How does vehicle determine remaining days/miles to oil service? Contemplating quick DIY oil change.

[lohr500]

Our 204 4Motion Cali is just over a year old and has covered 6000 miles.
The oil service indicator says 8000 miles / 310 days.

I'm contemplating dropping the oil and filling with fresh oil, but leaving the filter change until next year when it will need a service anyway.
I don't like the idea of the original oil being in there for two years, especially given our low mileage and short journeys.
I know changing the oil, but not the filter, is not best practice, but I figure it is better than leaving the original oil in there for another year.
And I would prefer to leave the filter change to VW so there is no wriggle room on warranty. I would obviously use the correct specification oil.

Does the engine management system actively analyse the oil condition using some form of sensor, or is it calculated based on a usage/driving pattern algorithm?
If I change the oil, the last thing I want to happen is the mileage/days remaining drops significantly causing the system to prompt an oil change service before the main service is due!!

Any insights would be much appreciated.

 

[WelshGas]

Our 204 4Motion Cali is just over a year old and has covered 6000 miles.
The oil service indicator says 8000 miles / 310 days.

I'm contemplating dropping the oil and filling with fresh oil, but leaving the filter change until next year when it will need a service anyway.
I don't like the idea of the original oil being in there for two years, especially given our low mileage and short journeys.
I know changing the oil, but not the filter, is not best practice, but I figure it is better than leaving the original oil in there for another year.
And I would prefer to leave the filter change to VW so there is no wriggle room on warranty. I would obviously use the correct specification oil.

Does the engine management system actively analyse the oil condition using some form of sensor, or is it calculated based on a usage/driving pattern algorithm?
If I change the oil, the last thing I want to happen is the mileage/days remaining drops significantly causing the system to prompt an oil change service before the main service is due!!

Any insights would be much appreciated.

The Days is a simple calculation since last reset. A sensor monitors the oil conductivity, carbon content I believe, which varies depending on driving style. So if you do an oil change without a reset. Time to change in Days remains the same, milage to change will increase because of the new oil being less contaminated.
Oil change is miles or days whichever comes first.

 

[lohr500]

Thanks @WelshGas

 

[The Merle]

Garage can set on 2yr service intervals or 20k miles only recommend if doing 10k plus miles a year. Most get set up on every year for money making

 

[Snoopy23]

Anyone have the correct vw part nos for the oil and oil filter so i can get a price match i think £400 is toom much for a oil service?

 

[Goldi]

Anyone have the correct vw part nos for the oil and oil filter so i can get a price match i think £400 is toom much for a oil service?

Ring the campervanbits shop & ask. But I strongly suggest a low ash oil if possible. They sell the QUANTUM oil which should be the best for your van & it's DPF.

 

[Jon A]

I've always done a similar DIY simple interim oil change, using correct spec oil. Rather than drop the oil , I use an oil pump via the dipstick tube to suck the oil out in between the long life services - which are done done at the dealership.
I've done it 3 or 4 times and have never noticed the readout changing in any noticeable way.

Maybe it slows down the mileage countdown afterwards, but it certainly doesn't make the mileage countdown go "up" after I've put fresh oil in. Perhaps changing the filter too would yield different behaviour. Mine is a t6.0

Anyway - if say ahead and do it. Better than running dirty oil for long periods

 

[Andy C Berks.]

Anyone have the correct vw part nos for the oil and oil filter so i can get a price match i think £400 is toom much for a oil service?

Mine was changed last week, just prior to expiry of the 3 year service plan. So whilst I didn't have to pay for it they gave me a copy of the invoice addressed to VWFS which was £281 incl vat for oil change with new filter and MOT. Looks like £94+vat for oil & parts (filter/screw/cleaner) with the rest being for labour and MOT. Not sure though if that's some special internal transfer pricing they have for warranty work or whether that's their normal price.

 

[WelshGas]

Lucky you don't drive a Bugatti Veyron.

Servicing a Bugatti Veyron typically costs between $20,000 and $30,000 for a standard annual maintenance or oil change, while major multi-year servicing can exceed $50,000.

 

[sidepod]

Just go to your local NAPA parts centre. Ask for C3 oil to VW spec 505/507 (or whatever it is - look it up). 7 litres so a 5 and 2 singles or just get 2 5s and keep it for next time. £65 quid I think last time I did it earlier this year?
Get a filter and do it at the same time. It really is a very simple job.

NAPA oil is actually Valvoline in their own branded packaging.

 

[sidepod]

Is this a 6 or 7? Whatever, principle is the same.

 

[lohr500]

I've always done a similar DIY simple interim oil change, using correct spec oil. Rather than drop the oil , I use an oil pump via the dipstick tube to suck the oil out in between the long life services - which are done done at the dealership.
I've done it 3 or 4 times and have never noticed the readout changing in any noticeable way.

Maybe it slows down the mileage countdown afterwards, but it certainly doesn't make the mileage countdown go "up" after I've put fresh oil in. Perhaps changing the filter too would yield different behaviour. Mine is a t6.0

Anyway - if say ahead and do it. Better than running dirty oil for long periods

I did the same thing last year on my T6.1 204 when it was just over 1 year old using an oil pump, but I didn't change the filter. I figured that as a low mileage vehicle, it would be better to change the oil after 1 year rather than leaving it for the full 2 years. I decided that the filter would still be OK for nother year.

The days indicator just continued to reduce on a daily basis as expected, but the mileage indicator actually increased by a few hundred miles after a several days use.

I can't remember how many miles remained on the indicator when it went in for the 1st two year service back in February, but certainly it was showing several thousand.