Attitude differences USA - UK

[gusgeds]

Hi, have been a long time lurker on this site and have learned a lot from all you knowledgeable people.

I thought you might be interested in the way the vast majority of motorists deal with oil matters in the UK.

Oil changes are done at vehicle manufacturers recommendations usually 10,000 - 12,000 miles although there is a growing trend for longer periods eg VW Long life servicing with vw 506.01 lubricants.
Iam running a 2004 VW tdi on the long life regime and have no qualms in trusting the oil manufacturers or Volkswagen, they state that they have undertaken a five year study and i am quite happy with that even though vw 506.01 spec oil is £10 per liter and i have used a liter in 10,000 miles. Factory fill was castrol long life 11 0w/30 and first top up liter was Fuchs super syn 0w30 vw 506.01.
I am sure a lot of you will be shocked be my blasé attitude and could not countenance oil changes running into hopefully high teens early twenty's!

Iam also involved in speed hill climbing and motor sport of all sorts and that is when i use Silkolene 5/40 pro s and change it at least twice a season although the big seller in the people i play with is Mobil 1 motor sport 15/50 and quite a few rally with Millers CFS 10/ 60. I just happen to think it is a bit heavy for short duration hills and sprints hence 5/40.

Any way enough of my ramblings and thank you for all your group knowledge. Best wishes,Gus

 

[Matt89]

quote:

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Oil changes are done at vehicle manufacturers recommendations

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Well, that's your problem right there

Just kidding. We seem to have a culture of paranoia regarding auto manufacturers over here. Maybe it was the Pinto, or the Vega, or the Toyota sludgemonsters, or the...

Either that, or not enough real things to worry about.

 

[Ugly3]

Don't you talk bad about the Vega!

 

[Jakebrake]

I had one of those Chevy Vega's, a 1972...you go right ahead and bad mouth them all you want...it deserves to be bad mouthed...I never bought another Chevy after that...Ken.

 

[dropitby]

I noticed you spoke of Mobil 1 15/50 I wonder if its the same blend as we have across the pond.

 

[gusgeds]

quote:

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Originally posted by dropitby:
I noticed you spoke of Mobil 1 15/50 I wonder if its the same blend as we have across the pond.

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Hi, yes probably 15/50 motorsports is the big mobil 1 in the UK 0/40 is the other option for anything other than motorsports. gus

 

[Whimsey]

quote:

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Originally posted by Jakebrake:
I had one of those Chevy Vega's, a 1972...you go right ahead and bad mouth them all you want...it deserves to be bad mouthed...I never bought another Chevy after that...Ken.

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A good friend's girlfriend had purchased new in 1971 Vega that blew a headgasket in 1972, about 1 week after the warranty expired. I still have frostbite from changing the head gasket in February in Northern NJ outside. Her parents(holy rollers) didn't want us in the garage because I had a tendency to "cuss" when "things" didn't go right or I was in pain

. And with that job there was a lot of "cussing"

. Not one of GM's better cars or ideas.

Whimsey

 

[W.T.McGlynn]

The old joke for the Vega was,
you pull in a gas station and tell them to fill up the oil and check the gas.
I had a Vega GT bought use for 1200,
sold it five years later for 500.
I was lucky,I replaced the Valve
seals and the oil consumption was then with in reason.They were replaced at the Stealership for around $100.The head did not have to be removed.So you see I can't kick about that.

 

[GSV]

People,

Where are your manners?

You are generally correct that we've been brainwashed into 3000 mile changes using cheap dino oil but some of us are recovering.

I run about 7500-9000 miles per year in my 4Runner which gets an annual oil change w/ Redline 5w-30 and I'm going 12,000 on my next fill of GC 0w-30 in my Nissan Frontier. My wife's Subaru doesn't seem to like any oil past 6000 so I stick with that for the OCI. The Soob gets M1 in the winter and whatever I have laying around in the warmer months.

 

[Dr. T]

Yes Gus, here in N.A., there's a battle between the auto manuf. that tout 7.5k mi. OCI's with cheap and untested energy saving .99 cent conventional oil and oil companies that tout 3k OCI's.

It's all about sales. Auto manuf. want to sell cars and oil companies want to sell oil. Nobody cares about resources or proper testing. Hence, many cars with sludge seen that are still under warranty even with OEM OCI's.

Seems like the auto and oil manuf. work closer together in Europe and come forward with proper recommendations. The difference in NA is that these recommendations are not followed here.

 

[Geoff]

I think the problem is the auto manufacturers' recommendations are seen somewhat cynically in the US due to CAFE and other government policy. In other words can the consumer really trust the recommendations or are they motivated simply to statistically make the CAFE rules?

In Europe, demand for fuel is controlled using higher taxes on the fuel itself, rather than forcing car makers to "help" consumers make the right choices and indirectly impact demand. Targeting the car makers is a cop out by the politicians, in the same way there are no fines on drug users, but we spend billions on drug suppliers.

 

[HerkyJim]

I thinkthat the difference is cost of gasoline and other petroleum-derived items in Europe. Also taxation and government regulation in every aspect of a citizen's life over there has something to do with it. Some citizens of the United Kingdom even go so far as to refer to their situation as "the nanny state". All-in-all, I' rather be here and revel in our unenlightened, backwardness; sometimes referred to as freedom to choose.

My $0.02

 

[Quattro Pete]

You will also notice that new car warranties are generally substantially longer in the US than in Europe. Most cars only have a 2 year warranty in Europe. I think Toyota may be an exception with 3 years. Whereas drivetrain warranties in the US can be pretty long - 5, 7, even 10 years on some cars.

You will also notice that practically all new cars in Europe require high quality synthetic oil. In the US, you're allowed to put in pretty much anything you'll find at the store, 99 cents or what not.

But I agree with others - for most driving habits and most engines (stuff like turbos excluded), the 3K mile OCI is an old-wives tale and a huge cash cow for the likes of JiffyLube and many oil companies. They would rather charge you for an oil change 4 times a year than once a year, and marketing is there to convince you that anything above 3K miles is baaaad

.

to BITOG, gusgeds!

 

[Jimbo]

The fact that you are driving a new VW TDI highlights the differences right there. I am prohibited from buying one by California regulations. A typical new car here is a 3.0 liter gasoline Toyota Camry.

US and Japanese manufacturers, not just the public, have chosen the "cheap oil more often" route. 5000-7500 mile change intervals on 5W-30 dino is what is usually recommended in the owners manuals.

 

[MGBV8]

Just wonder what OCI the US owners would use with RL at $15 a US Quart

The average mileage for UK motorist is 12k, involving short trips to Shops, hours of traffic jams followed by blasts at 100mph.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by MGBV8:
Just wonder what OCI the US owners would use with RL at $15 a US Quart

The average mileage for UK motorist is 12k, involving short trips to Shops, hours of traffic jams followed by blasts at 100mph.

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What is the typical engine life in miles on a normally cared for car in the UK?

 

[MGBV8]

The bodywork has probably rusted before a need to rebuild engine.

My view is also probably not typical-

"Company cars" mean that you change new cars every 2-3 years.

Just sold a 12 year small ford with 65k miles on clock.

A lot of MGs are 30 years old and 75-100k on clock, and normally rebuilt for performance, although perhaps tired at 120-150k, oil used is usually Castrol GTX 20W/50

 

[TitaniumGT]

WOW! 12 years and 65k miles.. my 13 year old Escort GT has 160k!!

30 years and only 120k is impressive too. it seems the in Europe, the vehicles are driven fewer miles, yet these few miles are very harsh miles. Thus the need for high quality oil


If Americans had to pay $15-20/qt, i think there would be a sudden shift in the status quo and synthetic oils with 10-15k mile OCI would become the norm.

dont forget, we're cheap bastards over here.

 

[williar]

Most people around here drive around 15,000 miles/year although 30,000 miles/year is not uncommon. Seems we'd change the oil less often, but most people change it every 3 months.

 

[williar]

It's OK to let the dealer service it, esp. if it's under free maintenance, but be sure to bring your own M1!