Service interval questions:-

[Waaib]

I had my car serviced over the weekend. 60,000kms service, Jeep Cherokee 3.7L 2006. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to sell a kidney to pay for the service which was about R4000 including new discs all round).

On the invoice it says (written in red pen):
Next Service 72000km or 2-12-2009 - Which ever occurs first

Is this normal? I've never heard of this before. I do about 7,000kms a year. Surely the car doesn't know how long it takes to do the kilo's or is there something that perishes over time that needs replacing?

 

[Claymore]

Generally, service requirements list km and time limits; typically 15000km intervals or 1 year, whichever is first. This is because, in theory, some things do perish over time, and things like oil degrade.

 

[Hogrod]

+1

I've been curious about why service intervals here are 15,000km but for the same car in the UK the service intervals are longer @ 15,000 miles. Why?

 

[Claymore]

+1

I've been curious about why service intervals here are 15,000km but for the same car in the UK the service intervals are longer @ 15,000 miles. Why?

Which car? I know it varies for some, but many have the same intervals.

 

[Voicysaurous]

Some cars are serviced on intervals of 10/12/15/more? x1000km or per year - obviously just depending on what kind of car it is.

Mine is 12months / 15 000km. Every 2nd service is a major service instead of just a minor one that is less technical than a stop at the petrol station where the dude checks your oil and water.

 

[Kloofvreter]

+1

I've been curious about why service intervals here are 15,000km but for the same car in the UK the service intervals are longer @ 15,000 miles. Why?

Perhaps it depends on the climate.

 

[Hogrod]

Which car? I know it varies for some, but many have the same intervals.

The manual in a Honda says 12500miles = 20,000km in the manual itself

Yet the car in SA must be serviced every 15,000km

 

[Claymore]

The manual in a Honda says 12500miles = 20,000km in the manual itself

Yet the car in SA must be serviced every 15,000km

Interesting. Maybe they're playing it safe. It surely not because of climate, because SA's climate is relatively mild.

Or they're concerned about SA dealers using cheap oil in high-tech engines...

 

[Hogrod]

I'll be cynical and believe the only reason is for making money more often at the dealership.

 

[kevinswan007]

I'll be cynical and believe the only reason is for making money more often at the dealership.

good point.

ford cars are every 20 000km's. or at least the ford focus that i know of.

 

[Brawler]

Its 15000 on the bantam.

Took my bantam on for its 2nd service on the 1st and was pleasantly suprised it only cost me R880. Was expecting a grand or two.

 

[Velenoso]

Interesting. Maybe they're playing it safe. It surely not because of climate, because SA's climate is relatively mild.

Or they're concerned about SA dealers using cheap oil in high-tech engines...

What? HEAT is BAD for cars, even more so, European cars. It's hot 90% of the time here. Aircon is also running 90% of the time here. Result = More wear and tear.

Also, because it's so hot here, people tend to overlook warming up the engine before driving (very bad for the engine).

The less you drive you car, the more you need to service it. (hence mileage/date scenario)

 

[Hogrod]

Also, because it's so hot here, people tend to overlook warming up the engine before driving (very bad for the engine).

Honda manual advises never to park the car and wait for it to warm up. They advise you drive straight off on startup. Obviously I wouldn't red line when it's cold!

 

[Kloofvreter]

Honda manual advises never to park the car and wait for it to warm up. They advise you drive straight off on startup. Obviously I wouldn't red line when it's cold!

So does BMW

 

[Paul_S]

Honda manual advises never to park the car and wait for it to warm up. They advise you drive straight off on startup. Obviously I wouldn't red line when it's cold!

Driving a car moderately when it's cold does less damage than letting it sit and idle to warm up.
The reason being that the engine warms up faster when it's worked a bit and the quicker the engine gets up to operating temperature the better.

Oil viscosity is important and the oil needs to reach operating temperature as quickly as possible in order to lubricate the bearing surfaces the way it is designed too.
Hence the reason for special multi grade or even mono grade oils for colder climates where the oil may not reach the correct operating temperature during normal driving.

However most of the damage to bearing surfaces such as the main journals occurs at start up when there is no oil pressure. On high end machinery such as commercial vehicles and aircraft they often use electric oil pumps to boost the oil pressure before they actually start the engines (or turbines). That ensure that the bearings surfaces are not in contact with each other when the engine is started.

 

[Claymore]

What? HEAT is BAD for cars, even more so, European cars. It's hot 90% of the time here. Aircon is also running 90% of the time here. Result = More wear and tear.

Compared to many, many countries, our climate is mild. For example, JHB's range of temps typically go from -1C or -2C in winter to a max of 31C or 32C in summer. In somewhere like Iowa, you can expect a range of -40C to 40C. In various parts of Europe, the range can be -10C or worse to well over 35C. We might have warmer temperatures for more of the year, but we're not worried about temps in the 20s, we're worried about the peaks.