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Hi all,
I bought a 2016 Touran diesel earlier this year which was serviced in November and has since only covered a few thousand miles. The service interval is fixed / annual, rather than variable.
Due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions meaning I will not now repatriate back to the UK until October, it will now not be used until just before it is technically due it's next service - Obviously all the components that other than engine oil will be hardly used, so I guess I'm naturally inquisitive as to whether a change in engine oil is actually needed, or whether I can push the entire inspection / service back six months until the Spring.
Any mechanics / technicians here have a view?
Thanks.
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Personally I would get it done when its due at the very least it will give you peace of mind after its long lay up and may pay dividends if you ever ask for some goodwill from vw.
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Unless you would rather not pay for a service because you haven't had full value for the last fill of oil, I would suggest that a diesel engine will probably benefit from oil changes more often than the makers suggest. My car has a recommended interval of 12K miles but I change oil and filter about every 7-8K and 18 months, as it is not heavily used. It easily passes the emission tests at every MoT.
And as has been said, it may be useful if your car is still within warranty.
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Thanks both,
I guess I could just do change the oil and filter using my extractor and it would be 50 quid for peace of mind. Just seems wasteful that the oil in it will have only done a few thousand miles in the preceding 12 months as the car has been standing idle for six of those.
I hadn’t accounted for the warranty however - that makes a proper service at the VAG specialist indie near me a total no-brainer.
Edited by dj_efk on 16/04/2020 at 13:05
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The best thing to remember about oil changes is this advice.
If you never change your oil it will wreck your engine, If you changed it everyday it will not harm it !
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Well said Dorset! my thoughts exactly.
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Warranty or not, the oil will still be OK for many more miles. It doesn't 'go off', unless it contains moisture and microorganisms. I have only changed the oil in my TR7 four times since 1993 ('97, '02, '13 and last year). The engine has always run perfectly - not even needing valve clearance adjustment (checked last week) because it has never gone more than 6,000 miles without an oil change. Don't waste it.
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John, there's no need to keep telling us about your TR7. That car is many years out of warranty (nearly all its life I should think). While there's a live warranty pure logic may not apply.
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John, there's no need to keep telling us about your TR7. That car is many years out of warranty (nearly all its life I should think). While there's a live warranty pure logic may not apply.
OK, I'll tell you about my Audi A8. I last changed the oil in October 2016 and I plan to replace its expensive top quality long life oil after another 10,000 miles - very soon. I suspect its engine will last as least as long as that of my TR7. As long as this site's 'experts' perpetrate the ancient advice that oil needs to be changed every year no matter what the mileage, I shall continue to argue against that absurd wasteful expensive polluting and time-consuming dogma.
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John, I don't disagree with your basic principle, but I guess your Audi is also out of warranty, so you can choose to maintain it however you wish. The warranty consideration may still apply for newer cars and shouldn't be overlooked - unless you are certain nothing will fail, or don't mind if it does.
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John, I don't disagree with your basic principle, but I guess your Audi is also out of warranty....
Yes indeed - 2005 reg, but a mere stripling relative to my 1980 TR7.
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An annual change of oil costs from £50 upwards.
A warranty claim turned down for not having the car "serviced" could cost thousands.
Having the oil changed is insurance against something expensive happening.
I insure house & car (+ breakdown in case I am stranded & it gets me home) - nothing else no car repair insurance, no mobile phone cover, no domestic appliance, boiler ....... they all come under "bills to be paid" / self insurance and, if you look after things, the bills are smaller than premiums.
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Thank you all.
As said, as I bought this car from a dealer, I have a 12 month warranty, so it makes sense to get it Indie-serviced, given that I will have a significant portion of that to run come November.
If the car was not under warranty then I would leave it - At least this gives me the excuse to get the garage to swap out the fluids to those of my specification / preference (Millers Nanodrive for the engine, Redline MTL for the gearbox), plus for it to be thoroughly checked over at the same time so I know what's what.
Thanks.
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As said, as I bought this car from a dealer, I have a 12 month warranty, so it makes sense to get it Indie-serviced, given that I will have a significant portion of that to run come November.
In your original post you said the car had been serviced on an annual schedule, so even if warranty work was needed, no service would have been missed before your 12 month warranty expires. So I think I might leave it to your own skill and judgment - and chance.
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The warranty runs until March next year - Are you saying that it won't have missed a service by then because of the flexible servicing regime (up to 2 years) ?
Just so I understand.
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The warranty runs until March next year - Are you saying that it won't have missed a service by then because of the flexible servicing regime (up to 2 years) ?
You'll have to interpret the small print. But you certainly won't overstep the distance criterion.
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