Really excited now coz i just had notification that my Alfa Red Giulia Super 2.0 petrol has been built and should see it in the next 4-5 weeks. So I thought i'd have a look at the service pack that has been discussed on other threads. So here goes...
3 Years servicing to retail sales registered before the end of March
Petrol models service at 9000 miles, 18,000 miles and 27,000 miles
(Diesel models service at 12,000 miles, 24,000 miles and 36,000 miles)
In my circumstances that will be nowhere near 3 years of servicing, but I suppose that's my problem for enjoying driving, however with my current flawed series beemer the service intervals on a petrol model are 18,000 miles per year approx.
Anyone any ideas why Alfas services are so frequent??
Only the V6 specifies an oil change at 9000 miles.
This is the instruction for the 2.0 petrol:
The actual interval for changing engine oil and replacing the engine oil filter depends on the vehicle usage conditions and is signalled by the warning light or message in the instrument panel. Anyway, it must never exceed 1 year.
3) The actual interval for changing engine oil and replacing the engine oil filter depends on the vehicle usage conditions and is signalled by the warning light or message in the instrument panel. In any case it must not exceed 2 years. If the car is used mainly for urban driving or fuel not strictly compliant with European Specifications EN590 is used, it is advisable to change the oil and replace the filter every year.
Yeah, that would make more sense, with the high performance model needing more frequent servicing, but it states in the Ts&Cs of the service plan that it is all petrol models.
So, the question is why so frequent? These are brand new engines and the competition are doing their first oil change at 18,000 on a petrol model. What feature in an Alfa engine means the oil change is required at half the distance of a beemer.
Service schedules for this type of car are driven by fleet"whole-life"running costs for three years. If they can dispose of it before three years they've spent even less on oil and checks. The Alfa range used to do this but has returned to at least an annual "service" but the oil and filter is only recommended. I hope this means it's included in the service package.
Since I started changing oil every 8-10k miles / 1 year with the high quality Mobil 1 0w-40 instead of the published 18k miles (and Selenia) on my 2.2JTS 159, the engine has been running really sweet. Forget fleet strategy, there is plenty of real world evidence to carry out oil changes every year, more so with diesel engines. One reason manufacturers set oil change intervals longer is to lure prospective buyers by “lower” maintenance costs.
About 10k or 1 year is the best if you ask any decent mechanic or enthusiast. Modern synthetic oils are far more advanced compared to oils of the past and they can last 15k+ miles, however, oil does deteriorate with both time and mileage and for that sole reason 1 year intervals are best. Longer oil changes by manufacturers are primarily due to improved synthetic oils, engines whether modern or old still need good quality oil.
After all oil changes are the single most important maintenance you can do for the car and it will pay dividends if you plan on keeping the car for any length of time. You can buy oil+filter kits from Opie oils or similar for about £50 - £60 + max 1 hour labour. Now, that is not substantial cost for peace of mind in 'my view'.
Totally agree with Metalgod. I half the manufacturers recommended oil services for all the vehicles in my fleet I car about. Oil (and filter) really is the lifeblood of any engine,. I drive my cars hard on road and track and thats very cheapest form of mechanical insurance I can take out. I typically do every 10k km road or 1000km track and will do the same with the Giulia QV (though it will see only road use).
Ask BMW if 18,000 mile intervals has helped in any way with their camshaft chain issues........
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