[AJ56]

I change my oil every 5-6k kms/6 months. Given my driving conditions (frequent stop and go traffic, high heat and high dust, heavy acceleration, etc), I can see the soot buildup in the oil post 5-6k kms.

A lot of people confuse max mfg. recommended intervals with the ideal. Look at your manual carefully and under maintenance you’ll see service intervals getting halved if your use is classified under ‘extreme operating conditions’ some of these are.

As per my Camry manual-

1) Frequent short trips (under 10 kms). (Doesn’t let the engine reach operating temps and is hell on earth for engine oil as contaminants build up and cannot be burnt off).

2) Frequent driving in stop and go traffic.

3) Operating in high heat (>40 degrees Celsius).

4) Operating in high dust environments.

5) Continuous high speed operation (above 120 km/hr)

6) Majorly urban driving, not reaching higher rpms.

Most of Indian driving will fall under one or more of these conditions, and if you have a turbo/supercharger on your car that’s lubricated by the same oil, it’s even more important to be sharp with oil and filter changes.

The minute you fall under extreme operation, the mfg. is quick to half the interval from 1 year/10k kms to 6 months/5k kms and rightly so, you can literally see the discolouration in the oil.

To back it up, I’ve had used oil analysis done and it confirms what I see, past 5-6k kms, the wear metals really start shooting up.

Just like a blood test, always get used oil analysis done to ballpark your particular oil change interval, or simply do it every 5-6k kms. Oil is cheap, engines aren’t.

Also, even if you’ve driven zero kms, you still need to change it out at least once a year as stuff breaks down chemically in dual weight oils, detergents and viscosity modifiers will break down with time and the oil will not perform as it’s designed to.

Not my opinion, but what certified tribologists and leaders in the industry have to say.

For those who haven’t already, check out Lake Speed Jr., a proper legend in the industry, the type of guy oil companies consult with when designing new formulations.

https://youtu.be/_6nWCQ_70J0

Another great channel-

https://youtu.be/xdNCnYHhEm8

[TB16]

I recently serviced my 2014 1st gen i20 (Petrol/CNG). The car completed 11 years on the 25th April. I've done 177k km and about 13.5k km since the last service. I know I was pushing it too much since the last service. But performance and the efficiency was still the same, so I didn't think to much about it.
Now when my mechanic got to know that I've done 13.5k km since the last oil change, he warned me and rightfully so. But then when he flushed out the oil, he said I could've easily gone another couple of thousand kms as the oil was still good. Does this mean that modern engine oils can go upto 15k km?

P.S. I'm using Shell Helix Ultra 5W30 oil.

[hotshot91]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

^^^You will face warranty claim issues if you do not stick to the oil-change interval suggested by manufacturer for the in-warranty services. So, suggest you get the oil changed even though it has run only 5K kms.

After warranty is over, it’s your call.

No specific timeline is mentioned in the service manual. Only the km reading is mentioned, on when to go for service.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by TB16

I recently serviced my 2014 1st gen i20 (Petrol/CNG). Does this mean that modern engine oils can go upto 15k km?

P.S. I'm using Shell Helix Ultra 5W30 oil.

More than the oil, it’s the oil filter which will be of my concern. If the manufacturer has specified a certain change interval, I would adhere to it without thinking twice.

[zeng]

Originally Posted by TB16

I recently serviced my 2014 1st gen i20 (Petrol/CNG). The car completed 11 years on the 25th April. I've done 177k km and about 13.5k km since the last service. I know I was pushing it too much since the last service. But performance and the efficiency was still the same, so I didn't think to much about it.
Now when my mechanic got to know that I've done 13.5k km since the last oil change, he warned me and rightfully so. But then when he flushed out the oil, he said I could've easily gone another couple of thousand kms as the oil was still good. Does this mean that modern engine oils can go upto 15k km?

P.S. I'm using Shell Helix Ultra 5W30 oil.

Short answer: Yes, for most or all fully synthetic engine oils.

I've been doing up to 20,000+ km oil change internal OCI in a 2007 400k km Toyota Avanza with fully synthetic oils


https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?s...ost&p=83645082

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by TB16

Now when my mechanic got to know that I've done 13.5k km since the last oil change, he warned me and rightfully so. But then when he flushed out the oil, he said I could've easily gone another couple of thousand kms as the oil was still good. Does this mean that modern engine oils can go upto 15k km?.

Absolutely. Vehicles can easily go 15k or even 20k kms between oil changes. In Europe, vehicles manufacturers like BMW recommend 30k kms and 2 years intervals. Anyone recommending a smaller interval is just scaremongering. Keep in mind that the manufacturer will err on the side of caution. If the oil change is needed at 20k kms, they will recommend 15k to be safe. So it is perfectly fine to go a little over the recommended time frame after warranty expires. I drove my Toyota Prius for 9 years in the US and the interval was 17k kms. I always pushed it to more than 20k kms and it never needed any service whatsoever in those 9 years and over 2 lakh kms.