longtomsilver Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Renault Clio 1.2litre petrol, two months old with 1000miles on the clock. Took it in to the dealer asking for an oil change and he just looked at me like I'd stepped out from a time portal AKA Nicholas Lyndhurst's character in Goodnight Sweetheart. When would be the best time to do a first oil change considering the service book says 18k or two years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Eagle Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 When would be the best time to do a first oil change considering the service book says 18k or two years? The service book oil change interval has been written to accommodate the expectations of fleet companies, don't trust it if you want the car to last, I'd say once a year or every 10K miles, whichever comes sooner. Also make sure they use good quality oil not some unbranded rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy666 Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Renault Clio 1.2litre petrol, two months old with 1000miles on the clock. Took it in to the dealer asking for an oil change and he just looked at me like I'd stepped out from a time portal AKA Nicholas Lyndhurst's character in Goodnight Sweetheart. When would be the best time to do a first oil change considering the service book says 18k or two years? It's a Renault to 18k/ 2 years is about EOL anyway.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Running-in oil changes don't happen anymore. Only one I can think of mainstream is the Mazda 2.3T engine at 3k miles. I'm not certain I would be happy with a long life oil servicing routine unless I was doing mostly long trips. Sounds like you are doing short trips and low mileage so I, personally, really wouldn't be happy with 2 yrs / 18k miles. I think I would stick to at least annual changes but dealer charges will mount up unless you get it done independently. Do Renault not offer a fixed interval service if people demand it? My car is petrol engined, chain cam and I'm sticking to the 1yr/12k mile interval and hope to make it last 10years+ if I want it to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 If you're planning on keeping the car for a long time and want to get a hassle free high mileage out of it then i'd change the oil every 5,000 miles. If you're not planning on doing this and/or expect to have done less than 100,000 miles by the time you get rid of it then just stick to the regular service intervals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachman Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 BMW M Series cars still need that 1.000 miles oil change. Don't do it and your warranty will be pointless. For a 1.2 Clio. forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissy_fit Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 It's a Renault to 18k/ 2 years is about EOL anyway.. Not for the engine, that'll go on for ages, it's the rest of the car that's the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lagarde's Drift Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 In addition to the above, yes I would say do it. Doesn't cost much, and it gets rid of any crap that may have accumulated from the bedding in. Certainly wouldn't leave it for 2 years! Edit: depending on the car, oil&filter can be a piece of piss to do. Why not do it yourself and save the (no doubt extortionate) dealer charges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 It's a Renault to 18k/ 2 years is about EOL anyway.. Lol - i'll suck it and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 If you're planning on keeping the car for a long time and want to get a hassle free high mileage out of it then i'd change the oil every 5,000 miles. If you're not planning on doing this and/or expect to have done less than 100,000 miles by the time you get rid of it then just stick to the regular service intervals. +1 The plan IS to purchase the car outright (42month final balloon payment of ~£4k) and run it into the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Not for the engine, that'll go on for ages, it's the rest of the car that's the problem. I'm not being filled with confidence here. My last Megane was fantastic and only had £3k of warranty work in the 3 years and 90,000 miles I had it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappycocco Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I'm sure I remember my mate tell me the renault dealer charged him an hours labour just to change a light bulb because they had to remove bits of the car for some reason. A running in oil change to get all the metal shavings out, they'd probably open a separate department just to deal with you lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 I'm sure I remember my mate tell me the renault dealer charged him an hours labour just to change a light bulb because they had to remove bits of the car for some reason. A running in oil change to get all the metal shavings out, they'd probably open a separate department just to deal with you lol. There is a small oval plastic cover underneath the wheel arch that simply pops out. It's a 10minute job including purchasing the bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ayatollah Buggeri Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Edit: depending on the car, oil&filter can be a piece of piss to do. Why not do it yourself and save the (no doubt extortionate) dealer charges? Or it can be a time-consuming nightmare, depending on the car. On mine (2001 mk. 5 Fiesta Zetec), there is no way of getting at the oil filter and sump plug without either using an inspection pit, raising the car on one of those elevated platforms that Kwik Fit-type places have (hence the reason they can do an oil and filter change in ten minutes flat), or jacking it up and removing a wheel if the procedure is to be done at ground level without a pit. Therefore, it takes at least an hour, and if there is only one person in the vicinity is also potentially dangerous (e.g. if an axle stand fails, you're injured etc.). Given that Nationwide Autocentres only charge £5 more to do an oil and filter change than it costs to buy the oil and filter, it's a fiver I'm very happy to pay. On the oil change score, if you do have it done by a garage, make sure that they drain the old oil through the sump plug and after warming up the engine. Some of the cheaper places will (a) leave the car to get cold for hours after you drop it off, and ( then hoover the old oil out through the dipstick shaft, thereby leaving crud at the bottom of the sump. That pretty much defeats the object of replacing the oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissy_fit Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I'm not being filled with confidence here. My last Megane was fantastic and only had £3k of warranty work in the 3 years and 90,000 miles I had it. I've got a Mazda, it's had zero warranty work in the 4 years and about 60k miles I've had it. Let's hope I'm not speaking too soon! Renaults have improved though, I think, since the days when their doorhandles etc used to come off in your hand, and their diesel engines are excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Miyagi Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 My Saabs oil is changed annually by myself, which is around 7k. Service schedule says every 18k which I think is too much. If you're to do it yourself you will need decent tools, axle stands and a trolley jack which, for good quality stuff is expensive. Take it to the local garage and have them do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxe Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Running in oil changes make sense if you are using a different grade of oil for running in - something with fewer additives and probably less viscous to allow parts to bed in properly. Old engines needed this as the tolerances were pretty crude - modern engines are generally so well made that they simply don't need anything special. You run them on the standard oil and as long as you don't thrash them in the first few thousand miles, they will be fine. The only other reason you might want to change oil after 1000 miles is if the filtration system is suspect - so possibly overwhelmed by crud coming out of the engine. Again, this simply shouldn't happen. Routine oil change - annual or 6k miles, whichever comes first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest unfunded_liability Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Renault Clio 1.2litre petrol, two months old with 1000miles on the clock. Took it in to the dealer asking for an oil change and he just looked at me like I'd stepped out from a time portal AKA Nicholas Lyndhurst's character in Goodnight Sweetheart. When would be the best time to do a first oil change considering the service book says 18k or two years? I change the oil every 6 months on my car, regardless of mileage. An experienced mechanic I trust told me it's the most important thing you can do to prolong engine life and avoid costly repairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I change the oil every 6 months on my car, regardless of mileage. An experienced mechanic I trust told me it's the most important thing you can do to prolong engine life and avoid costly repairs. Like you, I do mine at 6 months/4500 miles, whatever comes first. It's almost always on the time limit rather than mileage though. Mobil 1 0w40 from CostCo + a filter, around £20 all in (only takes 3 litres of oil). Peanuts compared to the fuel cost put through it in the same interval. Engine is definitely quieter after a change, even though it may not have done 4500 miles since the last one, and it doesn't burn oil inbetween either. I'm a firm believer in the advice you follow. Engine oil is in an extremely hostile operating environment, unlike gearbox/diff oil it must not only lubricate parts but is subject to high temperatures, acidic combustion gases and soot particulates, all of which take their toll and compromise its longevity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lagarde's Drift Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Also, if you're really bothered, break open the old oil filter and see what crap is in there. Usually makes one happy that the oil was changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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