Engine Oil

[bec]

what is this the oil used for?
sorry i dont know anything about cars
why do you need to change it?
why do some people change it more often than others?
what happens if you don't change it?

[Bubu]

what is this the oil used for?
sorry i dont know anything about cars
why do you need to change it?
why do some people change it more often than others?
what happens if you don't change it?

The oil mentioned on this post is the engine oil. Engine oil lubricates all the moving parts in the engine so that there is not much wear and it makes the engine run smooth. The oil also helps cool the inside of the engine where water cannot be circulated.

You need to change oil becuase it gets dirty and it looses its ability to lubricate the inside of your engine properly. There are other reasons for changing oil but we will leave it at that.

Some people change their oil more regurarly because they live in dusty regions and the oil gets dirty sooner. Others, like myself, change the oil more regularly than what the manufacturer recommends because we drive our cars a bit harder and it gives us peace of mind. Volkswagen recommends that the oil be changed once you have travelled 15,000kms. Part of the reason they dont recommend to do it earlier is because it will cost the owner more to maintain the car. When people, who dont know much about cars, want to buy a new car they may look at running costs of that model/make of car. If the service/oil change is done more regurarly then the running cost of the car would be higher and the potential buyer may not purchase the car because of the higher maintenance costs compared to competitors.

If you dont change the oil the engine will start to run a bit more rough, your fuel consumption will probably increase, your engine would wear out sooner and you will eventually damage the engine to the point where the car is no longer driveable.

Having said all that I personally know someone who bought a brand new car and didnt change the oil until 60,000 kms. She didnt know you had to get the car serviced She sold the car not long after that and it was still running fine.

[insanekiwi]

If you get a modification chip for your car, it's worth while doing the oil change more frequently due to extra strain on the engine.

I will be changing mine every 7500km. First one done at 17000km from previous owner, and my next oil change is at 25000km. Then again at around 32500km.

It's one of the easiest way to protect your engine. apart from giving it hell from cold starts.

[mitch_gti]

Owned GTI since nov 06.

11,500 kms.

Four oil changes soo far.
Cheap insurance if you ask me

[MINTpolo]

Somewhere around 4 - 4.5L. I cant remember what it says in my manual but it does state the correct amount.

Thanks for that, i will tentativley put in around 4L whilst checking the dipstick to see how full it gets.

Makes you wonder what they were thinking in my handbook stating 3.2L. My previous car, a 1.8 Mazda took 3.8L with a small oil filter, which made me think that surely the 1.8T would be at least that capacity or more...

[SoVeReIgN]

The oil mentioned on this post is the engine oil. Engine oil lubricates all the moving parts in the engine so that there is not much wear and it makes the engine run smooth. The oil also helps cool the inside of the engine where water cannot be circulated.

You need to change oil becuase it gets dirty and it looses its ability to lubricate the inside of your engine properly. There are other reasons for changing oil but we will leave it at that.

Some people change their oil more regurarly because they live in dusty regions and the oil gets dirty sooner. Others, like myself, change the oil more regularly than what the manufacturer recommends because we drive our cars a bit harder and it gives us peace of mind. Volkswagen recommends that the oil be changed once you have travelled 15,000kms. Part of the reason they dont recommend to do it earlier is because it will cost the owner more to maintain the car. When people, who dont know much about cars, want to buy a new car they may look at running costs of that model/make of car. If the service/oil change is done more regurarly then the running cost of the car would be higher and the potential buyer may not purchase the car because of the higher maintenance costs compared to competitors.

If you dont change the oil the engine will start to run a bit more rough, your fuel consumption will probably increase, your engine would wear out sooner and you will eventually damage the engine to the point where the car is no longer driveable.

Having said all that I personally know someone who bought a brand new car and didnt change the oil until 60,000 kms. She didnt know you had to get the car serviced She sold the car not long after that and it was still running fine.

Fantastic post.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[MissVuks]

was having a bit of dicush with my older brother (drives a clio sport) about changing the oil in my car and hes really surprised that my oil doesnt need changing until the 15,00km service (as per the manual).

He mentioned that most new cars should have their oil and filters changed at 1500km to clear the car of any gunk and debris?

So i rang VW to enquire - they quoted me $200. Brother thinks this is rip off.. Can anyone give me a rough estimate as to how much it should cost cos it doesnt sound like brain surgery to change some oil and a filter. (being a novice i cant exactly do it on my own).

[mitch_gti]

Synthetic oil (5 litres) = 55ish
VW oil filter = 12-17


''labour'' for changing the oil. SURELY they wouldnt charge you anymore than about 30 bucks.


Oil change at 1,500 - 3,000 is good. 3 thousand doesnt take most people long to rack up.

[MissVuks]

well he quoted me $200 LOL what an a$$

Well i ain't taking it there i can tell you that much..

Is it an easy DIY job (or make my dad DIHimselfWhileISuperviseJob) LOL or taking it to sebs @ giraween

i actually wouldnt mind learning how to do it.. cant be that hard can it??

[MINTpolo]

well he quoted me $200 LOL what an a$$

Well i ain't taking it there i can tell you that much..

Is it an easy DIY job (or make my dad DIHimselfWhileISuperviseJob) LOL or taking it to sebs @ giraween

i actually wouldnt mind learning how to do it.. cant be that hard can it??

Hi there,

from my experice last weekend i can tell you that as far as oil changes go its not that hard. The oil filter is easy to get to at the front of the engine and i did the whole job without jacking the car up (used a slight driveway lip to get more room). The only complications are needing a "torx" type allen key to get the plastic cover undeneath the engine off so you can get to the oil filter. The other slightly annoying bit is the mess that occurs when you pull the oil filter off. Stuff alot of old cloths in there! You may also need an oil filter wrench to get leverage to take it off, mine was on tightly.

I'd say only undertake this one if you have someone handy who has done an oil and filter change before..i.e Dad.

BTW, my car sucked down about between 4.5 and 4.8L of oil and is not overfilled, alot more than the 3.2L stated in my manual