When is the ideal time to service your car? when it clocks 10,000km? High usage? after every 6 mths? or when it prompts on dashboard that service is needed? In as much as one need to do other preventive maintenance like checking of brake oil, atf etc. time to time. What about the engine oil?, wait until it turns very black and drops like water?
Please your suggestions are needed.

i change my engine oil after every 3000km - 3500km or 3 months, whichever comes first. i dont have the car manual to confirm the exact manufacturer recommendation but i believe i'm not too far from it.

@danada :do u notice any low performance wen u hit that mark n wat kinda eng oil do u use?

@ OP,

Your best bet would be to go with the manufacturer's recommendations as shown in the owner's manual/service schedule.

Some owner's manuals make a distinction between normal and severe operating conditions, and recommend different servicing intervals for the two.

Driving in Lagos & several other Nigerian cities and towns would definitely fall under severe operating conditions (heavy traffic with lengthy idling periods, flooded, dusty & muddy roads , high ambient temperatures & high relative humidity, etc).

I service my vehicle every 5,000km (an oil change & oil filter change). That works fine for me.

@volvoS60: dats true. contributin factors as per d nigerian terrain, 5000km is more like it then plus say 1000km idle engine durin t jams equals like 6k km, yeah

I agree with Empero that other things as mentioned by him needs to be checked but not as regular as the engine oil and filters. I think the things that needs to be changed every 3,000 to 4000km is mainly the oil and d filters. After twice serviceing u can change the fuel filters and the plugs.

Emperoh:

I hope you guys are aware that changing your engine oil and filter is not just servicing.
Other parts need to be looked at. depending on whattime and mileage as indicated by the manufacturer.
Issues like timing belt change, chassis lubrication, tire rotation, fuel and water filter change etc. are also part of servicing.

Maybe the auto technicians int he house can come forward with what need to be changed and at what time

these things u jus mentioned does not av a duration to change em or does it? cuz 1 can spend a whole year wivout changin timing belt

andyanders:

I think the service should be within every 2 months intervals because of the traffic situation in this Country.

^^^. Ur right to an extent. But if u do alot of travelin, especially outside ur state of residence with ur car then 2months is much. I change mine almost every month,cuz of d hight traffic jam situation i encounter. I change engine oil,plugs n oil filter always d same time.and dis has bein workin for me for a long time now.

Anytime u note that u are sleeping on Wheel Stearin then u need to service ur car.

also depends on the age and type of car

Toonice:

Anytime u note that u are sleeping on Wheel Stearin then u need to service your car.

LOL!DIS GUY U BE BABA SUWE

Manufacturers recommend service after 6000 miles or 10000 km
But this depends on the type of engine oil, weather condition, and mode of usage

i change mine every 9 months why? because i dont use the car everyday.

op

it depends,
waz d car ment when u bought it?

5000km or 3 months is appropraite for a fairly new car but for old cars ,2000 km or every 6 weeks is ideal.

This is a very interesting topic.
I took our office car to Globe Motors when i was still in our Port Harcourt office and after the servicing, we were advice that the next servicing should be after 5,000 km. i think servicing of cars/vehicles should be according to usage. if i leave my car for 3 months without use, do i need to do the servicing? NO.
However, if your car/vehicle is ols enough, you can maintain a 3,000km per servicing for proper maintenance.

Change your oil every 3000 miles or less if you do a lot of spirited driving,sit in stop and go traffic,idle a lot, change at about 5,000mile intervals if you drive less and mostly highway driving.

M M M:

op

it depends,
waz d car ment when u bought it?

u mean meant for servicing? no it wasnt!

Servicing your car is critical to the performance of the car and how much you enjoy it. The best approach is checking the reccommendation from the manufacturrer or your car brand expert.

There is no general standard rule in servicing cars, they vary from model to model, year to year, engine type to engine type. The engine oil type is also a factor. For instance, you dont service a V6 the same way you service a 4-cylinder. Rate of usage is also a factor. The important thing is diligence and care.

Don't waste your money! In countries where the measure of distance is in kilometer, most people do their oil change every 3,000km. Big waste! In others where the measure of distance is in miles, most people do their oil change every 3,000 miles. Do the conversion from miles to kilometers. 3,000 miles is approximately 4,800km. So why are you wasting money on changing your oil every 3,000km? Many newer vehicles have manufacturer recommendations that suggest you get an oil change every 5,000 miles (8,000 km). Others stick to the older rule, and still recommend one every 3,000 miles (about 5,000 km) or every three months. For most drivers, many experts say such frequent oil changes really aren't necessary, and that it's a waste of time and resources, since the used oil must be disposed of properly.

http://www.wisegeek.com/how-often-does-my-car-need-an-oil-change.htm

do not forget to check and change, if necssary, your air filters.
with all the air borne dust, i think it is a big factor in engine degradation.

after the Engine Knocks

after 3000-4000km

I am an auto engineer,it all depends on d type of Oil you are using,if you are using Mobil 1 engine oil which is sold for 7500 you will change ur oil at every 5000km but if ur using other oil,3months is ok depending on the distance u cover within a specific period.IF U ARE INTERESTED IN SETTING UP A COMPUTERISED AUTOMOBILE WORKSHOP,VISIT www.yourcarlab.com TRAINING STARTS 01-08-2011.

change it according to what your car manufacturer says and based on the type of oil they recommend


thats the safe way to go

Challas:

I am an auto engineer,it all depends on d type of Oil you are using,if you are using Mobil 1 engine oil which is sold for 7500 you will change your oil at every 5000km but if your using other oil,3months is ok depending on the distance u cover within a specific period.IF U ARE INTERESTED IN SETTING UP A COMPUTERISED AUTOMOBILE WORKSHOP,VISIT www.yourcarlab.com TRAINING STARTS 01-08-2011.

@challas
I stand to be corrected, but if you know anybody in MPN that works in their logistics department and is knowledgeable about the service interval of their cars that mobil 1 is used on, he/she will tell you their oil change is done every 20,000km. Now the difference is that the cars were brought brand new from elizade and the engine started running on mobil 1 from the first day. But oil change with mobil 1 at every 5,000km is being too generous to mobil. Synthetic grade of oil is meant to save you money as well as elongate the life of your engine. For me I use mobil 1 on one of my cars and I service it btw 6,000 - 8,000 miles (around 10,000km). The caveat is that I am not the regular Lagos mainland-island worker so what works for me might not work for you.

pls I bought total 7000 quartz engine oil for my ride. must I reach 7000km before nxt service due date?