Change your oil every 6000 miles for your Turbo

[joshwa]

How to keep turbochargers in perfect order - Times Online

This article says you should change your oil every 6000 miles for the sake of your turbo.

What are your thoughts?

[Moby-Dick]

Its down to the way you run your car at the end of the day - some of the more paranoid guys on my Owners club change theirs every 1500-2000 miles. I used to change it about every 3000.

[joshwa]

I was planning on doing mine every 5000 miles / 6 months for my TDI, and every 12 months on my Scirocco (as I only plan on doing a limited mileage in it).

[Howard]

I was planning on doing mine every 5000 miles / 6 months for my TDI

I wouldn't bother, it's a bog standard Diesel car, designed to go for about 10-12k miles between oil changes. No need to waste money doing it more often

[Moby-Dick]

5k is fine ( thats every 6months based on 10k a year )

[Zak33]

depends on the oil you use tbh

Mobil 1 or similar and it'll last the 10-12k easily.

10w 40 boggo standard...it starts to get mullered very soon!

[Konan555]

Oil aint expensive. I change mine every 5K for an NA engine.

[Lowe]

When I had the turbo'd Clio I'd change every 3k to 4k, simply because of the oil that I was using at the time, Motul 300V. 300V is a racing oil, that gives amazing protection to the engine without much frictional drag compared to other oils- allowing the engine to make more power. Downside? Costs a fortune and after 4,000 miles the oil is absolutely shot. It didn't help that the Clio was running a carb that as a touch rich on boost for safety sake!

These days the fully synth oils aren't megabucks - Fuchs from GSF is brilliantly spec'd and very cheap considering and I've not had any problems running it in the current Clio.

Turbo's do need a decent oil to last a long time really since the main bearings are normally lubricated by the engine oil. Saying that though I'd of thought it was obvious that you warm up and down the engine properly before using boost properly as well. Since the oil is thick when cold, it won't be doing it's job properly of protecting those important bearings in the turbo so if you nail it... Same goes for when you come to turn the engine off, you need to let the oil cool a little before switching off - no need for an expensive turbo timer though - just stay off boost as best you can (difficult these days with VVT though I admit!) for the last mile or so of your journey home.

Another thing that a friend and I have discussed in the past regarding these huge service intervals - the oil filter. After around a few thousand miles that's going to be chocka - so when you're coming up to 10k, it'll be that full it's virtually redundant. Surely not good for the engine, even if the oil itself is fine... It'd be interesting to hear from dkmech in this one since he's got a lot to do with oil these days.

[Konan555]

Another thing that a friend and I have discussed in the past regarding these huge service intervals - the oil filter. After around a few thousand miles that's going to be chocka - so when you're coming up to 10k, it'll be that full it's virtually redundant. Surely not good for the engine, even if the oil itself is fine... It'd be interesting to hear from dkmech in this one since he's got a lot to do with oil these days.

Do the filter every time I do the oil.... again, it's £4 well spent.

[[GSV]Trig]

Changed mine every 3/4k in both the XE and the LEt

[Zak33]

Good oil is great stuff

[[GSV]Trig]

Aye wasnt that cheap for me in the tubby either as it was that red stuff, cant remember the name now but the idea was to change my changes to 8/10k as it was meant to be some hypersuperaceyoilly stuff...

[hitman67]

5000 for me, Know it's a Diesel ect.. but with 140k on the clock an extra little bit can just keep her running sweet as a nut, Book says 8-10 but I guess I am a little paranoid but I do look after my cars.

[Butuz]

It's been proven that 6k miles worth of very spirited driving & track days barely affected Silcolene ProS Race in a 200sx.

Oil changes every 2k are laughable. Every 6k is probably not even needed as long as you use good oil. If your using £10 halfords chip oil - then even changing it every 100 miles won't actually make it any good at lubrication.

Butuz

[badass]

It's been proven that 6k miles worth of very spirited driving & track days barely affected Silcolene ProS Race in a 200sx.

Oil changes every 2k are laughable. Every 6k is probably not even needed as long as you use good oil. If your using £10 halfords chip oil - then even changing it every 100 miles won't actually make it any good at lubrication.

Butuz

The truth, summed up all in 1 post

[[GSV]Trig]

It's been proven that 6k miles worth of very spirited driving & track days barely affected Silcolene ProS Race in a 200sx

Sounds familiar, is that stuff red?