Why is the oil change cycle at the factory 5,000 km but at the garage it is 10,000 km?
During car use, one of the tasks that vehicle owners need to do regularly is periodic vehicle maintenance and engine oil change.
It is worth mentioning that when changing engine oil, manufacturers or authorized dealers recommend that vehicle owners should change the oil every 5,000 km, while garages recommend changing the oil every 10,000 km.
So why is there such a difference, what affects the oil change cycle like that?
According to experts, there are many types of lubricants: fully synthetic, semi-synthetic, mineral oil, each with different viscosity. Car manufacturers often use low viscosity oil for new cars and cars under warranty, and recommend that vehicle owners should change the oil after every 5,000km.
Meanwhile, the outside oil market often sells high viscosity oils for used cars that are out of warranty and this type of oil can be used for a cycle of more than 10,000 km.
Low viscosity (thin) oil is better for new cars, it does not "hold down" the engine but in return requires less usage time (usually needs to be changed after 5,000km).
With SAE 10W-30 parameters: number 30 is the thickness of the oil, the higher this number, the higher the thickness. Oil in the company rarely has oil above 30, but oil sold on the market does not have any type lower than 30. When changing oil, car owners need to pay attention to this to change the appropriate type for the car. If the car is new or has not been used much, you should not change to a type that is too thick to avoid straining the engine.
When using fully synthetic oil, it can last for about 15,000 - 20,000 km. Meanwhile, under actual usage conditions in Vietnam, to ensure safety, garages advise changing fully synthetic oil after about 10,000 km.
Meanwhile, semi-synthetic oil can help the engine operate well and last for about 7,000km. However, in the conditions of use in Vietnam, garages and manufacturers recommend that we change it every 5,000km to ensure safety during vehicle operation.
The least durable oil is mineral oil, which is often used for older engines. Experts claim that this type of oil can help the engine operate durably after about 6,000km. However, under the conditions of use in Vietnam, garages and manufacturers recommend changing it every 5,000km.
In addition, in some cases, vehicles that regularly travel in very harsh conditions, such as vehicles used in mines, racing cars, vehicles operating at very high intensity, rental cars... car owners can flexibly change the oil sooner.
Vehicles that frequently travel on the highway or mostly travel on the highway at high speeds, idle, or travel in gentle conditions can change oil after about 12,000 to 13,000 km.
