I normally service my 15 year old Lexus IS250 yearly with less than 10,000 km traveled. With Covid and lock down, I am doing much less driving. So wondering should I wait another year to service my car.
Thoughts and input?
Servicing Car Interval and Pandemic
beefmaster on 27/09/2021 - 16:31
Comments
The older the car the better the service you want.
When it gets old not good time to skimp on servicing as a lot more issues occur when cars get old
I was thinking the same thing but the local nrma says it won't matter you don't use it much the oil somewhat need to be changed anyway periodically don't know the actual science for this.
What's the cost of the service?
What's the cost of a broken car?
Servicing is simply cheap insurance.
It's probably worth servicing before you start using regularly again. My old car was left unused (and to the elements) for several months and I ended up having to get the battery replaced..
Have a look at the colour of the oil. If it's black change the oil and filter.
Colour is not an indication of whether it needs to be changed or not. Thick sludgy oil is not the same as black oil.
I've checked my dipstick after a quick drive to check the oil level after an oil change it was pretty black. lol looked no different to the oil I just changed.
One of the oil's job is hold or suspend contaminates. If the oil was crystal clear, the oil isn't doing it's job to keep the engine clean.
Not disagreeing with you, just curious. If the oil is clean/clear, what could be causing the oil not to do its job. Assuming using a respectable fully synthetic oil brand to the correct specification for the engine?
The oil isn't meant to be clear, it carries particles in suspension and filters them (not everything can be filtered so the oil returns back to it's usual colour), it'll change to a dark colour within 1000km of a change, completely normal.
TBH full synthetic oil is still protecting pretty well at 20,000 km, but there are various other reasons changing it around 7500-10000km is good advice (depends on the vehicle and particulars, but i digress)
https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.amsoil.com/why-does-motor-…
It's the additives and also heat cycles that turns them black. The oils job is to also pick up the engine contaminates which is then collected by the filter.
If you use good long life engine oil, you could in reality just change the oil filter without changing the oil. However to make sure this is acceptable, you need to undertake an oil analysis, e.g. send a sample of your oil to a lab for testing.
Oil analysis is the only way to know if you really need to change for your oil. However, it's more practical to just change the oil and filter every 12 months or 15,000km (the recommended service internal of the majority of modern cars/engine oil).
You've never owned a diesel lol
Oils contain additives which protect your engine and which break down over time.
A decent mechanic will, while servicing, do checks and identify issues which aren't necessarily mileage based. This can head off safety issues or more expensive repairs.
Get your car serviced regularly, especially if its older.
Just change the headlight fluid
I think you're confusing this with blinker oil
She'll be right mate. 2 years no problem, just keep it topped up.
My car is similar. I still do it every year but omit some of the km sensitive items such as spark plugs and air filters.
Brake fluid and engine will deteriorate with time.
You could…should…will….. just follow the Log Book, by Kilometers or time, which ever comes first. Simples.
As you paid a gazillion dollars for a re-badged Toyota, treat it with the respect it deserves.
Unless of course the Log Book Servicing schedule includes a clause regarding pandemics and lock-downs.
I change my oil & filter every 10,000kms & I use very good oil in my engine, it does not matter about the time then. I also used to be a mechanic
Detergents and additives are depleted after 6 months, so probably a good idea to do the service a bare minimum once a year
That's why I use a good oil, so it can last longer
Why do you say they are depleted after 6 months, where is your proof?
This is why I don't trust just any mechanic.
They figure how to use a wrench and suddenly they're engineers.
This is why mechanics don't like backyard mechanics,
they don't do a 5 year apprenticeship & years in the trade & all of a sudden they think they know everything about carsFor some reason some mechanic with a 5 year apprenticeship can override the advice of engineers with university degrees who wrote the servicing schedule?
The same 5 year apprentice which assumes every car is the same, and would advocate changing oils every 10 years if the car only does 1000km/year.
We don't even know what sort of driving everyone does, but this "oil & filter every 10,000kms" should do for everyone. As long as you use a good oil apparently. Race it on a track as much as you want as long as you change oil and filter ever 10,000kms guys! Your car will perform as new for years on this servicing schedule.
Again, this is why you don't just trust any mechanic out there. I'm sure there are good and bad ones out there.
@CMH: Who drives 1000kms a year?
A co-driver for Bathurst. Let's get real
I don't see any engineers servicing customers cars,
maybe because they don't know anything about them.
I used to be one of the highest paid mechanics in Victoria, as I used to be one of the best@the Unforgiven: You completely miss the point. The point is you have no idea about the vehicle, nor the driver and a blanket statement saying "this should be fine" is a dangerous one.
Again, you might be the best mechanic around and know how to fix these cars. However the skillset and knowledge between you and an automotive engineer is different. The difference between the 2, and your misunderstanding on where the limitation of your knowledge starts and ends can be catastrophic.
@CMH: The automotive engineers might help determine the service schedule, but the marketing department also has a say in it. The service schedule is a compromise between low cost of servicing and longevity of the vehicle.
When it’s all about engineers (F1 racing etc) servicing is done a lot more frequently and yet Toyota’s that are serviced annually (and less) last for ages.
It’s old. Stick to km interval servicing.
Because good maintenance of your car is every year or 10k kms - whichever comes first.
It's well and truly out of warranty and isn't worth much so service when you damn well feel like it. Up to you.