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Engine Oil Life System. (EOLS) Service Intervals, how often for you ?

Badgerdog

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Hey Guys I am just wondering about how many kilometers others are getting before their engine oil life system tells them they need a service ?
From what I can recall in the owners manual the EOLS algorithm's take into account oil temperature, driving style, short trips and hilly terrain and I guess it must measure engine load to assess hilly terrain.

I do a lot of short trips up the road to local's cafe's and its only 2 km's away and the terrain is VERY hilly. I'm guessing this is the reason I am only getting about 7,500 km's before the EOLS says my oil is tired and needs a service ? Short trips are often described by other manufacturers as "severe duty" so I am not especially surprised by the short service interval.

How are you guys getting on with how many km's before you need a service ? If its around the same distance as me what do you attribute the short servicing intervals too ? I kind of wish they had just fitted a bigger sump with more oil capacity so I didn't have to service it so often.
 

stooge

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I kind of wish they had just fitted a bigger sump with more oil capacity so I didn't have to service it so often.

more capacity does not solve the service interval problem.
7000 is a good interval for short trip types of driving, i change mine at 7000 regardless of the oil life displayed.
 

VFRDLN

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My driving consists of very few short trips so my oil life runs down about equal to km travelled. The problem with short trips is oil dilution. You need to get the oil hot to evaporate all the unburned fuel, moisture and other contaminants that build up. Oil dilution is a big problem with Diesel engines that are used for short trips.
Under normal conditions today's high quality synthetic oils have plenty of life left in them well beyond 15,000km. If you are curious you can remove some oil and send it off to a tribology lab to be tested. They will be able to tell you what contaminants are in the oil and how well it is holding up.
I have had oil analysed on a previous car at 60k and then at 120k. The car was my wife's Hyundai SantaFe Diesel. I maintained the car until it was traded in at 155k and used Castrol edge 5w30 in it. I changed the oil initially at 1000km and then stuck to the service schedule of 15k intervals. The first test at 60k showed that all was OK and the oil was well within it's specs. The second test came back the same with no extra contaminants to suggest excessive wear. The test looks for suspended metals like iron, chromium, copper and aluminium. These metals can indicate ring or bore wear and bearing failure and are always present in extremely low numbers as the engine slowly wears out. Silicone can tell you if your air filtration isn't up to the task. The test is cheap and can put your mind at rest.
 

1qazwsx4

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Is anyone here doing their own servicing? Sadly here in New Zealand we only get 3 years warranty and I'll be taking mine in for one more service while it's covered under warranty. I just really don't trust people working on my car... When DIY oil changing, is it simply a case of resetting the oil counter? Or is there more to it
 

PalmyZB

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I still have a year to go on the free services, but I may revert to servicing myself when it expires. It is not because I do not trust the dealer (they have been excellent), but I actually enjoy it. From what I can gather, oil and filter are the main items - all easily accessible apart from low vehicle height. The catch can should be checked (Buick forums have posts on this), and the other checks noted in the service booklet (comes with the manual) should be done. And, as you say, the computer reset. Wheels should also be rotated, particularly on the fwd, to even tyre wear.

I would consider replacing spark plugs ahead of what is recomended if you have a 4. I have had issues on a Toyota (similar plug configuration) with OEM iridiums breaking down before their best before date and taking out an ignition coil. Typically, I would look at replacing after less than 60,000 km, rather than pushing out to 120,000 as the maintenance schedule suggests. Coils could be expensive, I am guessing. The Toyota genuines were, but there may be aftermarket options ex Europe or China (Buick, Opel/Vauxhall)

Brake fluid change should be straight forward also (my dealer has just changed mine). I have not investigated a coolant change, but may also be straight forward unless there is a requirement for bleeding. It does not appear the tablets are needed as they were on my previous Holden
 

VS_Pete

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TeePee53

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Is anyone here doing their own servicing? Sadly here in New Zealand we only get 3 years warranty and I'll be taking mine in for one more service while it's covered under warranty. I just really don't trust people working on my car... When DIY oil changing, is it simply a case of resetting the oil counter? Or is there more to it
It is easy to reset the oil counter on the RSV, you just go to info and tab and press reset.
 

VFRDLN

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Is anyone here doing their own servicing? Sadly here in New Zealand we only get 3 years warranty and I'll be taking mine in for one more service while it's covered under warranty. I just really don't trust people working on my car... When DIY oil changing, is it simply a case of resetting the oil counter? Or is there more to it
I have done all the servicing on my ZB and will be doing the 48k soon. They are no different to any other car to service. I am a qualified mechanic though and have an ABN so stamp my own book.
 
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