Change the oil in my car every 3-4k, its running much better for it
Changed my engine oil today
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Change the oil in my car every 3-4k, its running much better for it
I keep a pound of butter in the fridge to keep elephants out. That works fine, too.
At the risk of asking: 'Running much better', than what? An engine with no oil?
Do the same on your bike, perhaps? It's your bike, do as you please. Nobody will ever know, if you don't tell them.
Though it appears you have bought the bike second hand?
So, I guess, have no idea how often the oil has been changed before in the preceding 30,000 miles but the engine is Ok, as far as you can tell?
Maybe it was changed at each 6,000 miles - just as BuMW recommend - or every 2,000 or maybe the bod overran the oil changes? Who knows?
.......Whatever the answer, it makes no great odds.
Had full service history, but may have been changed in-between services. It ran a LOT better than the 15k mile GSA i test rode, that felt abused. 30k, old, but felt just like the 09 demo bike i took for a spin.
As regards to oil, and running better for the car. Its less tappety when cold in the morning, revs smoother when hot, runs quieter. And when it costs me sub £10 to change the oil using geniune GM oil and filter, why not
Had full service history, but may have been changed in-between services. It ran a LOT better than the 15k mile GSA i test rode, that felt abused. 30k, old, but felt just like the 09 demo bike i took for a spin.
As regards to oil, and running better for the car. Its less tappety when cold in the morning, revs smoother when hot, runs quieter. And when it costs me sub £10 to change the oil using geniune GM oil and filter, why not
Well away you go then... Change the oil on your bike more regularly, just as you do on your car... It won't go bang and, just maybe, it will love you for it....
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the sweet smell of sarcasm!!!!
Not at all.
I simply helped the bod to answer his own question and, in passing, give us the reasons why he favours changing engine oil more frequently than the manufacturer's service programme dictates. Along with an admission that the preceding 30,000 miles of oil changes was a black hole of mystery but with apparently no obvious harm done.
Who knows, he may well have a valid point. After all BuMW cocked up the oil change intervals on the sealed for life final drive, did they not?
Decster
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Sheeeesh Wapster you're like a dog with ol bone on this one
I asked the question because car oil changing intervals are set at a level to please fleet managers, not to keep the engine in tip top condition.
With a bike though, there are no fleet managers, and i was simply asking the question do most members keep to the BMW recommendations. I was hoping for answers from people who increased the frequency of changes, and what benifits that gave.
I was just looking for peoples thoughts, and experiance. You ask a simple question here and you just get put down
Kremmen
Registered user
Do what... "Please fleet managers", wherever did you get this from
So let me get this right, if i was to purchase a Mazda 6 the service intervals would be 12,500ml & if a fleet manager was to buy one on behalf of his company the service intervals would be at a lower mileage?? ... you are mistaken.
My company car is a Mazda 6 My brother in law has a Mazda 6 both oilers and the service mileage criteria is exactly the same
In addition I'm a fleet manager and i would love to extend them.
Of course its the same! Yawn!
Manufacturers specify longer intervals to please fleet managers, take Vauxhall Vectra, oil changes are set at 20k, if you buy as a member of the public or your ordering 1,000 for your company.
Now if Ford for example set their intervals at 10k for their Mondeo, who as a fleet manager would you pick? Vx of course, intervals are longer, fewer services, cheaper to run.
Also take petrol cambelts, with the launch of the Omega in 1994, cambelt intervals were set at 80k (again, keep early services costs down, please fleet managers)
What happend? Too many cambelt failures due to failing tensioners, it was redued to 40k or 4 years for all petrol engines. Intervals are extended at all costs, at joe publics expense.
...and you got them.
If you want to compare anything with car oil change intervals, go to UKNOVA.com
You will never know the benefits as nobody will not know what effect sticking to the manufacturer's recommended 6,000 mile oil change would have given, as opposed to dumping the oil every three thousand miles, say. What's the highest mileage 1200 on UKGSer? 75,000? 100,000? There's certainly a couple at 50,000 and whole raft that have barely crossed the 20,000 mile mark, I'll wager. Mine hovers at 43 odd thousand on a June 06 plate, but so what?
Most motorcycles will either be written off well before their natural engine life will expire or will have changed hands so many times that the last owner will never know what it's previous oil change history will have been. You own bike is a shining example. 30,000 miles with dealer's stamps but you have no way of knowing whether the past owners(s) changed the oil in between or even if they did (or did not) run the bike in in accordance with the manufacturer's suggested programme. But you are happy with the engine, just the same. Your somewhat unscientific research is limited to a rattly ride on a 16000 mile GSA where, again, you have no way of knowing what oil changes (minimum three) there might have been.
As you observe, there are no fleet managers' considerations to be taken into account, so the only financial advantage would be to BuMW to change the servicing frequency to be shorter than 6000 miles. Which they have not done. Why do you think that might be?
My experience? Well it does OK on 6000 mile oil changes (running on a hybrid mixture of oil classifications and one very decent dose of diesel) but it doesn't seem to die when it goes to 7500 between having fresh gloop poured in. I have no way of knowing or predicting whether the engine will be any better over it's next 45,000 miles had I changed oil every 3000 miles. Nor, I suggest, will you.
By all means change the oil more often. It really cannot do any harm, even if it does no particular or quantifiable good.
Kremmen
Registered user
If only it was that simple when fleet purchasing to base the decision purely on maintenance costs....
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