main dealer prices here are stupidly expensive too, eg an inlet manifold from the main dealer here for my car was 1600chf, from the uk it was £400, a no brainer
Ah missed that. Considering that automotive companies tend to make a very large profit on parts its strange. Where do independent mechanics get their parts? If they dont get it from dealers it tends to build parallel markerts.
Interesting the comment about oil changes @ 3,000 miles - that is a very US thing! If you buy the same car in Europe from a dealer then the oil change recommendation is 2 or 3 times that.
all true/probable/agreed upon. I would also stop if I made more money, probably because I'd have a newer car. And then if I made a LOT more money, I'd start again because I could afford the old timer I actually want to be rebuilding. Neither that nor my present vehicle could handle 200mph or even kph, however.
If you look at the service manual for American cars they too say more than every 3000 miles, I have seen up to 15,000. The reason is that then they can score better when they quote the yearly maintenance costs for the car. But being a shade tree mechanic myself, and talking to professional mechanics they all say around 3000 miles is the best.
I just changed my oil a couple of weeks ago. I bought the oil here (ouch, won't do that again!) and the filter in Germany. The old oil was easier than easy to recycle. On the Basel garbage plan there are a few businesses listed as Sonderabfall pick-up spots. They accept old paint, old frying oil, and old motor oil. You could have knocked me over with a feather when they told me that the whole recycling was FREE.
In other news, anyone interested in a "universal" oil filter wrench for removing your oil filter? It is for all auto and motorcycle filters 2 1/2" to 4 3/4" (or 63.5mm-120.6mm). 3-legged variety. 1/2" or 3/8" socket. 10 Francs.
My filter turned out to be the only one you can find with 61mm. ha ha.
Could also be highway vs city driving. More highway in the US. Also, depends on the type of car. I always did 5000mi changes like my daddy taught me. But I also kept an eye on the look and feel of the oil. If you have a leaker and you have to add oil every week, the oil is changing itself I suppose. Of course NOBODY has an oil leak in CH- who ever heard of such a thing.
I saw that! Great idea in any case, though I think for just an oil change it might be too expensive- surely they have a minimum fee, and I can change the oil in 10 minutes. But I'll check it out for the future. Thanks!
Is it realy worth doing it yourself and crawling under your motor and buing tools, oil and filter? If you dont`t drive around in the dusty and sandy desert a oil change every 15`000-20`000 km is adequate. Of course some automecanics i would avoid too but if you doo your regular service and include oil change in this, then it does not make sense to me to do it your self.
A regular 2 year service and visual check of bracke system, rubber seals and transmission by a qulified mecanic seems mandatory to me.
My current VW Polo has service intervals of 30,000Km or 2 years.
There are urban legends of owners of Vauxhall Caveliers who did not think running a new car for 12 months before changing the oil was correct and did their own oil change earlier. This resulted in some ceased engines because the replacement oil did not contain the factor's additives..