Brake pad inspection good, and delaying oil service due to less use.

[Konrad C]

Today I inspected the brake pads on all four wheels, using an inspection mirror to view both inner and outer pads. All good though the discs have a slight lip. It is important to check the inner rear pads, because they can wear faster than outers, and you won't know! This tells me that the last person who installed the brakes, did the work correctly. That person was me.

Every year in July, I change the oil and filter, using Petronas Syntium fully synthetic 0w20 oil. But since Feb 2020 MOT (90,520 miles), Feb 2021 (94,529), car is currently on 96,677 miles, so decided to delay this years oil change. Oil is clean and on max. I do a mix of driving and lucky not to have low speed 20 mph in my part of London, Bexley. Also done a few motorway journeys.

Would you wait an extra month before oil service? Air and cabin filters already changed. Iridium Spark plugs replaced a couple of years ago.  

[mrfixer]

Most engine wear and oil degradation occurs during engine warm-up phase. So much depends on the how the car is used. 6000 miles could be 12x 500 miles journeys or 1000x 6 mile journeys.  If the former then the oil would be like new, if the latter then I would change.

I have several cars. My T25 1.8 is used for long high speed journeys (seldom driven less than 15 miles) - the oil always looks clean. The Mitsubish Colt I use several times a day to crawl around town for 2-3 mile journeys  turns the oil dirty after a few months. Neither burns any oil and I use the same oil in both (Shell Helix fully syth 5W-30). 

[Bernard Foy]

6 hours ago, Konrad C said:

Today I inspected the brake pads on all four wheels, using an inspection mirror to view both inner and outer pads. All good though the discs have a slight lip. It is important to check the inner rear pads, because they can wear faster than outers, and you won't know! This tells me that the last person who installed the brakes, did the work correctly. That person was me.

Every year in July, I change the oil and filter, using Petronas Syntium fully synthetic 0w20 oil. But since Feb 2020 MOT (90,520 miles), Feb 2021 (94,529), car is currently on 96,677 miles, so decided to delay this years oil change. Oil is clean and on max. I do a mix of driving and lucky not to have low speed 20 mph in my part of London, Bexley. Also done a few motorway journeys.

Would you wait an extra month before oil service? Air and cabin filters already changed. Iridium Spark plugs replaced a couple of years ago.  

Doing that mileage an extra month is not going to harm the engine. Oil degradation occurs over time and usage. It will degrade even you never start the engine through condensation etc. But only a months usage is not a significant period.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

A small  lip on your discs is quiet normal, but you should pay attention to how smooth the discs surface is, any really heavy scoring  or large unevenness indicates a  problem.  The discs normally have a minimum thickness figure stamped on them, so you need a micrometer or vernier to check they are not worn too thin.

Typically the rear pads should last at least twice as long as the fronts, but not aware that excessive wear on the inner rear pad is normal, never had any such problem on our old Avensis; do you check, clean and lubricate your caliper slider pins ?

Oil , yes, change once a year regardless of low mileage.

Same with brake fluid , needs changing every 2 years as its hygroscopic,   now a mot check point, though only cursory.

[Konrad C]

I did the oil change today. Very easy when you have the tools and have done it many times before.

My trusty cheap oil filter tool I have had for years.

New fibre washer for the sump drain plug, seal for the filter canister and the 0w/20 grade oil.

  

Access is easy, since my drive is over 14" (36cm) higher than my house and there is a 3ft (1m) wide gap between, so I don't need to jack the car up. Just remove the trim clips holding the access panel, then open. 
My oil change was far cheaper than a friend, whose husband took her Vauxhall Mokka to Halfords, and end up paying £1000!!! She was fuming, but because he okayed the extra work and paid, there is nothing she can do. 

[2009joe]

On 8/18/2021 at 1:41 PM, Konrad C said:

Today I inspected the brake pads on all four wheels, using an inspection mirror to view both inner and outer pads. All good though the discs have a slight lip. It is important to check the inner rear pads, because they can wear faster than outers, and you won't know! This tells me that the last person who installed the brakes, did the work correctly. That person was me.

Every year in July, I change the oil and filter, using Petronas Syntium fully synthetic 0w20 oil. But since Feb 2020 MOT (90,520 miles), Feb 2021 (94,529), car is currently on 96,677 miles, so decided to delay this years oil change. Oil is clean and on max. I do a mix of driving and lucky not to have low speed 20 mph in my part of London, Bexley. Also done a few motorway journeys.

Would you wait an extra month before oil service? Air and cabin filters already changed. Iridium Spark plugs replaced a couple of years ago.  

is the oil u supposed to get boss 5w 30  low ash fully synthetic for the dpf one 

[Heidfirst]

 

[Konrad C]

2 hours ago, 2009joe said:

is the oil u supposed to get boss 5w 30  low ash fully synthetic for the dpf one 

My engine is the petrol 1.8 Valvematic, so using the preferred grade (0w20), as per the owners manual/handbook. Kept to the grade since I owned the car, with every oil change from 2016.   

[Bernard Foy]

17 hours ago, Konrad C said:

I did the oil change today. Very easy when you have the tools and have done it many times before.

My trusty cheap oil filter tool I have had for years.

New fibre washer for the sump drain plug, seal for the filter canister and the 0w/20 grade oil.

  

Access is easy, since my drive is over 14" (36cm) higher than my house and there is a 3ft (1m) wide gap between, so I don't need to jack the car up. Just remove the trim clips holding the access panel, then open. 
My oil change was far cheaper than a friend, whose husband took her Vauxhall Mokka to Halfords, and end up paying £1000!!! She was fuming, but because he okayed the extra work and paid, there is nothing she can do. 

That’s handy Tony, and ultra safe too.👏

[TonyHSD]

17 hours ago, Konrad C said:

I did the oil change today. Very easy when you have the tools and have done it many times before.

My trusty cheap oil filter tool I have had for years.

New fibre washer for the sump drain plug, seal for the filter canister and the 0w/20 grade oil.

  

Access is easy, since my drive is over 14" (36cm) higher than my house and there is a 3ft (1m) wide gap between, so I don't need to jack the car up. Just remove the trim clips holding the access panel, then open. 
My oil change was far cheaper than a friend, whose husband took her Vauxhall Mokka to Halfords, and end up paying £1000!!! She was fuming, but because he okayed the extra work and paid, there is nothing she can do. 

Good job done 👍

A month or two later not a problem at all. The next example is for people who don’t know what happens if you skip oil changes even you don’t have the mileage covered. I had few cars like that in the past , unfortunately I can’t find pics to share but happy to tell you about it. 

Here it is what happens if oil left for longer periods on regular basis (another 6-12monhts or even more) and keep using the car even not for many miles and this is usually how the oil sludge starts to build up. Oil breaks up, engine starts to work at higher temperature, oil starts to burn and evaporate producing a sludge, engine internals becomes reddish-brown colour,  then sludge stick to piston rings and prevent them from expansion, then blockages in oil galleys, then cylinder glaze and high oil consumption occurs, plus oil evaporates and leave brownish black marks on the oil deep stick just above the max level and perhaps a dry deep stick, since most of the oil been consumed and whatever left in is now something more like crude oil mixed with water laying on the bottom of the crankcase. Pcv valve get clogged too and some of the oil vapour goes straight into the air filter, you can actually have as much as a litter of oil there depending on the car model, but all that to happen you need another 3 years or so 🤭👌 Oil changes are cheap, engine swaps are not!