Oil Change

[Aygo16]

Hi Everyone,

Am new to the thread we have inherited a 2009 Aygo from the father in law who sadly passed away recently, the car has done 9600 miles last service was 2 years ago.

Does anyone think it is worth doing an Oil change on the car given the low mileage? i have ordered 4 new tyres even though the tread was good there are signs of cracking and new Front Windscreen Wiper Blades due to smearing, has a few scuffs but goes well, is a great run around and very economical.

Many thanks

David

[mrpj]

Yes, I would change the engine oil and filter for peace of mind. Car is 12 years old and possibly only been used for short trips.

Toyota recommend 1 year or 10,000 miles too, whichever comes first.

A wise decision to change the tyres which are probably the originals and showing signs of age.

Condolences re Father in Law.

[TonyHSD]

Hi and welcome. Sorry to hear for the lost of your father in law. For the car best and must do as first thing is to change the oil and filter, perhaps all filters since the car last service has been two years ago. Usual service intervals are 10k miles or 12 months whichever comes first. For the engine oil it is of greater importance to be changed every year no matter how many miles the car has done total, even only less than 1000 per year covered the engine will benefit from a new oil and filter in and there will not be a risk of causing engine problems like stuck piston rings and or sludge buildup on the internal parts with high oil consumption as most likely consequences. If it’s me I will get the at serviced , replace tyres and wipers and do a full valet and will enjoy an old car that actually will look and feel like new 👍🚗

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello David - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Moved to the Aygo club.

[Puglet]

Sorry for your loss, I'd agree do an oil and filters change, maybe spark plugs as well they under a tenner and maybe brake fluid? I do oil and filter change on ours every year regardless of mileage and ours is very low mileage like yours. The good news is the service parts for these cars are cheap. Depends how much you know about the service history of the car, but if not a lot worth doing everything so you know what's what.   

[steveo3002]

never a bad idea to change the oil , its the one thing that keeps it going 

 

[SimonIG10]

Maybe a cabin filter as well if its got Aircon.

[Vandals01]

9600 isn't low.

Toyota recommends 10'000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first.  However!

1. Long idle (stuck in traffic while the engine is on).

2. Lots of short trips (many engine start and stop).

3. Dusty environment 

All of the 3 points above shortens the useful life of the engine oil.

 

And when the oil no longer provide adequate protection, you may encounter:

1. Stretched (worn) Timing Chain - lead to valves problem.   If the timing is really off, it may damage the engine to the point that you'll need to replace it.

2. Seize up oil control ring around the Piston (primary cause for excessive oil consumption) - which many lead to oil starvation, seize engine or clogged Catalytic converter.

 

So as a general rule:  Engine oil is cheap (it cost me £15 for each oil and oil filter change).  Replace Engine is expensive - second hand engine is £240~ without labour (then you'll need to pay a garage to certify the engine has been installed properly).   So always replace the oil at regular interval.

 

Question then is how often?

If you do mostly motorway driving, you can stick to the recommended 10K or Annually.  However, if you do a lot of short trips like me (Food delivery driver), I would say 5K - 6.5K miles per oil change.  There are lots of video on YouTube teach you how to change the oil and oil filter.  And the good thing about Aygo is:  You do not need to jack the car up to change the oil.  (I just reach it from underneath then use a low profile oil drain pan - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-15086-Fluid-Drain-Capacity/dp/B01LYRI5BN/ )

[NGRhodes]

I've looked at dozens and dozens of used oil analysis over the past few decades, not a single healthy car in regular road driving (eg not a track/drag/custom car), no matter how hard used (autobahn or pure short journeys or mountain use), had an issue with the oil not lasting the manufacturer intervals. They stay in grade, the additive packs last. 5000 mile intervals are a legacy recommendations for pre synthetic oils that did degrade with age and use and tribology was far less advanced, additives were far less effective and robust, safety margins are designed in based on extensive testing of cars and engines in all sorts of conditions (from desert to artic, mountains to autobahns) to support the global markets.

Seized oil rings are often caused by excessive carbon build up due to temperature hot spots and is due to poor design (inadequate oil return holes in the pistons  1.8 engines was the cause), even using the highest spec synthetic oils makes no difference and happens all the time, no matter the age of the oil, the difference in oil quality and age is insignificant.

[Yugguy1970]

I would do 10k.   I am always suspicious of long service intervals.  I think these are more to make cars attractive to fleet managers.

[Stivino]

I think the manufacturers know what they are doing when they say what the service intervals should be.  I prefer believe their recommendations other than any of the “influencers” on YouTube or web forums.

[FROSTYBALLS]

On 10/5/2021 at 7:53 AM, Aygo16 said:

the car has done 9600 miles last service was 2 years ago.

Has the car done 9600 miles in total or since the last service 2 years ago?

[Puglet]

As said, even manufacturer service intervals can change, many many years ago we bought a new Ford Fiesta and that had 6 months/6000 mile oil change intervals, but after about 10 years noticed that changed to 12 months/12,000, assume cos oil technology had moved on. On the flip side, our last few diesel motorcaravans had 2 year oil change cycle, which too long for me, so always stuck with the yearly oil change routine.

[DanTavensis]

I fot a valvomax oil drain valve and change it every 3000 miles.

[TonyHSD]

I agreed with statements that modern engine oils can lasts longer although once the oil is in the engine and the engine has done some work even only 1000 miles or less per year the oil needs to be changed on time intervals instead (12 months), this were many car owners fooled themselves thinking because it’s a low mileage car can skip a service and with time flying easily can go 24-36 months and the car only traveled 3000 miles but the sludge processes had been triggered already. Other common faults are exactly opposite, some people who travel a lots of miles may think it’s ok to go over 10k miles oil changes and sometimes keep oil for 12k and more and here doing so on regular basis with either of my examples will take affect into your engine health. The secret for long car(engine) life it’s not a secret., it’s a simple service on time.👍

[rajivrattna]

This oil change interval is not standard or fixed as some of us may believe. It seems to depend on the car maker and in some cases on the interpretation of what is severe use and what is not. Toyota usually advocates once a year or 15000km. BMW for my earlier E91 recommended once in two years or 25000km. In USA the general consensus is to change it after every 6 months or less and their interpretation of severe use is "cold climate" or "multiple starts and short distance driving".  For us living in Nordic countries cold climate is normal and the oil change is still once a year. My take on this is keep it simple and just follow your car hand book given interval. The car maker knows.