First Service

[Poogene2001]

Dont get me wrong, im not saying leave the bonnet closed until she blows smoke or doesnt turn over one morning. I'm all for regular oil level checks (even checking the colour and condition), regular air filter inspections, and that sort of stuff.... but it costs enough running a car as it is (I've just received my rego and insurance bills!! ) so why waste money on unnecessary maintenance?? Just my 2 cents.

[JasonGilholme]

I don't think its unnecessary tho. Thats just my opinion however.

Plus if ya DIY you save HEAPS on labour so it is much more affordable then.

[SIMid]

Just pulled out the books and had a look at the "Extended Warranty". Not sure if all you Diesel and Turbo owners out there realise that you are meant to get your Astras (& mine) serviced by them every 5000kms!

....... might as well change the oil then! Wonder how much THEY charge to sting me every 3 months ........

[digifish]

Just pulled out the books and had a look at the "Extended Warranty". Not sure if all you Diesel and Turbo owners out there realise that you are meant to get your Astras (& mine) serviced by them every 5000kms!

....... might as well change the oil then! Wonder how much THEY charge to sting me every 3 months ........

Indeed. Mine however states that's after the 3 year warranty period expires.

I get $2000 maxiumum per claim.

My policy states that I should have my car serviced 6 monthly/10K @ $169.

However as I am a CDTi owner I need 3 monthly oil changes...that's a bit frequent....given I do about 12,000 km/yr will be every 3,000 km...I may have a chat with them about that one

digifish

[digifish]

None of that makes any sense...
Surely, the manufacturer knows best (not to mention is trying to squeeze every dollar they can out of you), so why doubt what it says in the handbook?
By not changing the oil, you arent jeapordising your warranty or doing any damage to your engine. As long as the oil level is sufficient it will be fine until the 15,000km service.

If we use the "it wont do any harm" logic then why not change the oil once a week? It certainly won't do it any harm. Change the transmission oil, that wont do any harm. Flush the power steering fluid? That couldnt possibly do any harm. Flush out brake fluid and coolant? Again, no harm there. The only harm that it does is to your wallet, so why waste the $45 to replace oil that Holden/Opel/Vauxhall says will last til 15,000km?

Go any buy yourself some Opel Flash wheel nuts or something, atleast that will look good. Oh, and it wont do any harm...

I think you are being a bit dramatic.

Yes it makes sense, the manufacturers are in competition with each other to extend service intervals as its a selling point on the cars. The manufacturers only make money on filters anyway, so it's no big deal to them to lengthen the oil change by 5K.

You will notice that the manuals state - severe driving conditions shorten this interval. You will also notice it's left quite vague how to determine if your particular car is subject to this...but generally it includes, lots of short runs, cold starts, dusty conditions etc. Sounds reasonable...but again the number/distance/duration of these is not clearly defined. It gives them an out.

So the manufacturers hint that shorter service intervals may be required.

...and from what I know about engine wear, keeping the oil clean/fresh is about the best thing you can do, after taking it easy until the car warms up. So no it won't do any harm and may do some good.

No-one suggested weekly oil changes. People are suggesting 3000 km oil change (to rid the engine of any contaminants that may have entered during manufacture) and then whatever you want after that. I still think somewhere around 7,000 km is a reasonable compromise...particularly given the way most of us drive our cars is classified as 'severe' when you read the fine print

...so let's call a truce, I won't complain about how much milk you pour on your cereal each morning and you won't complain how often I change my oil. :P

digifish

[Poogene2001]

But i like lots of milk....

And what it boils down to at the end of the day is whether you are prepared to spend the extra $$$. If i could afford something with a turbo, and if I drove it on dirt roads on a regular basis, then I would certainly consider dropping the oil between services. My 1.8 Ecotec does not experience anything more severe than me hitting the rev limiter once a month, so she will only be getting new oil every 12th.

[SIMid]

Had the service done and requested them to change the oil and filter.

They called me up 30 minutes later, "I'm sorry to inform you that we cannot change the oil filter as we do not have the part, do you still want us to change the oil?".

What a joke.

Picked up the car and it was semi washed, the roof only.