[440ci]

Proton oil filter only lasts 5,000km? How so goldfish?



As for 5,000km oil changes being rule of thumb I can tell you for an absolute certainty Proton have never made a recommendation to service at 5,000km unless the vehicle is subjected to severe use. Perodua on the other hand do state 5,000km in their handbook but if you look at the under-bonnet sticker it states 10,000km. For some peculiar reason Perodua require all the lubricants to be changed at short intervals and they have never provided me with a satisfactory explanation as top why this was so. I would be interested to see the service recommendations for export cars, I cannot believe a European Perodua owner would be prepared to take a car for service every three months or 5,000km.

As a young apprentice I remember 5,000km services, just. They were however optional and the vast majority of owners never bothered with them. As far as I remember they were all dropped in the very early 80's in the UK. Cars did not suddenly start exploding on the highway nor was any failure any more common.



Let me quote from a Rolls-Royce official publication which refers to their Silver Cloud II.

"It has been decided to discontinue the present 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 and 60,000 mile servicing schedules and to institute schedules due after periods of 6,000, (6,000 miles equals almost 10,000km) 12,000 and 24,000 miles."

I can't date this publication exactly but Cloud II production was from 1959 to 1962. The same publication quotes that one of the main reasons for this is the quality of (the then) "present day lubricants".


noname78 you say, "but the mech keep saying you need to change the oil every 5000km wor..." Ask the guy how he is qualified to make this judgement. Ask yourself who is really benefitting from having double the number of oil changes, you or him.

AndyPutra5533, the black suspension is rendered harmless by the oil through its life, don't worry about it, it won't cause a problem. Look at diesel engine oils, they are black as soon as you change them yet diesel engines seem to go on forever. Modern oils do not sludge unless there is something wrong with your engine or the engine never warms up. The most frequent oil changeintervals are found on vehicles operating in sub-freezing conditions.


I had a conversation today with a very senior representative of a local manufacturer. He was convinced that "his" cars required servicing every 5,000km and that this was stated in the vehicle literature. He was at a complete loss at what to say when confronted with the reality of what IS stated. If this guy, at his level and the position he held believed this, no wonder there is so much confusion.

From my experience much of the damage that occurs inside the engine is caused when repairs and servicing are carried out. How sure are you when the mechanic is changing your oil he keeps everything really clean. Does he use a clean cloth to wipe the dipstick or does he just use whatever bit of rag is to hand. What about when he changes plugs, does he clean off the areas around the plug first?


At the end of the day everyone need to make their own mind up but 5,000km oil changes are not normal in my experience and haven't been for decades.

I hope I have been able to provide you with some information to allow you all to make a more informed decision.

[JB]

noname78...

In that thread, look at the post by Scratch where he mentions that Castrol told him that Magnatec is semi-synthetic. The posting by Cooldad was according to his belief which was a result of "conflicting advice".

Anyway, you can also check out the Magnatec spec sheet from the Castrol Australia website and it mentions that Magnatec contains synthetic esters. But note that the spec sheet itself doesn't call the oil mineral or semi-syn.

[anthonywyc]

It semi-synthetic. Normally you should change oil every 5K when you change your filter but for semi-synthetic, it can last for 7-8K...

[440ci]

Wasting my time here aren`t I.

How can you possibly believe that the oil industry has sat around twiddling its thumbs for the last century? If some people could actually sit down and read a book instead of just believing the adverts or "my mechanic told me" you could save a fortune.

So anthonywyc, why do we need to change oil at what was it, 5,000km? I can`t wait. How is it you know more than, for example, Proton?

[JB]

440ci...

I can understand your frustration.

Most people miss the 10,000 km oil & filter change in the Proton manual. But of course, it`s half that for severe service and many of us city-dwellers would drive in severe conditions and hence the 5,000 km change is relevant and also recommended by the workshops. For Protons this is understandable.

What I don`t like is the workshops sticking to 5,000 km changes for all cars. My brother drives a Hyundai Santa-Fe; manual says 15,000 km oil change or 7,500 km for severe service. But the workshop (in this case the Hyundai dealership itself!) still recommends 5,000 km changes. Talk about ignorance of their own cars! I`ve seen the same thing happen for Benzs.

[440ci]

Severe duty has a very clear definition in the proton service book and I doubt whether very many people would really drive under those conditions. They may feel they spend their lives in traffic jams but the reality is normally very different.

The 5,000km is something people have been indoctrinated into and as such few question it.

Well spotted JB. local workshops do indeed push the 5,000km service on their customers. There is even one large concern, who I shall not name, who supplement the manufacturers literature that comes with the car with their own official literature. Guess what? Yes they double the service requirements, oil changes every 5,000km. Who to believe? The people who made the car or those who profit from the extra servicing.


There's something strange going on here, oils are getting better and yet Malaysia is still servicing cars according to procedures that are decades out of date.

[BlackSun]

i personally believe 440Ci is a specialist or an experienced guy. but your words has not enough power to set peoples mind compared to the hard copy manual they have on hand. another thing is, proton service means what? they recommend you to do this do that during servicing, and i do believe many of us will ask, if i am not going to change this part for the moment, will it be ok? so, proton captured your weakness! they know you have little knowledge on vehicle and come out with advice or to say "threatening" words to the customers. they will say all they do are for "preventive" maintenance. but we as the car owner should have knowledge and in see things, judge them in the engineering point of view. i personally feel kinda foolish to go change my oil every 5000km, but why on earth it still state on the manual?

[440ci]

Quote from Protons service book.

"The periodic inspection services designated in this book are to be performed every 10,000km or 6 months whichever occurs first"

That statement has appeared in every proton service book from the very first cars.


Some service establishments have absolutely no ethics and will take customers for everything they can get. I know of a case recently where a Perodua dealer changed spark plugs at the first 10,000km service.

Every car comes supplied with a handbook/service book that details the servicing requirements. This is the ONLY work that is required. If the servicing dealer tells you differently ask him how he knows more than the manufacturer. I bet he'll tell you something like "it's in our computer so we do it". Really question the guy, or his service manager, and I guarantee they will never come up with a satisfactory answer. There are various reasons why repairers do this but the main one is simply that they know they can get away with it. It's like taking candy from a baby and it will continue that way until people inform and assert themselves far more.

[AndyPutra5533]

well, 10,000km it is...modern cars with modern oils...it is logical, for normal driving.

the way i drive is semi severe...lotsa jams, 5000-6000rpm many times daily, 160kmh daily, the occasional track day at BT3, a particular kind of "convoy" here and there, genting highlands, fraser's hill now and then...i'll stick to 5000km just to be safe...even my silverstone FTZs last 25,000 to 30,000km...an indication of my driving style. personally, i'll stick to 5000km. but my GF's car, 10000km. she drives gently.

one more thing is that the hydraulic lifters make more noise when reaching the 4000km mark onwards, some oils 4500km...some ok up to 5000km. fresh, new oil quietens them down. maybe my lifters are a bit worn, but if fresh oil helps, i'll change the oil. Many people driving the 4G93 get this problem too.

one thing i wanna ask...many people claim to feel the car sluggish towards the 4500km mark, changing oil brings back some life...how true is this? or is it psychological? even i "feel" it...

don't get me wrong...i just want to be educated by discussions in the forum...there's always something to learn...

[BlackSun]

i suppose the proton servicing booklet have all those chart, stating the parts, lubrication oil that you must change at the mileage mention. do we follow the chart? if yes, i thnk there is a engine oil change at every 5000km.