I would define "severe" and look up the etymology of the word. It's obvious we all have different environments, vehicles, drivers, experiences, etc.... It's a subjective term in my humble opinion.
What is "severe service" by OEM's and your definition?
- Thread starter Vern_in_IL
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The F-150:
I just hauled 1200 lbs of oak home - not severe
Hauled my atv up to NH last weekend to ride - not severe
Hauled 5 atv's to Jericho park, NH in Sept for our big week long family/friend trip. - not severe
Picked up SIL's Honda in CT with my trailer because cyl 3 plug decided to eject - not severe
My wife went to the store - time to change the oil.
I just hauled 1200 lbs of oak home - not severe
Hauled my atv up to NH last weekend to ride - not severe
Hauled 5 atv's to Jericho park, NH in Sept for our big week long family/friend trip. - not severe
Picked up SIL's Honda in CT with my trailer because cyl 3 plug decided to eject - not severe
My wife went to the store - time to change the oil.
The only time I think I followed the sever interval is when I did 10-15 stops a day for work. Lots of short trips then. That was with my Focus.
2020 I did a lot of towing with my F-350. It spent a lot of time with 6K pounds behind it pulling hills at 3500-4000RPM for minutes on end. I ended up going 6500 miles I believe - regular service interval on the tuck is 5000 miles with 3000 for severe.
2020 I did a lot of towing with my F-350. It spent a lot of time with 6K pounds behind it pulling hills at 3500-4000RPM for minutes on end. I ended up going 6500 miles I believe - regular service interval on the tuck is 5000 miles with 3000 for severe.
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The most common (engine oil related) severe condition is probably doing
many short trips, on which the engine doesn't reach operating temperature.
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The most common (engine oil related) severe condition is probably doing
many short trips, on which the engine doesn't reach operating temperature.
.
Stop and go traffic in texas during august with the a/c. Remeber severe service is not just oil changes, it increases the atf fluid changes, really all fluids, and parts like brakes etc. I just follow the severe schedule, on all my vehicles.
I don't think of a bright line splitting regular and severe. My car is 7500/3750 so I divide by five: 80,000-85,000-90,000-95,000.
I believe that most of these factors have been listed on severe duty schedules almost forever. The up and down hills thing is new to me. For OCI and filter changes, I consider constant short tripping, heavy stop and go driving and dusty roads the biggest factors. The old saw was that nearly all drivers fit the severe duty definition. Not so sure that's correct, but many do.Kia suggests using the “severe maintenance schedule” if you do a lot of short trips or idling, drive up hills and down hills, or drive in cold weather or warm weather, or in traffic.
So…. Basically everybody
I agree with the short trips and extended idling, but some of these seem a bit silly.
View attachment 83137
I was joking and referring to very old Toyota trucks carrying 30 people with guns on the news ... Doubt they follow any maintenance schedule since they are way over the specified payload!
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I put a thread up on the same topic about this yesterday, not realizing you had already done one. My mistake.
But the winter driving aspect of it is interesting. Not sure how I feel about that. I drive typically 4 months out of the year in temps that are bellow freezing at least a couple of days a week...is that really “bad”? I’m not sure, I imagine the cold starts would be the worst of it IF the car sat outside all night and had to pump that oil up and around to the valve train, but what if you’re parking in a garage overnight and don’t have to experience that, and just drive around in temps of 25 degrees? Is that “bad”? I don’t see why it world be unless it causes cold spots on the engine or something, that would cause the oil to thicken or condensate. And I don’t see that happening.
Snow is a different story, in my opinion, because in a snow storm you can find yourself having to rev that engine very high to dig yourself out of something or climb up a hill. It’s not a frequent thing but it does happen depending on road conditions. The worst things I’ve had to do to a vehicle in those situations was floor it all the way up hills or dig myself out of snow...just pedal to the metal, no idea what those rpms got to as the tranny skipped through those gears. Probably a lot worse for the transmission, as the fluid gets tossed off that transaxle. But it’s either that or call a tow truck.
The other thing with winter driving is the road salt - your air cleaner is working over time barreling through those clouds of salt - for some of us that’s happening everyday from late November to early April. That can’t be good.
I hit lots of traffic snarls on hot Texas interstates..i Am not worried about the oil or the transmission fluid. a lot has to do with driving style. Are your breaks weari faster or slower than average? That is a good indicator of how rough someone is stop and go. I am at 66 k on my original pads and they haven’t worn very much being that irritating driver who follows Smith Safety systems rules of following distance and escape routes And driving 15 seconds ahead.
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I would consider any KIA vehicle OCI on the "severe" schedule. I speak from experience. We bought a new KIA Soul in 2016 that lasted exactly 72,000 miles before the engine let go.
Its actually the 2 second rule, 4 seconds at night or inclement weather. My brakes are fine, I WFH so I drive less than 20 miles a week. I was just re iterating what the owners manual states.
No oil change interval will help an manufacturing defect. If your kia had a theta 2 engine you could have gotten a new engine. If you paid for the engine out of pocket you could have been reimbursed.
Anyone using the factory OCI light on the dash is using it in severe service. They are junk regardless of all of the advertising and moaning and groaning the manufacturers do. There are literally thousands of oil changes on YouTube that show oil being changed at 7,500 miles and the oil is black goo. The auto makers do NOT car if your car lasts more than the warranty. If you do no believe this you have not been around the manufacturers enough..... although to be fair, some of it is law in that they have to abide by amazingly stupid laws regarding a few issues with pollution control.
Quite a load there.
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Ha.
To me, severe service is when a car is short-tripped, sees lots of stop and go(most people’s commutes from the suburbs to the city/park & ride/train or bus station), used in the app economy(Amazon/Doordash/Lyft/Uber) or is used for “fun”. 5K max.
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Thought severe-service was primarily when the engine never gets up to operating temperature and is short tripped many times in a row.
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