Should I change my oil?
Discussion
yeti said:
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!
Chill dude I was just back from a business lunch 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!
and a little bored 
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
I’ve done a similar mileage since the last oil change and used none. You might have an as-yet undiscovered oil leak, but I read a recent post by 3200gt about ‘positive crank ventilation valve’ failure. 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
It could be the reason for your engine oil consumption, especially if the car has a history of misfiring problems.
I've done my past 3 oil and filter changes myself.
All Proper oil and Genuine Filter and New sump plugs.
All bought from AM main dealer and I keep all invoices, which proves items purchased and dates for each.
Mine doesn't use any oil.. always on the mark and I check my fluid often.
What AM (dealerships) charge for an oil and filter change is nothing short of piracy :-)
I've also changed a lot of bushes,, all purchased from main dealers or "known" indies.
I keep every invoice in a file that will remain with the car, should I decide to sell then the file will be ready for viewing.
All Proper oil and Genuine Filter and New sump plugs.
All bought from AM main dealer and I keep all invoices, which proves items purchased and dates for each.
Mine doesn't use any oil.. always on the mark and I check my fluid often.
What AM (dealerships) charge for an oil and filter change is nothing short of piracy :-)
I've also changed a lot of bushes,, all purchased from main dealers or "known" indies.
I keep every invoice in a file that will remain with the car, should I decide to sell then the file will be ready for viewing.
yeti said:
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:
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 service my Aston V12 myself. I took the trouble to warm up the engine and really wait until all the old oil had drained out before filling up with new""Really? Right... OK, sorry to have wasted your time. Thanks and goodbye, I'll find one of the many other cars with a full service history"
michael gould said:
he didn't mention a service Yeti, just if he could change the oil......I would agree that even on older cars you need some sort of stamp in the service book
Annual service is a must on a DB7, they're fragile compared to Gaydon car. However an intermediate oil change half way through..? Sure, why not. The tone of the post sugested DIY oil change instead of service centre though, sorry if I misinterpreted 
Would the specialist even stamp the book to say they've serviced it if you said 'I have changed the oil myself so don't want you to do it again'? I doubt as they have not >serviced< it. Maybe if they then wrote 'oil not changed at service'..?
Alarm bells would be SHREIKING in my ears by that point, and I dare say in many others as well. If you scrimp on something as minor as an oil change, what else has been scrimped on? Maybe nothing, but... You're buying a car from a stranger at the end of the day, sadly their word is not good enough when you're shelling out 30-40-50 thousand hard earned pounds and have precisely ZERO comback.
yeti said:
michael gould said:
he didn't mention a service Yeti, just if he could change the oil......I would agree that even on older cars you need some sort of stamp in the service book
Annual service is a must on a DB7, they're fragile compared to Gaydon car. However an intermediate oil change half way through..? Sure, why not. The tone of the post sugested DIY oil change instead of service centre though, sorry if I misinterpreted Would the specialist even stamp the book to say they've serviced it if you said 'I have changed the oil myself so don't want you to do it again'? I doubt as they have not >serviced< it. Maybe if they then wrote 'oil not changed at service'..?
Alarm bells would be SHREIKING in my ears by that point, and I dare say in many others as well. If you scrimp on something as minor as an oil change, what else has been scrimped on? Maybe nothing, but... You're buying a car from a stranger at the end of the day, sadly their word is not good enough when you're shelling out 30-40-50 thousand hard earned pounds and have precisely ZERO comback.
Some interesting comments. I'm still looking for the right DB7 which will be about ten years old and I intend to keep for many years to come (although circumstances can change). My mileage will only be a few thousand miles a year. I would of course get in serviced at a specialist in line with the appropriate mileage. I know Astons are expensive to run, but would be miffed at paying over the odds for something basic. Just curious what low mileage users of older cars do each year in between the mileage based services.
Sheesh these cars cost a bloody mint!!
Oil is cheap engines are expensive, bugger the manual if you are driving a low mileage expensive supercar toy that needs a change every ten thousand....be really safe and do the oil and filter every five thousand warm it up before you thrash it and your engine should last forever
Oil is cheap engines are expensive, bugger the manual if you are driving a low mileage expensive supercar toy that needs a change every ten thousand....be really safe and do the oil and filter every five thousand warm it up before you thrash it and your engine should last forever
Agent57 said:
Just curious what low mileage users of older cars do each year in between the mileage based services.
The services are not simply mileage on DB7, they're mileage or time, depending on which comes first, 6000miles or 6 months. On DB9 it's 10000 miles or 12 months.
Plenty of DB7 owners go 12 monthly however without issues or much effect on resale value if miles are low enough.
As mentioned above, oil is cheap, engines are expensive. Please don't scrimp!!
yeti said:
...
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!
Any joking aside, this is good advice no matter how lightly you think you use your car. It's probably even more relevant for cars that do low mileage (higher proportion of "cold" running/stop starts; less likely to know the vagaries of your particular example).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!
Also (again joking aside for those who may not see that), warranty companies are unlikely to pay out if they get a sniff that you have neglected the car (not checking oil; not checking tyre pressures; not servicing it per the manual; not reading the manual for general care instruction; etc. All will be considered "neglect").
GTDB7 said:
I've done my past 3 oil and filter changes myself.
All Proper oil and Genuine Filter and New sump plugs.
All bought from AM main dealer and I keep all invoices, which proves items purchased and dates for each.
Mine doesn't use any oil.. always on the mark and I check my fluid often.
What AM (dealerships) charge for an oil and filter change is nothing short of piracy :-)
I've also changed a lot of bushes,, all purchased from main dealers or "known" indies.
I keep every invoice in a file that will remain with the car, should I decide to sell then the file will be ready for viewing.
This ^^^^^. Oil & filter changes should be doable by most owners so I don't see why you need to pay an Aston dealer mega bucks for the same oil and a bit of junior mechanic labour. That's a rip off.All Proper oil and Genuine Filter and New sump plugs.
All bought from AM main dealer and I keep all invoices, which proves items purchased and dates for each.
Mine doesn't use any oil.. always on the mark and I check my fluid often.
What AM (dealerships) charge for an oil and filter change is nothing short of piracy :-)
I've also changed a lot of bushes,, all purchased from main dealers or "known" indies.
I keep every invoice in a file that will remain with the car, should I decide to sell then the file will be ready for viewing.
Also, if the car is doing 5k a car why does it need the 10k service? I never really understood that.
MrOrange said:
...
Also, if the car is doing 5k a car why does it need the 10k service? I never really understood that.
Because the services are typically noted as "10k miles or 12mth", "20k miles or 24mth", "70k miles or 7yr" etc services.Also, if the car is doing 5k a car why does it need the 10k service? I never really understood that.
There's nothing at all to stop you deciding on your own schedule for any of this. But don't expect warranties to pay out if you do not follow factory schedules, and do expect to be kicked in the balls when you come to sell the car if you do your own thing. We all say we wouldn't be bothered when looking to buy a car, but not one of us would pay the same for a car that had not been serviced by the book.
I follow my own schedule on my Caterham, for example. Sometimes it goes 2yrs between being looked at. With the mileage it does, and the fact I will not sell it, this isn't a problem...on the other cars, they get looked after by the book.
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