Dealer says every 10k for scheduled oil changes. Who agrees?
01-29-2002, 08:35 AM
#5
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Yah let's all ignore what Audi says. I put diesel in my car.
So I guess the theory is that Audi doesn't want to pay for all these free oil changes. But they'll replace all of our engines under warranty because the oil hasn't been replaced for 10k. I lease my car, I don't care if it blows up - I'll replace my oil when Audi tells me to.
01-29-2002, 09:19 AM
#7
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actually, I kind of believe in what you said about Audi not wanting to pay for too many...
oil changes.
They want to differentiate themselves by providing free maintenance. But at the same time, they don't want to go bankrupt on it either, so they extend the maintenance intervals. Even if it negatively affects engine life, the cars will still make it past 50K, at which point Audi's responsibility ends. They don't much care whether your engine dies at 70K or at 150K.
Now, I'm probably exaggerating a bit. Also, with the use of fully synthetic oils, 10K interval is really not that bad and has been practiced in Europe for a very long time. The only time you should probably change your oil sooner is if you make a lot of very short trips where your engine doesn't get a chance to warm up properly.
They want to differentiate themselves by providing free maintenance. But at the same time, they don't want to go bankrupt on it either, so they extend the maintenance intervals. Even if it negatively affects engine life, the cars will still make it past 50K, at which point Audi's responsibility ends. They don't much care whether your engine dies at 70K or at 150K.
Now, I'm probably exaggerating a bit. Also, with the use of fully synthetic oils, 10K interval is really not that bad and has been practiced in Europe for a very long time. The only time you should probably change your oil sooner is if you make a lot of very short trips where your engine doesn't get a chance to warm up properly.
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01-29-2002, 09:43 AM
#10
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Oil fromulations have improved dramatically over the years...
Regular "dino" oil has improved remarkably over the years as well as the alloys that engine makers use. The 3,000 mile oil change is a myth advertised by the Jiffy Lube's. I have followed posts on this board as well as bimmer.org where this has been beat to death. Synthetic oils make the arguement for longer oil changes stronger.
There will always be the camp of play it safe vs. studying the engineering data on wear and oil breakdown (there may be posts in the archive). I do mine every 7,500 (99 A4 2.8) as recommended in the manual. I do my wifes BMW 528i based on the computer interval used by BMW. They calculate the number of starts, engine temp, mileage and other parameters and tell you when the oil needs changing. My wife does a lot of short city driving and we need to change around 9,000 miles. Other 5-series owners get 15,000 miles before the oil change lights go out because of long highway commutes. Same debate on that board as well but I would agree that the 10,000 mile interval should be balanced with frequency and duration of your driving trips.
Enjoy...
-->Arch57
There will always be the camp of play it safe vs. studying the engineering data on wear and oil breakdown (there may be posts in the archive). I do mine every 7,500 (99 A4 2.8) as recommended in the manual. I do my wifes BMW 528i based on the computer interval used by BMW. They calculate the number of starts, engine temp, mileage and other parameters and tell you when the oil needs changing. My wife does a lot of short city driving and we need to change around 9,000 miles. Other 5-series owners get 15,000 miles before the oil change lights go out because of long highway commutes. Same debate on that board as well but I would agree that the 10,000 mile interval should be balanced with frequency and duration of your driving trips.
Enjoy...
-->Arch57