Service intervals explained

[Guy Heaton]

Just read this on the Ford site and I think I've finally twigged it. 

I read this as when my oil reaches 0% I should get a service that includes the change, and not that I should get an oil change and then a service at 2yr/18k.   What do you guys think?

 

 

Variable Servicing

Variable Servicing is an intuitive and cost-effective way to maintain your car, designed to increase the maximum length of time between routine services by monitoring numerous factors including time and distance of individual journeys, oil temperature, average vehicle speed and fuel consumption. Variable servicing analyses this data, along with oil wear and degradation, and determines the required routine service intervals of your car tailored to your particular driving cycles, meaning you can benefit from a maximum of up to every 2 years or 18,000 miles before you need to book a service."

 

[Wino]

I'm sticking to the 12 months or 10k routine.

Weve had the car almost a year ( Friday).

Since weve purchased the car at 6 months old with 3k on the clock its had its 12 month service when it was due date wise as the car had only covered a grand total of 7300 miles. 

Its now covered 9000 miles and since the service it has already requested the "oil service" within the last 1700 miles.

There's no way that im changing the oil and filter every 1700 miles.

Its had its longest run for a while today with a round trip almost all motorway 160 miles.

Back to the commute tomorrow with a grand total of 7 miles 😂

[Frowma]

Interesting Guy, I've got the same spec car as you albeit a wagon, she's two in August next year but I reckon the oil will hit 0% (currently at 52% with 4.8k miles) around March next year at current mileage rates, although a second Covid lockdown could well move that out a bit!

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Yes, that sounds right, pity they don't make it as c!ear as that elsewhere.

That's pretty much in line with the VW group variable servicing regime, except VW use a different (and more expensive!) oil for cars on variable servjce. Also, as I remember, the message you get on the driver information system is something like "service due in X miles", rather than having to interpret what a % of oil life means.

[Guy Heaton]

So this is a MASSIVE con.  You buy new you get a year's Ford breakdown.  You get the convenience check at 1yr - pointless but it gets you another year's breakdown. 18 months in, your oil is zero.  Do you get a full service then, or just an oil change?  If you get the full you will extend the breakdown for another year at that point but you've also lost 6 months.  If you get the oil change at 18 months, then the Full at 2 years, you are basically paying 260 quid for breakdown cover.

Utter con.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

3 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

So this is a MASSIVE con.

It certainly seems to be a minefield, whichever manufacturer you look at, and quite a few seem to have cut their breakdown offering recently.

For example, I had a look at/test drive in a Hyundai i30N a couple of years back, and the brochure I have from then said you got 5 years breakdown/warranty. Just checked their website and you still get a 5 year warranty but breakdown is only 1 year now.

I suppose it you're happy to go with the variable service regime and ignore the convenience check you can just get your own basic cover when the manufacturer breakdown runs out. 

I had a couple of Audis and just went with the long life service. They both got to almost exactly 18,000 and 2 years when "service now" came up (I was doing a few more miles then). At that point I put them on the annual regime with the cheaper oil as I'd be going in for an mot after another 12 months anyway. 

I was dubious about doing that with the wet belt version of the ecoboost in my car though, as nothing was changed engine or oil-wise to accommodate the longer interval, so had the check plus an oil change at 12 months, as mentioned in other threads.

[dave1987]

I’d just get the convenience check done for the breakdown cover, get an oil & filter change done (using ford parts & fluids etc) separately, reset the oil life % on the dash and wait another year for its 2 year/18k interval. I wouldn’t want to leave it 18k miles without changing the oil in any case


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[Guy Heaton]

I'm only on 7300 in 15 months.  I'm at 30%.  Given Covid 6 month wfh I might make it to that 2 year after all.  But yes, if I have to I'll get a change done at my local indy, give them the bits.