Should I change my oil?
Discussion
yeti said:
originalgeezer said:
Not change, but maybe check the level to be on the safe side.....
Without a doubt! I check mine before every long drive and it often needs a top up - fully synth is very thin and the engines are pretty old tech 
Shame AML don't have a little indicator like Porsche do to give you the level every time the engine is started. Wonderful invention!
Talking of oil changes I have often wondered if the oil should be changed on mileage
and not time.With the old mineral oils I could understand the annual change as the
old type oil could be contaminated with water after a certain amount of time. I change
the oil in my old Harley every 2k miles because it uses the older mineral oil, but why
through away pounds worth of perfectly good synthetic oil thats only done 1k miles if
thats all the mileage you do in 18 months? As I understand it, the new synthetic oils
dont break down in anything like the same time as the old oils did. Is this just a marketing
ploy for both the oil companys and dealers?
and not time.With the old mineral oils I could understand the annual change as the
old type oil could be contaminated with water after a certain amount of time. I change
the oil in my old Harley every 2k miles because it uses the older mineral oil, but why
through away pounds worth of perfectly good synthetic oil thats only done 1k miles if
thats all the mileage you do in 18 months? As I understand it, the new synthetic oils
dont break down in anything like the same time as the old oils did. Is this just a marketing
ploy for both the oil companys and dealers?
verminator said:
Is this just a marketing ploy for both the oil companys and dealers?
It's true that the oil often comes out visually very clean... But when you consider the amount of heat cycles it's been through, the amount of cold starts, the high revs, the waiting and separating and remixing in that huge sump, and the fact you can't see microscopic metal particles, I'm happy for it to be changed annually. Your body renews its blood every 120 days. Could it last 240 on the same cells, yes, of course. But that's not optimum! All engines have a hard life by their nature. At least give your engine the best chance
verminator said:
Talking of oil changes I have often wondered if the oil should be changed on mileage
and not time.With the old mineral oils I could understand the annual change as the
old type oil could be contaminated with water after a certain amount of time. I change
the oil in my old Harley every 2k miles because it uses the older mineral oil, but why
through away pounds worth of perfectly good synthetic oil thats only done 1k miles if
thats all the mileage you do in 18 months? As I understand it, the new synthetic oils
dont break down in anything like the same time as the old oils did. Is this just a marketing
ploy for both the oil companys and dealers?
The truth is yes.....for most of us doing under 5k miles per year it would make no difference to the life of the engine if the oil was changed every other service...... But what would the dealers then charge us for ? Changing the air filter and cleaning the car.....difficult to charge £900 for that and not time.With the old mineral oils I could understand the annual change as the
old type oil could be contaminated with water after a certain amount of time. I change
the oil in my old Harley every 2k miles because it uses the older mineral oil, but why
through away pounds worth of perfectly good synthetic oil thats only done 1k miles if
thats all the mileage you do in 18 months? As I understand it, the new synthetic oils
dont break down in anything like the same time as the old oils did. Is this just a marketing
ploy for both the oil companys and dealers?
Just got home and checked my oil. It was down to the bottom 4mm of the dipstick and took 2.5 litres to get just below max!!!
No oil light or anything.
It's only done 4k since the last oil change so never thought about.
I'd gotten so used to German cars needing absolutely no oil between services or telling me to put in .37 of a litre next time I stop, etc, over the past few years that I've gotten out of the habit of checking.
It's something I'll be doing regularly from now on
No oil light or anything.
It's only done 4k since the last oil change so never thought about.
I'd gotten so used to German cars needing absolutely no oil between services or telling me to put in .37 of a litre next time I stop, etc, over the past few years that I've gotten out of the habit of checking.
It's something I'll be doing regularly from now on
897sma said:
Just got home and checked my oil. It was down to the bottom 4mm of the dipstick and took 2.5 litres to get just below max!!!
No oil light or anything.
It's only done 4k since the last oil change so never thought about.
I'd gotten so used to German cars needing absolutely no oil between services or telling me to put in .37 of a litre next time I stop, etc, over the past few years that I've gotten out of the habit of checking.
It's something I'll be doing regularly from now on
The S4 was oil hungry. A bottle every 2000 miles. The Aston has done near that since I have had it and still shows full to the top marking. No oil light or anything.
It's only done 4k since the last oil change so never thought about.
I'd gotten so used to German cars needing absolutely no oil between services or telling me to put in .37 of a litre next time I stop, etc, over the past few years that I've gotten out of the habit of checking.
It's something I'll be doing regularly from now on
k that its 500 pages long
michael gould said:
Agent57 said:
On the subject of oil changes, would anyone consider doing their own oil change on a DB7 that only covers low mileage each year?
Yes why not......provided you use the correct oil and a genuine filtermacpaul said:
If you get to the point that the warning light's come on, it's all a bit late.
When the light comes on it means you have low oil pressure, so yes, it's already a bit late - either you've run out, it's leaked out into something else or your oil pump has gone. I can't quite believe the posts on here, though you guys were joking. Oil should be checked weekly/monthly or before/after big drive outs. Some cars use oil, some don't, not all engines are the same, even the same type. Even if you KNOW your car uses a litre every 1000 miles regular as clockwork, check it every 500 in case you get a leaking seal somewhere!
yeti said:
If you plan to keep the car for the rest of your natural life, sure. If you EVER want to sell it, then no, do not do this. You need a dealer/independant specialist or even a backstreet garage stamp to confirm the oil was changed!
Or you could keep the receipts for the oil and filter and explain to the purchaser how you took the trouble to warm up the engine and really wait until all the old oil had drained out before filling up with new.I've seen enough garages do up a sump plug with the stuff still coming out. Time is money for them, unlike when you do it.
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