Oil change frequency post remap?

[such01]

When I had my VRS remapped, I changed the oil every 10k as I read that it is better than the 18k longlife service interval.

If I were to get my e350 mapped, would it be wise to change at 10k vs 15k bearing in mind I do 25k per year?

I am happy to do an oil/filter change myself in between dealer visits.

Thanks

 

[RyanMuller]

Can't imagine how a remap would affect oil changes. Whoever changes oil after 15k on a petrol car leaves it a long time! I do mine every 6k!!

 

[leonatlarge]

I think it all depends on how and where you drive it if you have a heavy foot and do a lot of round town I would half the manufacturer's service interval if you don't accelerate hard much and do a lot of motorway miles I would do it around 15 k.

 

[HB]

Change it every 8k , it should be fine

 

[whitenemesis]

Wouldn't the ASSYST system flag up an 'early' change if the oil condition deteriorated prematurely?

 

[such01]

Thanks, I'm just keen to insure turbo is kept with fresh oil - a bit of preventative maintenance for little cost

Thanks

 

[E55BOF]

Oil is cheap, engines is expensive. I reckon your 10K at most is right.

Extended oil change intervals with 'longlife' oil, like 'sealed for life' transmissions, were introduced to keep down servicing costs and make cars more attractive to fleet managers - lower service costs during their life on the fleets. There's masses of anecdotal evidence to establish that sealed for life = shorter life, and I draw my own conclusions about extended oil changes.

 

[Yugguy]

I'd change at least every 10k regardless of remap or whatever.

 

[paul73mt]

I change mine every 6 months

 

[such01]

I'll probably change mine every 4 months, 1 change will be with the dealer (every 15k) as per schedule.

I'll see how it goes for now...

 

[ftb]

Waste of money. Synthetic oils don't deteriorate at anywhere near the intervals you're talking about. I once came across a mechanic who's car done 250K miles on the same oil. He drove it daily and never changed oil to prove this point. I don't know why you came to conclusion that at 4 months (and even months not miles) is the correct interval. You have done any scientific research to back it up?

 

[RyanMuller]

Apart from the amount of metal flakes swimming in the sump :-D

 

[renault12ts]

Apart from the amount of metal flakes swimming in the sump :-D

Don't most sumps have a magnet for that.

Changing oil too soon is not a good thing...oil stabilises after the first few hundred miles. Changing too soon increase the number of times you are using oil before it has stabilised.

 

[such01]

OK, i was thinking of changing every 8k-10k based on 25K+ per year, which is minimum of 2 per year, hence the 4-6 months.
I do a mix of town (london) and Mway (M25 ) and did read that the oil should be changed more frequently if doing short / slow journeys, which I seem to be doing now since I've acquired this vehicle.

 

[grober]

8-10K seems a sensible compromise especially if you are prepared to DIY. One potential problem with a remap is the potential for overfuelling in certain circumstances. This might indicate that a shortened oil change interval might be wise.

 

[AlexM]

I read somewhere that changing the oil too often can actually increase engine wear. This is because the oil contained a detergent package that is used to break down deposits and suspend them in the oil so that the filter can pick them up. As the detergent package is used up, anti wear additives are deposited in high pressure areas to form a protective layer on cams, followers etc. and wear is minimised once this phase is reached. If you change the oil too often then the detergent cleaning package is stripping the anti wear deposits and wear actually goes up.

I'll see if I can find a reference, but this was based on vw.study on their own engines with an 18k oil change interval, if I recall. It may be counterintuitive, but it makes sense if the oil has greater long term stability in viscosity and lubricity and the oil change interval is optimised around the specification of the additives and how long they remain effective.

Regards,
Alex