When do you service your vehicle - by distance or by time?

[Syndrome]

The Ford manual recommends service intervals every 15,000km or no later than 12 months since previous service for the FG X.

I drive less than 15,000km per year. However I have always scheduled service every 15,000km. The latest service is 17 months since the previous service.

Going a little beyond 12 months between services should not be a major problem. I understand leaving intervals too far apart causes issues as for example oil begins to oxidise.

What is the longest time you've had between services and what did you notice?

[oldel]

The factory has already stretched out the interval from 10k to 15k and that's fine if you use a good full synth oil and good filter.

Bare in mind "hardly driving", with lots of cold short trips is bad, so by the time it gets to 15k the oil has degraded even more than what is considered normal use.

If you are currently expecting to jump into it and drive it anywhere then you should change the oil every 12 months, ie don't stretch it out to 2 years just because it takes that long to travel 15000kms.

Note: On a hardly driven car I would put in a synthetic oil and try change it every 12 months, but I would stretch it out if it's sitting in the driveway and I have no plans to go anywhere any time soon. IE, no rush to reset the clock for another 12m if the car is sitting there with no plans of going anywhere.

I would change the oil before the first time it's got to move somewhere and I plan on driving it. E: I haven't changed the 14 month old oil in the BA yet, but that's because I'm not even using it - it's ute, I use it to pick up parts and I have no projects anymore. My BMW E34 project has gone and the nissan patrol can pick up it's own parts.

[DFB FGXR6]

Well, my 2008 FG had its umpteenth 30,000 km service this week. Actually, it was quite confusing for the service advisor, his computer said 105,000km but the odo said 31,000km.

In other words, I service once a year regardless of km's.

[JasonACT]

Good question.

I've been doing 12 month services too until a year or so ago, when Ford told me to switch to who services my car, the "new" Canberra Ford dealer who never even sold my car (2012 XR6T) or any other AU made car for that matter. Their idiot staff, that didn't know how to uncouple the glove box without breaking it, then blaming me and being rude about the debacle, screw that.

It's now being done every 5000Ks by someone close to where I work, and definitely not by them, and it's not 12 months - more like 19-20 months. I win.

I mean, 61000Ks after 12 years, who really cares. It's not going to explode or anything.

Screw you Ford.