15K service interval ?

[kam]

This is my first euro car (6R Polo), and i was shocked to see the first service was 12 months\15,000km's

Surely this cannot be a good thing ? Especially being a turbo engine, the oil needs to be in top form

Previous cars have been toyota's, honda's holdens etc, which i service every 5000km's

I just dont think i can drive for a whole year and then service my car

Maybe this is why new cars fall apart after 3 years

[Andypoo]

I have asked many people about this including VW head office and because it's fully synthetic long life it can handle the km/s and dirty-ness that comes with it... I trust the Germans when it comes to this but 12,500 might be a better number in my opinion.

[brad]

This is my first euro car (6R Polo), and i was shocked to see the first service was 12 months\15,000km's

Surely this cannot be a good thing ? Especially being a turbo engine, the oil needs to be in top form

Previous cars have been toyota's, honda's holdens etc, which i service every 5000km's

I just dont think i can drive for a whole year and then service my car

Maybe this is why new cars fall apart after 3 years

I did 15,000km services for the first 75,000km without issue. I even had the oil analysed at 60k (a beautiful set of numbers). I did interim services at 82500km & 97500km because I had some 502.00 sitting in the garage that I wanted to use before it went off.

I'm at 108,000km now & seem to manage my 500km a week with the vehicle intact. I don't use oil. I've averaged 6.7L/100km for the 108,000km & I've had an ECU remap for 3 of the 4 years I've had the car.

If you are still concerned, the owners manual has a list of driving conditions that are regarded as "severe service" if you tick any of those boxes then by all means do interim changes, otherwise you are probably just wasting your money.

PS: We run Toyotas & Holdens at work. Recommended service interval is 10,000km.

[gavs]

15K service interval ?

I still change out my oil at 7500kms but I do at times subject the car to harsher extremes than most other owners would in how it is driven. That being said, most of the old style mechanical thoughts regarding engines these days are redundant due to the advancement in modern technologies. No more soft running in, longer service intervals, long term spark plugs (60,000kms) no running in oil etc.

[Umai Naa!!]

15,000klms (or 12 months, whichever comes first) is perfectly fine. They're designed with that in mind.

There's plenty of VWs out there with 200,000+ klms on them, with the original engine being at 15,000klm intervals.

As for other manufacturers, the invtervals vary from model to model. Some Holdens are at 15,000klms, while others are at 10,000. Same goes for Toyota. Mitsubishi is the same. 10,000 or 15,000 depending on the car.

[Hail22]

15,000klms (or 12 months, whichever comes first) is perfectly fine. They're designed with that in mind.

There's plenty of VWs out there with 200,000+ klms on them, with the original engine being at 15,000klm intervals.

As for other manufacturers, the invtervals vary from model to model. Some Holdens are at 15,000klms, while others are at 10,000. Same goes for Toyota. Mitsubishi is the same. 10,000 or 15,000 depending on the car.

Unless you own a Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes SLS , High end Porsche, etc etc then 15,000km is fine.

The reason higher end vehicles/super cars need regular attention is that their units are weak as pee and require replacements/changes once every 3,500kms especially Ferrari clutch plates.

So its all good

[nomadx38]

That's right, but at this rate I'm changing clutches every 15k and mechatronics every 30k in my polo Haha. But seriously I would do it all again just for my car becuase it's a beauty to drive.

I would struggle to explain why but my polo feels so much more refined than my friends Holden sv6 but it is...and a lot cheaper to buy as well! And I love the sound and pull of the turbo, I don't think I could get another naturally aspirated engine again - unless of coruse it was a a C63 AMG!!! XD

[brad]

because Holden SV6 are unrefined pieces of junk with a basic engine design that first saw light of day 50 years ago? (My wife had a Calais 3 years back - I know exactly what they are like)

[GTD_XU1]

I have a GTD and have had the first three services at 15000km intervals and now at 49000+ km. I have no issues with the motor that the dealer or myself can detect. After initial "run-in" from new, about 5000km, I drove BrisVegas to Mt Gambier and return in a month, including two round trips Mt Gambier to Broken Hill return in a week (kids),about 3300km in very high temperatures and quick time - all on "dirty oil". Relax, I have. As part of my driving regimen I try to not switch off until the motor has been warmed, apart from that I flog it regularly. Hope that helps, good luck.

[nomadx38]

Yeah that's so true, though it's about time they go to FSI, only 10 years behind the Europeans. Does that mean its another 10 years till they go to TSI? HaHa

[gavs]

because Holden SV6 are unrefined pieces of junk with a basic engine design that first saw light of day 50 years ago?

Not exactly accurate. The motor in the SV6 is a HFv6 that was designed, engineered, tested and assembled here in Melbourne and is used in marques such as cadillac and Alfa Romeo. Yes, an alfa runs a "piece of junk" Holden V6.

I don't think nearly enough people give Holden credit for what they do. This is why I laugh at people who brag about how they wasted a SS commodore up mountain highway etc. These people have obviously never driven a SS commodore because frankly, it is a pretty bloody good car except for the brakes and will waste anything below a Golf R and even then, there is a fair chance that the latest Redline SS would probably return the "wasting" favour.

It's just a european owner's mentality that they paid a premium for a car that really is a bargain basement piece of junk in europe so they have to make thelselves feel better about it. Yet they are in reverse in Europe and absolutely love the Holden and especially the HSV product being sold over there. I caught 3 mecedes taxis in Europe and they all cost the equivalent of equal to or less than a SV6 commodore here, a Polo GTI is prbably one of the very few euro cars that we get that is almost on par with the EU.

Now, back on topic:

15,000km is fine and has been for the last 10+ years. My Mk4 golf was at 15,000km intervals and that was a '99 build.

[brad]

Yeah that's so true, though it's about time they go to FSI, only 10 years behind the Europeans. Does that mean its another 10 years till they go to TSI? HaHa

For what they are & what they cost (street price not RRP) they are good cars for the job intended. I could never haul my family & their junk around in a Polo or Golf - Holdens & Fords make good family trucksters & if you buy used (2-3yrs old) are cheap. I can't understand why a single person or couple would buy one though unless you have to tow stuff or need the room for other purposes (work gear, rooting, etc)

[brad]

Not exactly accurate. The motor in the SV6 is a HFv6 that was designed, engineered, tested and assembled here in Melbourne and is used in marques such as cadillac and Alfa Romeo. Yes, an alfa runs a "piece of junk" Holden V6.

Yes, the V6 in the Alfa (Brera & 159?) was a shocker too - dumped after 5 years? Alfa did the design of the heads/induction & exhaust work on their version didn't they?

Gavs, I've had bucketloads of Commodores in the driveway - VB, VL, VK, 2x VN, VP Berlina, VR Berlina, VS Berlina , VX S, VE CalaisV & had a few Fords as well (and Toyotas). They do the intended job but they aren't refined and they aren't put together very well either. Even the Australian made Toyotas are a level or 2 above the Holdens & Fords in build quality & refinement.

Yes, you can punt them around pretty quick & I do have a laugh at those that claim to have "smoked em" as i assume in most cases the other driver wasn't even aware they were racing at the time.

i think it's a shame that Holden & Ford haven't changed their product enough to meet customer requirements. The sales charts say it all.

[Transporter]

Sorry guys it's always been 7,500km service for me, short trips and so on. But, even if I would do long trips only; I'd still do the oil change every 7,500km. Why would I trust the VAG engineer who can’t even make reliable DSG transmission? Oh wait, maybe the technology is still too young only +30 years, and it gets even better they can’t even fix them.

For the younger, unaware drivers, the history proven that at least every 10 years VW or MB is taken to court in USA and as always lose the legal battle and pay for the oil sludge and varnish damages on their customers cars. In 80's they called it the black death, in 90's and after 2000 they called it oil sludge and varnish, I don't reall know why they changed the term for it, when it's the same thing. The last time VW lost in court was in 2004. It's all on the net. Surely, if the oil changes would be properly scheduled none of these would happen, wouldn't it?

But hey, if you keep your car for up to 5 years the 15,000km service interval will do. Especially if you don't short trips in city traffic.

I figured out that, if I keep my car up to 150,000km I need extra 40L of engine oil to do the oil change every 7,500km. The reason for longer oil changes is just economical. Many people buy a new car every 5 years or even more often, some fear that it will be too expensive to repair and some just like a new car every few years and they have the budget to do it. The 15k km, 20k km or even longer engine oil changes and the gear oils filled for life will assure that the car doesn't last longer than the car manufacturers want, the aim is probably 5-8 years max. and once the car is out of warranty and needs repairs, it just won't be worth to repair it. How's that for looking after or saving the environment? I think my extra 40L of engine oil or what a heck maybe another 20L for the gear oils, compares quite well to the amount of energy and minerals is wasted to produce more cars, just because the car manufacturers want to get richer.

[pologti18t]

Yeah that's so true, though it's about time they go to FSI, only 10 years behind the Europeans. Does that mean its another 10 years till they go to TSI? HaHa

Commodore is already direct injection. Has been for a few years. And the most powerful version (3,6L) that GM makes pumps out more power - 236kw - than the Passat R36 ever made.
The V6 is also available with a turbo (2.8L V6) found in the old Saab and the Opel Insignia OPC. 240kw/435Nm.

The 3.2L used in the Alfa 159 was ditched because Alfa severed ties with GM about that time. No more 3.2L for them and subsequently the 159 was dropped.

One has to be careful to throw crap at the yanks... they were mucking around with production turbos before VW had given the Beetle more than 50hp. Even stuff like cylinder cutoff they had on a car in 1981! (didn't work all that well but back them ECU were very basic)

Enough of my rant...