5000 kilometers = 3106 miles.
Great answers here and I am sure correct. I’m not being chesty I am really asking.
Isn’t Rubystreak’s aside the most relevant piece of info ? Isn’t robcaro pretty much the most relevant answer?
Whatever the manufacturer says, or what people know because they are smart & experienced, If the Dealer warranty says change the oil every 1500 miles and month and a half whichever comes first, and you don’t do that, you void your warranty. Isn’t that right?
Again not putting down the good info in this thread that certainly applies if a car is not under warranty or that is not an issue
Despite what the manual says, you should also check the quality of oil, looking for oil sludge. You’re looking for it to be really dirty, thick, almost milkshake like, and for metal shavings that could possibly gunk up your filter causing it to sludge. My friend told me that he read that if you take a drop of your oil and put it on high quality paper, like a business card, if you see metal after the oil dries then sludge might be a real problem. If you google “oil sludge problem XXX” (where XXX = your car model), you’ll be surprised what cars developed the dreaded oil sludge problem.
My friend had an '01 Audi A4 1.8T and his oil light kept going off at around 40k - 45k miles. Depending on his schedule, he usually takes his car between the place he bought it or the one by his work. The dealer said his engine was shot and accused him of poor maintenance! :eek: Then, they recommended replacement of the entire engine (some/most actually do need it). But, my friend was able to find a mechanic who has dealt with this before. They had to drop the oil pan, manually clean out the gunk, and then they blew compressed air throughout the system. Somewhat expensive ($700 car repair), but it beats the cost of replacing the entire engine.
My Saab is under the same danger, as my model is listed right in the link above. I took it to the dealer and called Saab USA and they said that if there is a problem, they will cover it if I have all my service records (which, thankfully, I do). However, as my friend and I have both discovered, some dealers are very hesitant to rectify this problem. I think my friend was able to get some restitution from Audi of America.
To address jimmmy’s issue, the dealer my friend and I dealt with were looking at anyway to wiggle out from under the warranty. My friend’s Audi dealership accused him of poor maintenance. My dealership said that nothing was wrong, with barely a look at it (though Saab USA said that they would cover me if I could prove reasonable maintenance). After listening to my friend’s experience, it sounded like they were willing to go to court. So, if the dealer is trustworthy and accomodating, or the owner doesn’t mind hiring a lawyer (and remember, in the meantime, the owner is out the use of the car), then yeah I guess one could be lax with their due diligence in his car maintenance routine.
The warranty isn’t provided by the dealer, though - it’s from the manufacturer. (At least, that’s true for all vehicle warranties I’ve ever had.)
Sure, when you have a claim you get the work done at a dealer - any authorized dealer for your make of car - but ultimately the warranty is backed by (e.g.) Ford Motor Company, not Cal Worthington Ford. If Cal’s service guys are giving you crap about a warranty claim* you can buck it up to Ford itself (which you would not be able to do if the warranty was strictly between you and the dealer) or go up the freeway a couple of miles to Pacific Ford and see if they treat you any better.
The dealer can advise whatever schedule they want, but the one in the owner’s manual is the “official” one.**
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- And they very well might. The dealer gets reimbursed by the manufacturer for warranty work performed, but my understanding is that they get paid less for such work than they would if they’d been charging the customer. There is some incentive for the dealer to resist doing warranty work.
** - Cue very long discussion about whether the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule is really too frequent, too infrequent, just about right, a great conspiracy to get you to spend more money, carefully designed to have your engine seize 100 miles after the warranty expires, or whatever. 
More or less, yes. Re: Rubystreak’s comment: While it is not always true that the dealership is following the manufacturer’s recommendations, if you have the required maintenance performed at the dealership, it’s a pretty sure bet that they will take responsibility. Of course, you don’t have to get maintenance done at the dealership. If you don’t and a problem arises, you will need to provide evidence of having properly done the required maintenance.
Generally, yes. But let me offer a clarification: we’re not talking about a dealer warranty (and there may be no such thing). We’re talking about a manufacturer’s warranty.
Dealers very commonly construct their own maintenance schedules that include items not mentioned by the manufacturer. The benefits of these additional items, which add to the cost, are arguable. Some - e.g. throttle body cleaning - are usually helpful and worth the money. Others - e.g. frequent wheel alignment - are of dubious value and probably a waste of money. It’s helpful for consumers to be aware of the difference between the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule and the dealer’s schedule. Only the manufacturer’s schedule is “official.”
Less common, but not unheard of, is dealers deviating from the manufacturer’s recommendations. I know of a dealership that put 10W30 oil into everything, even though the manufacturer specified 5W30 oil for many models. Practically speaking, they likely haven’t been burned by this, but it potentially could cause premature engine wear. I find it unsettling.
On a new car, the car maker sets the warranty requirements, not the dealer.
Furthermore there is no requirement that the car be serviced at the dealer. as long as the necessary work was done, you can go anywhere.
Ooooops… You are absolutely correct! Just made a little slip. I was thinking in lbs to kilos.
How about drain and flush of cooling system. All oil change spots are eager to do that. How often ?
Gotta’ check the manual.
If you’ve got the orange stuff it can be 5 times less often that your buddy with the green stuff, or half as often as your buddy with the yellow stuff…
Depends on the type of coolant. The recommendation for traditional coolant (IAT, usually green) is 2-3 years/30-36,000 miles. For long-life coolants (OAT, e.g. Dexcool, orangeish red; & HOAT, commonly yellow) it’s 5 years/100-150,000 miles. In the real world, those are pretty optimistic figures. I recommend measuring the pH (you can buy test strips at toy/hobby/science stores) and changing IAT when it gets down to 8.5, OAT and HOAT when down to 7.5. The pH of a fresh 50/50 mix of IAT is usually about 9.5-10; of OAT & HOAT usually 8.5-9. As the corrosion protection is used up they get more acidic and become corrosive.
The recommendation for the original coolant will be in the factory maintenance schedule.
Color is not a reliable guide. It’s just dye, and there are no standards about what color to use. Each coolant type is available in several different colors.
It’s important for OAT to be at least 50% of the antifreeze/water mix, otherwise its corrosion protection is severely compromised. Also, OAT mixed with IAT will not last longer than the IAT would.