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[Taxi_Driver]

Just been looking at vx website....looking for an answer to someone elses question....didnt find it....i thought vx site had handbook book downloads....maybe not!

BUT i did find out that vx recommend my post 2001 omega be serviced every 20k with 10-40w oil (semi synth i guess)

So thats sorted then.....ive been wasting money all this time getting the oil changed needlessly  

If vx say 20k is good enough then thats a tenner at least ive saved  

It must be true coz its on vx website....

[JamesV6CDX]

I'll stick to 3 - 5k myself!

[Auto Addict]

Just been looking at vx website....looking for an answer to someone elses question....didnt find it....i thought vx site had handbook book downloads....maybe not!

BUT i did find out that vx recommend my post 2001 omega be serviced every 20k with 10-40w oil (semi synth i guess)

So thats sorted then.....ive been wasting money all this time getting the oil changed needlessly  

If vx say 20k is good enough then thats a tenner at least ive saved  

It must be true coz its on vx website....

There you are then, you change yours at 20K, I'll continue to change mine every 3/4 months...

[RossPhim]

Vx will probably also tell you to change the cam belt every 80K but to leave the tensioner alone as it's built for life .....      

[Taxi_Driver]

I'll stick to 3 - 5k myself!

James.....Your wasting money m8.....vx website says every 10k for pre 2001 omegas....it must be true...its on the website  

[Taxi_Driver]

Just been looking at vx website....looking for an answer to someone elses question....didnt find it....i thought vx site had handbook book downloads....maybe not!

BUT i did find out that vx recommend my post 2001 omega be serviced every 20k with 10-40w oil (semi synth i guess)

So thats sorted then.....ive been wasting money all this time getting the oil changed needlessly  

If vx say 20k is good enough then thats a tenner at least ive saved  

It must be true coz its on vx website....

There you are then, you change yours at 20K, I'll continue to change mine every 3/4 months...

Is that 3/4 months AA? or 3/4 miles?? probably the same thing    

[HI2DVY]

I've just changed mine after 11k miles. What a state the oil was in. I have never seen anyhthing like it. Have to say I do 3.5 to 4k miles per month so 10/11k is 3/4 months for me. Anyway, it was the first time I'd changed the oil myself as its been garaged serviced previously but the oil was in a helluva state. The inside of the filter housing was like hard black tar and the sump looked like it was full of black sand... or maybe the stealers have never bothered to change the oil before???

Needless to say it'll be done every 5k from now on.

Dave

[TheBoy]

I've just changed mine after 11k miles. What a state the oil was in. I have never seen anyhthing like it. Have to say I do 3.5 to 4k miles per month so 10/11k is 3/4 months for me. Anyway, it was the first time I'd changed the oil myself as its been garaged serviced previously but the oil was in a helluva state. The inside of the filter housing was like hard black tar and the sump looked like it was full of black sand... or maybe the stealers have never bothered to change the oil before???

Needless to say it'll be done every 5k from now on.

Dave

As it was in that state, consider doing a couple at 1k intervals, then revert back to 4/5k....

[HI2DVY]

I've just changed mine after 11k miles. What a state the oil was in. I have never seen anyhthing like it. Have to say I do 3.5 to 4k miles per month so 10/11k is 3/4 months for me. Anyway, it was the first time I'd changed the oil myself as its been garaged serviced previously but the oil was in a helluva state. The inside of the filter housing was like hard black tar and the sump looked like it was full of black sand... or maybe the stealers have never bothered to change the oil before???

Needless to say it'll be done every 5k from now on.

Dave

As it was in that state, consider doing a couple at 1k intervals, then revert back to 4/5k....

Fair point TB. Will do. Buying oil from Vauxhall dealer at 20 quid a case (4 x5l) so well worth doing a weekly change for a month.

[Kevin Wood]

Manufacturers recommendations are a toss up between giving the vehicle a reasonable lifetime and keeping fleet managers happy with regard to running costs. Fleet managers and manufacturers don't give a damn what happens to a car after 3 years or so, so you can draw your own conclusions from that.

For the cost of a DIY oil change I'd never leave oil in an engine for 20k. This is the stuff that blocked breathers and leaky cam covers are made of.

When they changed the interval to 20k did they redesign the engine range? No. They just decided to sacrifice some longevity under pressure from fleet managers to reduce servicing cost.

Kevin

[HI2DVY]

Manufacturers recommendations are a toss up between giving the vehicle a reasonable lifetime and keeping fleet managers happy with regard to running costs. Fleet managers and manufacturers don't give a damn what happens to a car after 3 years or so, so you can draw your own conclusions from that.

For the cost of a DIY oil change I'd never leave oil in an engine for 20k. This is the stuff that blocked breathers and leaky cam covers are made of.

When they changed the interval to 20k did they redesign the engine range? No. They just decided to sacrifice some longevity under pressure from fleet managers to reduce servicing cost.

Kevin

Very true.

Reduced fleet running costs = more cars sold.

Increasing servicing intervals reduces total cost of ownership (in the short term) so attracts fleet buyers.

As I've said, I've learned my lesson and will be changing my oil every fortnight if necessary.

Dave

[Taxi_Driver]

I was being very 'tongue in cheek'....with this thread....so  

[Markjay]

Firstly, it's 20k OR 1 year, whichever comes first.

Secondly, a car that does 20k in a year probably does mostly motorway miles which are easy on the engine. On the motorway the miles get racked-up pretty quickly, but in term of actual working hours the engine does not too very much.

Thirdly, being a taxi driver you may do 20k in a year, but this schedule does NOT relate to vehicles used in 'extreme' conditions, and Vx gives as an example cars used as Police car, TAXI, or towing. So no excuses, TD...

Thirdly, if you did still insist on adhering to the manufacturer's spec, then the engine will not go belly-up the next morning - the problem will appear further down the line, and since Omegas get scrapped with relatively low mileage due to the tensioner failure (80k/8y - remember?), most will not be around long enough to suffer the long-term consequences of manufacturer's-spec maintenance.

Fourthly, don't believe anything you read. I bet you actually think that Global Warming scare is real?  

[Jay w]

Firstly, it's 20k OR 1 year, whichever comes first.

Secondly, a car that does 20k in a year probably does mostly motorway miles which are easy on the engine. On the motorway the miles get racked-up pretty quickly, but in term of actual working hours the engine does not too very much.

Thirdly, being a taxi driver you may do 20k in a year, but this schedule does NOT relate to vehicles used in 'extreme' conditions, and Vx gives as an example cars used as Police car, TAXI, or towing. So no excuses, TD...

Thirdly, if you did still insist on adhering to the manufacturer's spec, then the engine will not go belly-up the next morning - the problem will appear further down the line, and since Omegas get scrapped with relatively low mileage due to the tensioner failure (80k/8y - remember?), most will not be around long enough to suffer the long-term consequences of manufacturer's-spec maintenance.

Fourthly, don't believe anything you read. I bet you actually think that Global Warming scare is real?  

would that include being at high speed, i.e more that 3500/4000 rpm for long periods of time?

[JamesV6CDX]

In summary... stick to the recommendation that most of us will give... change the oil and filter every 3 to 5k miles, for the sake of a few quid. Your call will live much longer.

My Elite, when done, will have 3k oil changes as standard...