Oil Change Interval

[AndyH]

If we could predict every breakdown this would be a better world...
As it was, my regular dealer had me on the road again within three hours.

Good on your dealer. Unfortunately, dealers in the US tend to be more like Andy's dealers in Oz.

Maintenance isn't about predicting breakdowns - it's about preventing them. I do agree that modern cars rely on more electronics. For many drivers, the plan should probably be to find a dealer or an independent shop they can work with, trust the shop to do the right thing, and be ready to push back if something seems wrong. At the other extreme, an owner can take full responsibility to learn their vehicle, acquire tools that allow one to diagnose and maintain the machine, and only rely on the dealer if something happens that only the dealer can fix - like a situation where programmers in Japan are working on a fix and they'll only send it to a dealer. There's a full range of options in between as well.

Prior to the Outlander, I owned VWs that ranged from a '77 Rabbit to an '88 Jetta, to a pair of B4 Passat TDIs. Because most US dealers had a poor reputation, and most techs scan the car and replace the first module the computer says has an error (even if the problem is a vacuum line and not the actual computer... Yeah, I changed the hose inside the computer and that saved me a bit over $700.), I was very happy when independent folks in Germany created the VacCOM software. This tool replaced (or very nearly replaced) the VW computer diagnostics system - their version of the Mut3. The availability of VagCOM allowed owners to do everything a dealer can do. That saved me a ton of money over the years - and it cost the same as having the dealer reset a check engine light three times.

It doesn't appear that we have a tool that will replace Mitsubishi's diagnostic system, and that means we're dependent on them for some service. What can that look like? Electronics are expensive, and dealers do their best to make these expensive black boxes look as scary as possible - especially when they want to sell an extended warranty. :lol: Electronics that don't fail early (infant mortality) tend to last a very long time. The rest of the car's mechanicals aren't any different than any other car - we know how brake calipers rust internally and how air filters don't re-seal and how oil breaks down. There's nothing difficult about changing oil and filters, coolant, and brake fluid. We can partner with Mitsubishi, but don't have to be slaves.

If one plans to keep the vehicle for the long haul, take a tip from commercial vehicle owners: Use some silicon rubber sealant on the air filter gasket before installing it. And if you routinely make dealer visits (or quick lube visits...), put a piece of inspection seal tape on the air filter box - tell them if they open the box they'll be replacing the filter using your procedure at their expense. Extra credit if you install a filter restriction device so you know exactly when a filter needs to be changed. http://filterminder.com/resources/l...ow-do-air-filter-service-indicators-work.html

I like options. :lol:

edit...fixed links

 

[greendwarf]

Clearly a hobby :ugeek:

 

[STS134]

Got the oil analysis results back. At 3700 miles, there was already 2.0% fuel dilution in the oil. Will have to get the oil out of there way before 7500 miles. I suspect that everyone else should be doing the same. PHEVs just don't heat up the oil for long enough to burn off the blow-by.

 

[Tai626]

The PHEV just went to the first and free service. 7 months and 5700 miles (85% EV). The dealer didn’t want to print out the driving batt report to me.
Next service in 6 months and should cost $80.

Tai

 

[Steel188]

What we have here appears to be a cultural void that will never be bridged between those in North America and the rest of us, especially contributors from Europe.

A little context, if I may, since I went out on the road more than 30 years ago I have averaged nearly 40,000 miles a year, mostly in Company Cars, but there was a period of 8 years where I had my own cars doing that kind of mileage. Also, in my early driving days I had a series of older, more basic cars that required lots of weekend fettling.

When I had my Mk1 Ford Escort (3 shades of metallic brown) I did everything with the help of my trusty Halfords socket set and a few screwdrivers - new clutch, rear axle rebuild, water pump, brake rebuild, suspension swaps, new radiator on top of the regular fluid changes (Castrol GTX). Even when I had the means to buy new (Ford Fiesta Mk2 Pop Plus, Fiat Uno, Fiat Panda) these cars never saw a dealer, I did all the servicing and repairs at home so I knew they had been done properly!

The 8 year period of running my own cars for full business use ended when I got my PHEV nearly 3 years ago, but the European rules and regulations around a manufacturer's warranty, and the ease with which my insurance company could have got out of a claim by saying I had done something wrong, meant I always went for main dealer servicing. Also, if I had serviced the cars myself, my employer would have had terrible trouble proving their duty of care, as it was, producing a folder full of main dealer invoices, regular tyre and geometry checks, MOT's etc meant the Inspector took less than 30 seconds to pass that part of the audit.

It's a big world out there and we all need to understand that different things are more important in other parts of it. I have never heard of the oil analysis that our American cousins seem to use as easily as washing their car, my answer would have been to buy better oil, but it appears you can't. Equally, our European acceptance of rules and regulations is something those from North America will never understand, yet we draw comfort and strength from them as we know where we stand.

In the middle of all this is a car with oily bits that are mostly no different to other modern vehicles, hugely complex electric parts that can kill you, trying to satify users from the Arctic to the Tropics with hugely different regulatory arrangements, but you know the saying that 'You can't satisfy all of the people all of the time'; I think its doing pretty well all told.

 

[Carmageddon]

Hey guys, necro'ing old (but still relevant!) thread back to life!
Very good readings here, with no clear conclusions!
What Surprises me here, is that the mentioned intervals are insanely good!
My 2019 in Canada, says normal maintenance is every 8000 km! Why would it be so drastically different for various regions for the same car made in Japan?

I get it, I have no choice if I want to maintain warranty, and will be performing oil analysis too out of curiosity to see whether its justified, but what I'd like feedback on:

Would you do the routine maintenance at the dealership, its slightly more expensive for just oil change (20 CAD more), but takes 1.5 hours, vs private shop that schedules me in an out in 30 mins? They say bring along the list of things to inspect and they'll check them out.

My reservation is the PHEV power train and high voltage systems - their mechanics might not be familiar with those and how to inspect them, for example the 48k km calls for, mentioning stuff I don't think regular gas cars had mentioned, or even have:

• Check front motor cooling oil leaks (not sure if it means the electric motor of the 2L generator!
• Check front transaxle oil level and condition
• Check rear transaxle oil level and condition

In conclusion, I guess what I'd like to know, is if you think regular mechanic untrained in PHEV/EV can be trusted to properly inspect the needed things, AND properly change the oil/filter? I don't even know whether the same routine procedure works for PHEV, or they require different procedure to replace oil - I think I recall reading that it needs to be run a bit after replacement? how they do that if the car is fully charged for example?

How do they reset the schedule for another 8k km? Mine already says Maintenance Required, yet I was unable to find how to reset it, I doubt they'll spend the 5-10 mins I did trying to comb through the menu and look for a way to reset it...

PS: I recently have been at the dealership for road safety inspection needed to register out of province vehicle, and warranty service (mid-rail was replaced on driver seat which was wobbly when shaking by hand, I could feel it while driving, so they did courtesy inspection and everything was fine, so I guess I am not worried about poor inspection on this service call by private shop, but later on - I'd appreciate the feedback as above.

 

[greendwarf]

Engine oil is lower quality in N America!

 

[gwrace1]

The reason there is a time interval for oil changes is that some fuel will eventually leak into the oil reservoir over time diluting the oil. Even the most expensive engines have this issue.

 

[littlescrote]

My reservation is the PHEV power train and high voltage systems - their mechanics might not be familiar with those and how to inspect them, for example the 48k km calls for, mentioning stuff I don't think regular gas cars had mentioned, or even have:

• Check front motor cooling oil leaks (not sure if it means the electric motor of the 2L generator!
• Check front transaxle oil level and condition
• Check rear transaxle oil level and condition

Those things are purely mechanical and as such any competent mechanic should have no problem doing them. I would not just check levels though, I would drain and refresh oil to correct level using a quality aftermarket oil. Factory transmission oils are usually cheap rubbish.

 

[Carmageddon]

My reservation is the PHEV power train and high voltage systems - their mechanics might not be familiar with those and how to inspect them, for example the 48k km calls for, mentioning stuff I don't think regular gas cars had mentioned, or even have:

• Check front motor cooling oil leaks (not sure if it means the electric motor of the 2L generator!
• Check front transaxle oil level and condition
• Check rear transaxle oil level and condition

Those things are purely mechanical and as such any competent mechanic should have no problem doing them. I would not just check levels though, I would drain and refresh oil to correct level using a quality aftermarket oil. Factory transmission oils are usually cheap rubbish.

Thanks, why do that voluntary drain/refill, while the drivetrain is under long 10 years warranty still in effect?
I understand if they werent, or it was going to end soon.. but we are talking 6-7 years on the warranty.

PS: That air pressure monitor thing mentioned earlier, is that https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FIL4800?impressionRank=1? How does it get added to the air filter?

 

[littlescrote]

Thanks, why do that voluntary drain/refill, while the drivetrain is under long 10 years warranty still in effect?
I understand if they werent, or it was going to end soon.. but we are talking 6-7 years on the warranty.

Because I'm going to keep my vehicle well beyond when the warranty ends and wear to mechanical components like that is a slow and gradual process. Mitsubishi obviously have confidence that their oil is good enough to mean that they are unlikely to need to cover the cost of a warranty replacement within that period, but what about 10 years later? I'd rather do everything I can in early life to minimise the risk later in its life.

 

[MonsterPHEVs]

How do they reset the schedule for another 8k km? Mine already says Maintenance Required, yet I was unable to find how to reset it, I doubt they'll spend the 5-10 mins I did trying to comb through the menu and look for a way to reset it..

This one should work..

https://youtu.be/dN35MrNn1E4

 

[MonsterPHEVs]

In conclusion, I guess what I'd like to know, is if you think regular mechanic untrained in PHEV/EV can be trusted to properly inspect the needed things, AND properly change the oil/filter? I don't even know whether the same routine procedure works for PHEV, or they require different procedure to replace oil - I think I recall reading that it needs to be run a bit after replacement? how they do that if the car is fully charged for example,?

I've had only a short time with my PHEV, coming from GMs, VW, Honda cars and bikes and most recently several Toyotas on which I have done 99% of maintenance and mechanical repairs. On the PHEV I have pulled the back end off to install a towbar, pulled out all the suspension twice, fiddled with the 12V system to add accessory power points and completed one service.

I can tell you Mitsubishi are not out to trick non-Mitsu mechanics in the way that VW or BM do. Everything is simple, obvious and easily serviceable. If your local mechanic knows their stuff they won't have any issues with the PHEV.