Service Intervals & Recommendations

styx71 · 30th September 2010, 12:19

So, If i were to change the oil in my Verna(Diesel) based on time interval(since, my usage is less : 5-6k per year), how much can i stretch, the oil change interval ,safely? The manual recommends 10k or 6 months. And the Hyundai service center itself says another 2-3 months more is okay, since the usage is not much. Would i be asking for trouble, if i were to stretch the oil change inteval to a maximum of 1 year?

sgiitk · 30th September 2010, 12:40

@mkc15: I had a similar problem with the SA about the oil change in my Civic at the 2nd service. So we looked into the coupons and the change was indeed in No.3. When taking delivery the Works Manager again asked him about no oil change. It was then explained to the boss that as Honda have gone over to Synthetic the oil change is delayed. I am very sure it is a synth since the grade must have been 0Wx or 5Wx looking at the thinness of the oil. I understand that Honda uses Idemitsu 0W30.

@styx71: My feeling is that you should be Ok with an annual change, as long as you are using a superior (semi-synth or better) oil. I must qualify that I am not a diesel guru, and have heard that diesels engines can take less abuse in terms of maintenance than petrols.

Gansan · 30th September 2010, 12:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by styx71

So, If i were to change the oil in my Verna(Diesel) based on time interval(since, my usage is less : 5-6k per year), how much can i stretch, the oil change interval ,safely? The manual recommends 10k or 6 months. And the Hyundai service center itself says another 2-3 months more is okay, since the usage is not much. Would i be asking for trouble, if i were to stretch the oil change inteval to a maximum of 1 year?

Stretching the oil change interval is not a good idea. For my Alto the recommended interval is 12 months / 10K Km. But I do the oil change once in six months, though my usage is < 500 KM per month. It is a good idea to go by the duration / KM whichever is earlier.

akas_chauhan · 6th November 2011, 22:45

I had last serviced my baleno exactly 5 months back and after service drove it for 4K Km.
This week i'll be driving down to my native place and come back. Total distance around 5K KM.

What you guys suggets, should i service it now, or i can do it after the trip.

Currently it's 38,500 KM on odo and i've done 40K service (last service 5 months before).

n.devdath · 6th November 2011, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by akas_chauhan

I had last serviced my baleno exactly 5 months back and after service drove it for 4K Km.
This week i'll be driving down to my native place and come back. Total distance around 5K KM.

You can safely do it after you come back from your trip. The oil is neither too old nor used much. However, check its level when cold before you leave.

drmohitg · 28th April 2013, 10:55

Sorry for reviving an old thread. I fail to understand the need for different service intervals. The car I am interested here is the Nissan Sunny diesel. Nissan wants the car to be called in for service at every 6 months/10k kms which I feel is way too frequent in today's market when most diesel cars have a 1 year service interval. Each service approximately costs me around 3500 rs currently without labour charges ( since the 1st 2 services were free). Add the labour cost to it and it would reach the 5k mark. So in total I need to cough up close to 10k rs in a year for the servicing. Now is this just a way of the company to make money? Or is it really not confident about its product? People say that VW servicing is costly. But then Nissan might be tad costlier than VW too since I have seen many Vento owners spend around 8-9k on the yearly services. Add to that the headache of taking the car to the service centre twice.

ACM · 29th April 2013, 13:35

^^

Typical full service cost for a sedan (C/D segment) or similarly priced SUV is about Rs. 2000-2500 (Labour only) The cost of alignment, Filters, Oil, AC Filters, AC Cleaning Spray, Oil Additives etc, is additional and is linked to the kms.

Manufacturers like TATA though stating 15,000 kms / 1 year interval do clearly also mention that this is for vehicles with significant highway drives and if there is significant city driving or driving in dusty environments etc, then the internal should between 7500 - 10,000. In Skoda vehicles it is common to notice that Oil Levels drop by 25-35% in the course of 5000-10000kms and hence end up requiring to top up the oil at the service centre through a mid term visit.

In Indian conditions irrespective of the stated interval the realistic interval is about 8,000-10,000kms and various manufacturers manage this in different ways. Yes there are a few who do actually stick to 15,000 kms and that too is not necessarily wrong depending on how you look at it, how much one drives and the margin for error left by the manufacturer.

swarnava.m · 23rd May 2013, 21:39

My Alto has run around 5500 since the last oil change (Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Mineral). In the next 1 month, she will run around 500 km. After that, she will lie dormant till somewhere in August/September, when I will be taking her to Mumbai since I am relocating there. My query is, should I go for a full service now, or should I just change the oil for now and get a full service done once I am in Mumbai? The suspension (front & rear) and the steering column ball joints need some minor work. Everything else is tiptop. Running is close to 76k. What would be advisable here?

interc00led · 23rd May 2013, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

My Alto has run around 5500 since the last oil change (Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Mineral). In the next 1 month, she will run around 500 km. After that, she will lie dormant till somewhere in August/September, when I will be taking her to Mumbai since I am relocating there. My query is, should I go for a full service now, or should I just change the oil for now and get a full service done once I am in Mumbai? The suspension (front & rear) and the steering column ball joints need some minor work. Everything else is tiptop. Running is close to 76k. What would be advisable here?

Get the oil changed now(or else change the oil next month after 500 kms) and get the other work done when you move to Mumbai.
Fresh oil in the engine helps protecting the internals during storage.

bullrun87 · 23rd May 2013, 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

My Alto has run around 5500 since the last oil change (Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Mineral). In the next 1 month, she will run around 500 km. After that, she will lie dormant till somewhere in August/September, when I will be taking her to Mumbai since I am relocating there. My query is, should I go for a full service now, or should I just change the oil for now and get a full service done once I am in Mumbai? The suspension (front & rear) and the steering column ball joints need some minor work. Everything else is tiptop. Running is close to 76k. What would be advisable here?

I suggest you wait and get your car serviced in mumbai. I see no point in getting the car serviced now if it is going to be left dormant for a couple of months.

swarnava.m · 23rd May 2013, 23:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by interc00led

Get the oil changed now(or else change the oil next month after 500 kms) and get the other work done when you move to Mumbai.
Fresh oil in the engine helps protecting the internals during storage.

If I change the oil now, is it a good idea to keep the car idle after a fresh oil change? What I mean is, if the engine is not operating, then how does a fresh oil help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bullrun87

I suggest you wait and get your car serviced in mumbai. I see no point in getting the car serviced now if it is going to be left dormant for a couple of months.

Congrats on your 1st post and welcome to TBHP. I am also planning on getting it serviced in Mumbai itself. What about the oil change?

bullrun87 · 23rd May 2013, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

Congrats on your 1st post and welcome to TBHP. I am also planning on getting it serviced in Mumbai itself. What about the oil change?

I think you should get the oil changed just before you move to mumbai when you are ready to use your car on a regular basis. I dont think fresh engine oil will help if the car is not running.

interc00led · 24th May 2013, 00:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by swarnava.m

If I change the oil now, is it a good idea to keep the car idle after a fresh oil change? What I mean is, if the engine is not operating, then how does a fresh oil help?

Old oil will be acidic and fresh oil will take much longer time to break down.
You never want the contaminants in the old oil sitting in our engine for long periods of time. Would you ?

30th September 2010, 12:19	#31
styx71 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 130 Thanked: 85 Times	Oil Change based on time interval So, If i were to change the oil in my Verna(Diesel) based on time interval(since, my usage is less : 5-6k per year), how much can i stretch, the oil change interval ,safely? The manual recommends 10k or 6 months. And the Hyundai service center itself says another 2-3 months more is okay, since the usage is not much. Would i be asking for trouble, if i were to stretch the oil change inteval to a maximum of 1 year?
	() Thanks

30th September 2010, 12:40	#32
sgiitk BANNED Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Gurugram Posts: 7,969 Thanked: 4,788 Times	@mkc15: I had a similar problem with the SA about the oil change in my Civic at the 2nd service. So we looked into the coupons and the change was indeed in No.3. When taking delivery the Works Manager again asked him about no oil change. It was then explained to the boss that as Honda have gone over to Synthetic the oil change is delayed. I am very sure it is a synth since the grade must have been 0Wx or 5Wx looking at the thinness of the oil. I understand that Honda uses Idemitsu 0W30. @styx71: My feeling is that you should be Ok with an annual change, as long as you are using a superior (semi-synth or better) oil. I must qualify that I am not a diesel guru, and have heard that diesels engines can take less abuse in terms of maintenance than petrols. Last edited by sgiitk : 30th September 2010 at 12:47.
	() Thanks

6th November 2011, 22:45	#34
akas_chauhan BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio Posts: 596 Thanked: 25 Times	Re: Service Intervals & Recommendations I had last serviced my baleno exactly 5 months back and after service drove it for 4K Km. This week i'll be driving down to my native place and come back. Total distance around 5K KM. What you guys suggets, should i service it now, or i can do it after the trip. Currently it's 38,500 KM on odo and i've done 40K service (last service 5 months before).
	() Thanks

28th April 2013, 10:55	#36
drmohitg Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Liverpool/Delhi Posts: 5,439 Thanked: 7,539 Times	Re: Service Intervals & Recommendations Sorry for reviving an old thread. I fail to understand the need for different service intervals. The car I am interested here is the Nissan Sunny diesel. Nissan wants the car to be called in for service at every 6 months/10k kms which I feel is way too frequent in today's market when most diesel cars have a 1 year service interval. Each service approximately costs me around 3500 rs currently without labour charges ( since the 1st 2 services were free). Add the labour cost to it and it would reach the 5k mark. So in total I need to cough up close to 10k rs in a year for the servicing. Now is this just a way of the company to make money? Or is it really not confident about its product? People say that VW servicing is costly. But then Nissan might be tad costlier than VW too since I have seen many Vento owners spend around 8-9k on the yearly services. Add to that the headache of taking the car to the service centre twice.
	() Thanks

29th April 2013, 13:35	#37
ACM Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,745 Thanked: 4,361 Times View My Garage	Re: Service Intervals & Recommendations ^^ Typical full service cost for a sedan (C/D segment) or similarly priced SUV is about Rs. 2000-2500 (Labour only) The cost of alignment, Filters, Oil, AC Filters, AC Cleaning Spray, Oil Additives etc, is additional and is linked to the kms. Manufacturers like TATA though stating 15,000 kms / 1 year interval do clearly also mention that this is for vehicles with significant highway drives and if there is significant city driving or driving in dusty environments etc, then the internal should between 7500 - 10,000. In Skoda vehicles it is common to notice that Oil Levels drop by 25-35% in the course of 5000-10000kms and hence end up requiring to top up the oil at the service centre through a mid term visit. In Indian conditions irrespective of the stated interval the realistic interval is about 8,000-10,000kms and various manufacturers manage this in different ways. Yes there are a few who do actually stick to 15,000 kms and that too is not necessarily wrong depending on how you look at it, how much one drives and the margin for error left by the manufacturer.
	() Thanks

23rd May 2013, 21:39	#38
swarnava.m BHPian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Mumbai/Margao Posts: 635 Thanked: 281 Times	Re: Service Intervals & Recommendations My Alto has run around 5500 since the last oil change (Shell Helix HX5 15W40 - Mineral). In the next 1 month, she will run around 500 km. After that, she will lie dormant till somewhere in August/September, when I will be taking her to Mumbai since I am relocating there. My query is, should I go for a full service now, or should I just change the oil for now and get a full service done once I am in Mumbai? The suspension (front & rear) and the steering column ball joints need some minor work. Everything else is tiptop. Running is close to 76k. What would be advisable here?
	() Thanks