Hi all,
After getting a new car last year, my old car hasn't done many kms (to the train station and back). I usually get my car serviced every 12 months but it's only done about 1,500 kms.
Is it a good idea to get it serviced, or would it be advisable to leave it a bit longer?
Cheers
Yes
Nah
.
advisable to leave it a bit longer?
i'll try to explain it, even if you dont hit a certain number of kilometers, oil degrades thats why its usually KM or 6months whichever comes first. Also a car that doesn't get driven often will spend less time near its ideal operating conditions which is worse than one that is driven more.
So yes.
oil degrades
will hardly make a difference if it's 12months or 18months if you've hardly driven it.
brake fluid
Unless it has leaked out, there'd be nothing wrong with it.
@jv: from castrols MSDS
All conventional brake fluids deteriorate during use. It is strongly recommended that Castrol Brake Fluid DOT4 should be
changed according to the vehicle manufacturers advice. In the absence of such advice, a 2 year change period is
recommended.
If the manufacturer says 12 months, then you need to do it every 12 months,
Because they said so.
Their job is to sell more oil…
They benefit from telling you to change it a lot sooner than may be required.
Vehicle manufacturers does not make more money by telling you to maintain your vehicle.
The dealerships do if they can convince you to service it more than you need to…
The money flows back to the manufacturers.
@No ONE: Yes they do its called a logbook service, initially you are required to use their mechanic.
@figarow: Again how would service at 'local mechanic' benefit manufacturers. Car does not have life time warranty.
Yes they do its called a logbook service, initially you are required to use their mechanic.
Dead wrong, although most people probably use dealerships, at least initially or while warranty exists. About the only return to manufacturers from dealer servicing is genuine parts.
@figarow: No you don't. As long as you get it serviced advising to log book specs it can be done anywhere
@Davo1111: You should know that manufacturers are also saying things like the transmission fluid on modern automatics is good for the lifetime of the vehicle; it doesn't need to be serviced. But what is the manufacturer's idea of the lifetime of the vehicle? Do you want to get more than 10 years or 100,000 km? If you actually want the vehicle to last longer and get your money's worth, then you do the transmission fluid between 30k kms - 50k kms, depending on the size or performance of the vehicle, or when the fluid starts changing colour.
They're stretching out engine oil change intervals to 15k kms too. Saying that it's because of modern synthetics, but most enthusiasts will still keep doing it at the 10k mark, sometimes 8k. They want to it to last longer than the warranty.
Not everything the manufacturer says is in your favour, they have their own interests and obligations.
However I think its a good idea for OP to get a service for sure.
They're stretching out engine oil change intervals to 15k kms too. Saying that it's because of modern synthetics, but most enthusiasts will still keep doing it at the 10k mark, sometimes 8k. They want to it to last longer than the warranty.
Car enthusiaats whonchange mode often than manufacturers spec probably don't have technical expertise to prove what they are doing is benficial. Theres probably also millions of under serviced cars running just as long and as well as over serviced cars.
@Euphemistic: You can usually tell when somethings been well looked after and out lasted, often it is because someone has made an extra-ordinary effort or investment.
Enthusiasts might not be experts individually, but often a lot of them are from that background, they do it to get better results or find out otherwise and pass that on.
@stedmaster: Id like to see some comparisons on actual longevity of car scientifically comparing over, scheduled and under maintaining. Too many seat of the pants mechanics, manufacturer schills and others muddying the waters with their "experience"
@stedmaster: If you have a Nissan CVT, changing its juice after 50kk could take some sorry out of you.
@jv: Brake fluid is quickly contaminated by contact with air. Oxygen oxidizes the fluid and lowers the boiling point. Moisture can also cause problems with braking fluid; crystals can form making braking less effective.
But a good rule of thumb is to check it during regular oil changes, and expect to change it every four to five years.
@Davo1111: That may be true but id be wiling to bet that the vast majority of cars go a lot longer between brake fluid changes without serious issues with braking.
@Davo1111: True, but unless your brake system has a fault or the reservoir cap wasn't fitted properly, that deteriroation VERY unlikely to occur in 12 months. Only one example obviously but the brake fuid in my old 'outdoor-stabled' Jackaroo wasn't changed for many years and was as good as new when I eventually got it done.
@jv: Brake liquids absorb moisture even if you think it supposed to be a sealed system.
For your and every other road users safety this should be a higher priority.
Generally you can stick a clean screwdriver into the reservoir and wipe it with a clean tissue. If it is a perfect clean transparent liquid it is probably ok. If it has discolored then changing it is a cheap life insurance.
Of course if the level had gone down then all brakes need to be inspected.
As with oil, tube Project Farm, Todd there has a lubricity tester and he is fun to watch.
Brake liquids absorb moisture even if you think it supposed to be a sealed system.
You wont notice the difference between changing in one year versus two… Unless there is a serious problem with your car.
My pop who was a judge thought the same and one day his brake pedal fell thru.
Sounds like the brake fluid leaked out… Mechanical fault.
If the manufacturer says 12 months
Of course Castrol says you should change it every 12 months.
It increases their revenue.
@Davo1111: Typical JV.
Follow the rules when it suits, when it doesn't make it up and create a strawman arguments.
@jv: The manufacturer's specifications outline what should be done in terms of maintenance.
They have a reputation to consider around the longevity and reliability of the product.
You have made claims, any of them backed by proper scientific research? I'd trust the manufacturer over a guy on ozbargain who throws out advice on anything and everything without information backing it.
@borrisz0r: As a charted engineer, i can tell you the guidance manufacturers always provide is over the top maintenance and almost always so that they can generate more revenue by selling you spares and service. Thats why reliability centred maintenance and condition monitoring are the gold standards in maintenance strategies. NOT just following equipment manuals!
@jv: Brake fluid is hygroscopic which means that it absorbs moisture, even though on a car the braking system is sealed the reservoir is still vented and over time moisture will get into the system and degrade the fluid.
That is why you change it, but lets be honest… I change mine when doing the brakes which is often more than a few years in between ;)
@REDRUM: Going downhill for a long time the moisture bubbles and your pedal gets that spongy feeling. Also added water will corrode the master and all slave cylinders.
Oil degrades per heat cycle, so if you've barely driven or over a few long drives it it'll be fine .
If you've done multiple short stop start trips in the 6 months then you'd want to change it.
so oil degrades also in the bottle on the shelf in your garage? no. does it have preservatives inside the bottle? it doesnt, so why would it degrade inside your engine? it seems more of a marketing gimmick just to get you to service more often, if it was sitting 3 years, then i would agree ..
Yes, oil degrades in the bottle while sitting in the garage, hence they have a shelf life as well. 6-12 months is ridiculously short though. The issue though with people saying engineers know what they're doing when they make these schedules, they are done to the wise car scenario, extreme heat and cold, extremely humid etc. Smarter cars don't do 6 or 12 months. They monitor conditions. My BMW one did nearly 2 years between changes and still being driven occasionally so you can easily justify going two years by my experience. I'd say three years at most and also depends on type of oil. A synthetic longer, an organic probably 18 months to maybe 2yrs in that example where it had been used, and therefore now exposed to other elements such as nitrates that will also help it break down now that it has been in an engine with other contaminants.
yes your right, degrades in the bottle, it takes 5-8 years to "expire" .. ive never seen a use by date printed on any of these bottles.. my comment relating to the 12 month period, whether its in your engine not being used or in the bottle, what difference does it make..
Thats what the "experts" tell you to try and sell more engine oil. In actual fact the degradation is both slower and has negative effects than you might think.
Nope… Two years is fine.
Sludge build up says hi.
"but it's only done about 1,500 kms."
Oil is cheap compared to buying a car, anyway I will not go pass 1.5 years for such situation.
If driving to the station and back is what you do mainly with this car, then you might want to change the sparkplugs to hot type. Since it wont warm up for extended period of time, hot type plugs will help it burn cleaner.
Oil is cheap compared to buying a car
This is an old car and hardly driven.
I will not go pass 1.5 years for such situation.
The oil hardly deteriorates if the car is not being used.
It would seem logical, but it's actually the opposite.
1500kms of very short trips is absolutely brutal on engine oil, in fact way worse than 20,000kms of regular driving.
Apart from the high number of short heat cycles which is problematic in itself.. engines run super rich when started from cold, which among other things dilutes the oil with fuel as it seeps past engine components that haven't expanded to operating temp/size.
I have oil changed in my cars lab tested, and I've noticed a significant difference during periods where I've done regular short trips - The fuel in oil % creeps up much much faster, even in new engines.
Any good at DIY? Just do an oil change and a filter.
What else is there? aside from basic checks. No need to adjust timing and spark gap these days.
Exactly and if it has only done 2,000kms, not much else should've gone wrong.
Can you provide more info about the car? How much do you care about this car?
Hard to say yes or no without context.. I have a newer car that I would say yes, I also have a 1993 80 series Landcruiser that has done 440,000km.. to which I would say hell nah.
"How much do you care about this car?"
"to the train station and back"
sums it up
.
It's a 2015 (or is it 2016) Mitsubishi ASX. Has done about 115,000 kms total.
I care enough to want to make sure it keeps running, but definitely care less now that I have a new car. Our new car ferries the kids around and this one is just to the train and back mostly.
"my old car"
"2015 (or is it 2016)"
7 years newer than every car in our household
.
But your 2008 Porsche 997 turbo is still a $250K+ vehicle in today's market compared to a 2015 Mitsubishi ASX…is what, $14K?
As for the OP, for the cost of servicing - assuming it's a minor oil change service, may as well have it stamped in the logbook for peace of mind. You can even use MyCar: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/829858
Its a relatively new car with relatively low k's.
I would suggest servicing it to retain its value when you wish to sell it.
Jeez, 2015 is your OLD car?
2015 is pretty old. In those years, you see an infant turn into a preteen.
what does the warranty and service shedule say?
For me:
Old car: doesnt really matter unless you want to keep it in tip top condition forever. Leave it for 2-3 years or 10k km.
Newer car of warranty: maybe 2years
Warranty car: by the book.
I concur, if you're keeping it you can sweat out the preventative maintenance; if you're planning to sell, completed logbooks appeal to some buyers.
Log books dont make a massive difference once the car is over about 10yo IME. If its got a recent oil change sticker and otherwise in good condition is usually enough.
Just curious why you are keeping the old car given that you have bought the new one? The rego, insurance and servicing costs would add up over time.
Our new car ferries the kids around and this one is just to the train and back mostly.
We need 2 cars because of kids at different schools and my wife and I have different work locations/schedules too.
Do you really need an ASX to the train and back? Sell the car and get a runabout car
Agreed. Get an electric scooter! Bonus points for carrying it onto the train and into your office to charge it for free at work.
The ASX isn't a particularly fancy or large car. It's pretty compact in terms of small SUVs. I would consider it a pretty runabout car given the year model, likely not worth the hassle to sell/buy again given it's over 100kk as well.
Where's the poll?
Yes, No, Bikies
1500km/annually and driven only to and from the station
frequent short trips like this are worst duty cycle for an engine and will accelerate wear.
All engines end up with small amounts fuel and water in the oil, this normally gets burnt off during longer trips, but does not happen if you never get the engine up to temperature for decent periods.
if anything, you should be servicing it (oil change at the very least) more frequently. service it annually and take it on a longer drive every few weeks
This. 2000ks of short trips with incomplete heat cycles is going to be the about the worst thing for an engine. During COVID I bought an oil extractor so I could do oil changes at home without getting under the car. I can now change oil and filter in less than 15mins for around 50 bucks.
2 years should be fine, been there done that.
well you gonna use it ?? - then YES
if not gonna use and gonna leave it unused / non running - then NO
You should drive it regularly (like once a month) and bring it up to operating temperature for 30 minutes to burn off any moisture in any of the fluids and oils.
If you really want to change your own oil.
My 2nd spare car did 2k/kms in last 12 months but still going in for a service because it is for when things go bad and there is no other fall back. If it was like 3rd in line of spares I might not care as much.
What a flex, imagine having a spare car and and 2nd spare car…
My second car as a spare car. Not having a 2nd spare.
If I had enough money for a 2nd spare I'd just take Uber instead. Think about $800 for rego, $1200 for insurance, $500 service, plus fuel.
You could get away with a single car family if you lived near everything and only one person needs to drive to work.
I'm in a similar boat but now it has been nearly 3 years since my last service…
For those who service every 2-3 years, what do you select for the service required?
My 2013 Elantra has about 120,000 kms and for the service package I can pick from:
[108mth / 135k] [120mth / 150k] [132mth / 165k*]
*defaults to this when I click book appointment
If going by the months it should be 132mth (11 years) but the KM driven is no where near.
YES