Can oil last 20,000 miles?

[Will]

I don’t think anybody is arguing for 5k oil changes - just that extending to 20k might be a decision based more on accounting than longevity. As seen with ‘sealed for life transmissions. Especially with most engines being highly stressed, small capacity turbos now. The days of engines as hardy as the M112/3 being sold in this country are sadly long gone.

With the extractor, I can change the oil in the time it takes to have a cup of tea and under £40. It barely registers on the cost of running.

I think the point is that these ‘highly stressed, small capacity turbos’ even with ‘extended’ oil change intervals tend the fare better than many older engines did even with more frequent oil changes.

Engine technology and design, manufacturing and oil technology has all moved on.

Most engines will outlive the car they reside in, and most engine problems will not be related to oil performance.

That’s the bottom line. We all do what we think is right with our own cars, but I don’t think the oil change intervals are only set for reasons of economics - it would be in MBs own interests to have lower intervals for the revenue from servicing and potential upsell on additional work at each visit!

 

[glojo]

We can all pontificate about how long short or otherwise we should change the oil in our pride and joy, but are we better qualified to disagree with Mercedes-Benz?

I have just been looking at the Mercedes-Benz literature for our 2012 216Cdi Sprinter which has the 2.2ltr Cdi 163bhp engine, here we go:

Long oil change intervals of at least 24,000 miles\40,000km are by no means the last word in cost-effectiveness: the standard ASSYST service computer allows flexible oil change intervals of up to 31,000 miles\50,000 km dependant on operation and yup we do have the ASSYST option.

 

[clk320x]

I service my cars whenever the Assyst system tells me to.

 

[glojo]

I service my cars whenever the Assyst system tells me to.

I stand to be corrected but I thought ASSYST on our cars was tweaked to get into line with other countries that had this maximum of 12 monthly intervals? With our 2004 E-class it was definitely altered, the scientific gadget monitoring the condition of the oil was perhaps ignored and we now have an arbitrary 12 month period. The harder working, possibly stop, start of the 220Cdi engine in the Sprinter still has the proper ASSYST intervals

 

[markjay]

I stand to be corrected but I thought ASSYST on our cars was tweaked to get into line with other countries that had this maximum of 12 monthly intervals? With our 2004 E-class it was definitely altered, the scientific gadget monitoring the condition of the oil was perhaps ignored and we now have an arbitrary 12 month period. The harder working, possibly stop, start of the 220Cdi engine in the Sprinter still has the proper ASSYST intervals

MB moved from flexible ASSYST to a fixed-interval service schedule in 2007/2008.

It was said at the time that the change was done because it made service planning easier for fleet operators.

 

[SlimJim]

MB moved from flexible ASSYST to a fixed-interval service schedule in 2007/2008.

It was said at the time that the change was done because it made service planning easier for fleet operators.

I wonder if the fleet operators agreed, or was it just a money making decision by MB to get services paid in shorter timescales in perpetuity.

 

[Rory]

I stand to be corrected but I thought ASSYST on our cars was tweaked to get into line with other countries that had this maximum of 12 monthly intervals? With our 2004 E-class it was definitely altered, the scientific gadget monitoring the condition of the oil was perhaps ignored and we now have an arbitrary 12 month period. The harder working, possibly stop, start of the 220Cdi engine in the Sprinter still has the proper ASSYST intervals

The dealer "offered" to change mine to fixed interval and I said no. Car only does a few K miles per year and mostly on long journeys - we have another car for local use. I'm happy to leave it for 2yrs.

Our other car is a diesel VW and, oddly, that was left on longlife intervals when it was delivered (they normally get changed to fixed interval). However I get that serviced every year. At least twice it's been changed to fixed interval after servicing but the dealer can quickly change it back - I prefer it to be my choice, not theirs.

 

[markjay]

The dealer "offered" to change mine to fixed interval and I said no. Car only does a few K miles per year and mostly on long journeys - we have another car for local use. I'm happy to leave it for 2yrs.

Our other car is a diesel VW and, oddly, that was left on longlife intervals when it was delivered (they normally get changed to fixed interval). However I get that serviced every year. At least twice it's been changed to fixed interval after servicing but the dealer can quickly change it back - I prefer it to be my choice, not theirs.

Flexible ASSYST had two setting options, standard engine oil and for long-life engine oil, but as far as I know both options were flexible.

The long-life engine oil setting simply allowed for more miles than the standard engine oil (from memory, 13,000 miles and 9,000 respectively).

 

[glojo]

It is ironic that the Sprinters remained 'as were' as these things cab easily clock up mileages way north of 100,000 miles per year with no harm being caused by the longer periods between oil changes. I tend to go with the flow regarding technology and if a manufacturer says it is okay to have longer oil change periods, then for me personally, it is okay. However, folks that want to change the oil every 3000 miles, then that is their choice and so be it. Each to their own.

 

[whitenemesis]

Flexible ASSYST had two setting options, standard engine oil and for long-life engine oil, but as far as I know both options were flexible.

The long-life engine oil setting simply allowed for more miles than the standard engine oil (from memory, 13,000 miles and 9,000 respectively).

My 2005 C270cdi was on the flexible ASSYST and like Rory I rejected the offer to put it on a fixed interval. The car would request a service usually around 18,000 miles which at the time was between 10-14 month intervals. Lots of long motorway journeys in those days. When I retired mileage plummeted and was mainly urban short trips. ASSYST requested service at 12 months and mileage was around 8-10 thousand.
IIRC if one wished ASSYST to to use the extended service interval one had to use a fleece(?) oil filter, the oil spec was the same though..

 

[markjay]

My 2005 C270cdi was on the flexible ASSYST and like Rory I rejected the offer to put it on a fixed interval. The car would request a service usually around 18,000 miles which at the time was between 10-14 month intervals. Lots of long motorway journeys in those days. When I retired mileage plummeted and was mainly urban short trips. ASSYST requested service at 12 months and mileage was around 8-10 thousand.
IIRC if one wished ASSYST to to use the extended service interval one had to use a fleece(?) oil filter, the oil spec was the same though..

From memory it was either 229.3, or 229.5 AND fleece filter (which wasn't actually available in the UK?).

 

[whitenemesis]

From memory it was either 229.3, or 229.5 AND fleece filter (which wasn't actually available in the UK?).

Quite correct.

 

[190]

Flexible ASSYST had two setting options, standard engine oil and for long-life engine oil, but as far as I know both options were flexible.

Even though mine warns an oil change is due every 12 months which means it's not Flexible Assyst, it still asks for confirmation of 229.3 or 229.5 spec oil when being reset. Perhaps the choice of spec would influence a prompt for an oil change before 12 months if the miles covered were very high.

"Fleece filter" seems to be an Americanism. If the OEM filters were good for 2 years then it doesn't matter what they are made of.

 

[whitenemesis]

Even though mine warns an oil change is due every 12 months which means it's not Flexible Assyst, it still asks for confirmation of 229.3 or 229.5 spec oil when being reset. Perhaps the choice of spec would influence a prompt for an oil change before 12 months if the miles covered were very high.

"Fleece filter" seems to be an Americanism. If the OEM filters were good for 2 years then it doesn't matter what they are made of.

Have a read of the docs I attached above, the setting of oil spec is explained

 

[markjay]

Quite correct.

So a factory of 1.3 probably means 10,000 and 13,000 miles.

 

[MadMerx]

In the words of Scotty Kilmer (Find him on you tube)
Oil is cheap engines are not

At £6 for 5 litres.. he's not wrong...

In my experience all the cars I have owned needed oil changes more frequently as it just loses its viscosity in a shorter period of time. Nothing went over 5K intervals and when it came out it was like pouring black coffee rather than oil. Cold starts, short journeys and stuck in inevitable slow traffic cooks the oil. I would personally not try leaving it 20K miles no matter what the dealer and oil manufacturer may say as if it does let go, I very much doubt they will not be compensating you.

 

[alabbasi]

I think that if you keep up 20,000 oil change intervals, you're probably going to be adding a gallon every 10,000 miles by the time it's 10 years old.

 

[clk320x]

think that if you keep up 20,000 oil change intervals, you're probably going to be adding a gallon every 10,000 miles by the time it's 10 years old.

My W212 has been serviced following the ASSYST system circa every 15k... it never asks for any oil between services even at 212k...

 

[Tonygw]

It will be doing tremendous harm to the environment. No good reason to change oil more than is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

How do you quantify "tremendous" LOL...
I shall continue to change more frequently ;-)

 

[Spider10]

In my experience all the cars I have owned needed oil changes more frequently as it just loses its viscosity in a shorter period of time. Nothing went over 5K intervals and when it came out it was like pouring black coffee rather than oil. Cold starts, short journeys and stuck in inevitable slow traffic cooks the oil. I would personally not try leaving it 20K miles no matter what the dealer and oil manufacturer may say as if it does let go, I very much doubt they will not be compensating you.

I totally agree i change my c63 amg every year if its done 5k or 2k the same with my daily xfs i dont believe in 12k ,15k etc intervals id rather over do it than under do it