patrol with the TD42T.
This was back in the 500ppm sulphur diesel days, we lived on a farm, constant dirt road use and constant towing horses.
She was doing about 7,500-10,000km/month, I was over doing 5,000km oil changes every two to three weeks with premium mineral oils.

Oil analysis showed the HD premium syn oil could've gone longer easily, but we are in front financially, and wear metal numbers were lower than what we were getting at 5-7000km with the other oils we'd been using.

What I do have to mention is that nearly all trips were quite long, most were around five hours. The shortest trip undertaken would've been around 25km km. Short trips of under 30-40km are probably the hardest thing on a diesel, it takes that long to get things up to temp properly and vaporise of any condensation IMO.
The hardest thing of all is stop/start short trip city driving.
Oil change intervals need to be pulled back dramatically.
I can go into acidity, TBN, (the oils reserve alkalinity) etc if anyone is interested.

When I last saw that car about two years ago it was still gong strong at over 500,000km without a spanner on it.
The only thing I noticed was some oil getting past the valve stem seals when cold.

I'll also state again, the air filter is more important than the oil filter.
Full flow oil filters aren't terribly efficient, real filtration (around 1 micron) is only performed wth by-pass filters (think TD5 rotor filter)
The best synthetic media full flow oil filters are around beta2=6, (6 micron nominal) range, most cellulose fibre filters are in the 20-30 micron nominal range.

Most people change the air filter too frequently, air filters become more efficient as the filter loads, the downside is pressure drop increases.
The other thing to be careful when changing too frequently is introducing contamination by not being careful and clean when swapping them out.
One of the reasons why industrial/off road machines have safety filters inside the main filter.

The most important thing is the sealing in the air box, panel filters are shockers for not sealing properly, and don't be tempted into installing a washable type filter if you want to keep your car forever.

"and don't be tempted into installing a washable type filter if you want to keep your car forever".
Not sure about the forever bit but I would second that about not using the "cleanable, re-usable" air filters.
Had one in our first Disco 300Tdi but after one trip I threw it away.
Now I carry a spare paper filter and knock it on the bull bar if we do any really dusty work.
AlanH.