Oil Life

[Smudger111]

Hi

So I have a 2020, 70 Plate, 1.5 Diesel 8 Speed Auto that according to the documentation states it has a 24month, 18000 mile service schedule.

I have owned the car since it was 6 months old and I have been needing yearly, 9000 miles, oil changes which doesn't meet with the Ford service Schedule.

The car is fitted with an IOLM but I am convinced there is something wrong with the way the car was set up to start with to get oil life loke that.

Can anybody advise if this is correct!

Thanks

[TomsFocus]

Does it have Adblue? 

Up to 17/08/2020 the service interval is 12 months or 10k miles. 

After 17/08/2020 they should have Adblue which means an interval of 24 months or 18k miles.

 

Unfortunately the latest Euro 6.2 emissions regs require frequent DPF regens which does contaminate the oil.  That is why the car is fitted with IOLM.  It is expected to require an oil change before the service is due.  If you do a lot of short journeys or stop start traffic that will reduce the oil life even further.

[Smudger111]

Hi

My car doesn't have Adblue but the Ford service Schedules for my vehicle according to Ford and my servicing dealership is 24/18000.

Most of my journeys are motorway so would expect/hope that after an oil change I would get more than 9000 miles between changes which is why I asked Ford the question about if there was something programmed with my car incorrectly as it is doing 9 to 12 months/9000 miles between oil changes!

I understand how the IOLM works but would have expected the car to show 24/18000 at an oil change and the expect the IOLM to do its thing and reduce the service schedule accordingly. 

[TomsFocus]

If it doesn't have Adblue then it should still be on the old 12 months/10k miles servicing.

Do you know the exact build date?  

I suspect Ford may be using the registration date instead of the build date which is giving the wrong service intervals for your car. 

[Smudger111]

Hi

How can I find the build date, is it somewhere obvious to see?

Thanks

[Smudger111]

I also thought that with the 1.5 EcoBlue engine, which I understand mine has, it wouldn't have an Adblue tank but still has the 24/18000 service schedule.

[TomsFocus]

13 hours ago, Smudger111 said:

Hi

How can I find the build date, is it somewhere obvious to see?

Thanks

The month & year are part of the VIN number.  11th & 12th position.  Which should be enough for this unless it happens to be August 2020.

It may also be shown in the paperwork if you bought the car from a dealership.  

In the past we could use Ford's ETIS system to check the exact build dates but that's been decommissioned now.

 

12 hours ago, Smudger111 said:

I also thought that with the 1.5 EcoBlue engine, which I understand mine has, it wouldn't have an Adblue tank but still has the 24/18000 service schedule.

As advised earlier in the thread, there are two different 1.5 EcoBlue setups in the Mk4 Focus, with the changeover date of 17/08/2020 for the automatic.  (Manual date is slightly different)  They have different oil change requirements due to the introduction of Adblue and fitting a larger sump to better cope with oil contamination over a longer period of time.

[Smudger111]

Hi

So the 11th and 12th digits are both L so if I am reading the chart right denotes a September 2020 build meaning 24/18000.

Is that right and could it mean that my car is incorrectly programmed for servicing purposes with regards to the IOLM?

I have been on to Ford Customer Relationship Centre for years trying to fight this and they are telling me there is nothing wrong with my vehicle and I have been arguing with them that I should be getting closer to the 24/18000 than what the car is doing in 9 to 12/9000 which is basically half of what yhe service schedule is, or at least should be.

Now they want to close my case without a resolution in my opinion.

Thanks

[TomsFocus]

7 minutes ago, Smudger111 said:

Hi

So the 11th and 12th digits are both L so if I am reading the chart right denotes a September 2020 build meaning 24/18000.

Is that right and could it mean that my car is incorrectly programmed for servicing purposes with regards to the IOLM?

I have been on to Ford Customer Relationship Centre for years trying to fight this and they are telling me there is nothing wrong with my vehicle and I have been arguing with them that I should be getting closer to the 24/18000 than what the car is doing in 9 to 12/9000 which is basically half of what yhe service schedule is, or at least should be.

Now they want to close my case without a resolution in my opinion.

Thanks

Hmm, that is very interesting.  As it's potentially only a couple of weeks out it may have been misbuilt from the factory.

I'm not sure you're fully understanding the main point here though.  The change in service intervals is only possible because of physical changes to the engine.  If you don't have Adblue and you still have the small sump, then the shorter service interval is to be expected.  It's not a programming fault.

I would be interested to know which sump you have if you're able to check.  The small sump is steel and the large sump is plastic so it's very easy to tell if you can see it.

[Smudger111]

Cheers

Is there an easy point where I can see this without removing the under tray?

I have been out to the car and from what I can see, or cannot see, there is nowhere obvious.

Thank you

[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Smudger111 said:

Cheers

Is there an easy point where I can see this without removing the under tray?

I have been out to the car and from what I can see, or cannot see, there is nowhere obvious.

Thank you

It may be partially visible from the back of the drivers side wheel arch with the wheel on full left lock.

Though I've got a telescopic mirror which is ideal for things like this. 

If you've got a telescopic magnet, you could try that as well.  It'll only stick to the steel sump of course, not the plastic one.

[Smudger111]

Hi

From what I can see, it looks like it might be steel but I don't have an extendable magnet to see if I was seeing the right part.

If it is then that is very disappointing as the car was purchased in all good faith based on the 24/18000 servicing and until your messages nobody has mentioned that the different sumps would highlight what engine it has that would then denote the service schedule, even understanding what the IOLM would dictate, so thank you for that.

All the best

[Botus]

how far you drive is the big driver

for other climates high temps and dusty environments also put lots of strain on them

if you have start stop it will make it much worse

engines (and linked engine oil) lasts best when heated and left continuously at normal operating temps - so each time the car is started drive normally for the first 10 miles (whilst never stopping the engine) then exercise hard for the next few miles and the car will land 500k

drive 1/2 mile to the shops in congestion and the kids to school in regular 2 mile long trips, and it will die quickly - I presume you do more short trips with lots of start stops and the car's service system is trying to help you make the engine last a bit longer by removing the dead oil, after its been abused by operating the vehicle in arduous conditions (short trips)

 

lastly tractors need at least a 20mile run at 80mph once a month to keep the DPF functioning well - the short runs will add yet more contamination with hundred of failed regens

[DaveT70]

Ecoblue is 10,000 miles and even if Ford said 24,000 miles it should still be 10,000 miles (A bit like the, daft, 24,000 mile intervals on the Ecobooms. That's asking for trouble)

Regens contaminate the engine oil, whether there is Adblue or not, the regen system is the same

Just stick to 10,000 miles or even 6,000 if you want the best efficiency from it

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Just as a general comment, 9,000pa is not a great annual mileage for a diesel, and I wouldn't be unhappy at a yearly oil change myself. Though I can appreciate your "mis-sold" feelings, I'm a great believer in (at least) annual oil changes, whatever Ford say.

(That said I used to find it a bit more irritating when I was doing a lot of business mileage - on 6k service intervals in those days - so 5 or 6 trips to the dealer every year!)

[unofix]

2 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

so 5 or 6 trips to the dealer every year!

Be thankful you didn't have an EV or it would have been 5 or 6 trips a day just to get it charged 🤣

[Eric Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, unofix said:

Be thankful you didn't have an EV or it would have been 5 or 6 trips a day just to get it charged 🤣

Digressing a bit as usual so I've responded to that on the "Energy chat" thread so we don't get a telling off!😀

[iantt]

According to the info I have small metal sump got changed to large plastic one in July  2019 . Then adlue was aug 2020. Obviously a month or so either side is quite likely . 

[Smudger111]

So Ford have advised that mine has an alloy sump so not sure, after some of the replies here, what the service schedule is!