Frequent Off-roaders : Car Service : Every 5k or 10k with regular basic frequent checks ?

[DP1011]

Hi All, - This is more for people who are most of times in desert with their machines ( or have been in past and now slowed down ) . 

I always hear from some people, if off-roading, get your car serviced at 5k instead of 10k - How many of you are already doing this ? I started my new jeep, so far I always have been doing it at 10k, and so far with 55k mileage, I did not foresee any issues ( Nevertheless, I ensure Filter cleaning is done at regular intervals of 3-5 drives, depending on how the drive was , for eg:  If I do 2 fast pace IM drives, with lot of ridge riding, then I do it after 2 drives ( although, I learnt about filter cleaning only during my IM stage post 2-3 drives when I had struggle to climb dunes, a conversation with experienced driver helped me to gain this knowledge). 

So question : Is with regular checks like filter cleaning / coolant check etc., is 10k service OK or you would still have views to get it serviced at 5K ? If at 5k, what would that service include ? Apart from Filter/Coolant - Engine oil change and Wheel alignments ? Any thing specific to be taken care of or ensured ?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this as Am sure for new vehicles wont be much of an issue but as it grows older, constant check would be adding to its life for sure. 

[Looper]

My advice is for Jeep wrangler JL is for every 5k change oil, oil filter and air filter at your personal service Center and every 10k take it to authorised service Center who will do the normal service as per Jeep recommendation. 

[Benjamin]

This is a great question @DP1011 I was actually thinking of putting down the same post here for advice. 
 

because I was thinking that if I got a service every 5000kms the service provider would know me by name at that stage 😂 

Personally atleast at my house myself and @Gary F service at 10,000kms  more convenient and better costs in the end of the day. 
 

however I still unscrew the intake  cover and take the filter out of the intake giving it a tap to remove any large amounts of dust or sand, also vacuum out the intake before placing the filter back into the intake.

[Mark B]

You should be servicing every 5k really, it’s not just filters but the oil, trading enterprises will even tell you to do it every 5k if you go in with a off road looking jeep lol 

[Frederic]

In my case:

* Oil change at 7500-8000km approx, alternating between regular oil change shop and my trusty mechanic. (only good quality fully synthetic oil, i use Castrol 5W40).

* Other maintenance intervals followed strictly on all my cars (diff fluids, other stuff, etc..)

* Air filter cleaning every 2-3 drives (depending on which level drive and terrain it was).

* No wheel rotation.

 

PS there is an app called SimplyAuto. I use it to keep track of maintenance schedules and servicing/repair costs.

[Mark B]

That sounds like a good option, just somewhere between, but if still on service contract, one is free and one is paid so it’s not too bad

Why no wheel rotation, just curious? 

[DP1011]

1 minute ago, Mark B said:

That sounds like a good option, just somewhere between, but if still on service contract, one is free and one is paid so it’s not too bad

Why no wheel rotation, just curious? 

 @Mark B here you go

4 minutes ago, Frederic said:

In my case:

* Oil change at 7500-8000km approx, alternating between regular oil change shop and my trusty mechanic. (only good quality fully synthetic oil, i use Castrol 5W40).

* Other maintenance intervals followed strictly on all my cars (diff fluids, other stuff, etc..)

* Air filter cleaning every 2-3 drives (depending on which level drive and terrain it was).

* No wheel rotation.

 

PS there is an app called SimplyAuto. I use it to keep track of maintenance schedules and servicing/repair costs.

Freddie ! I am inclined with this, but till my warranty, will go with regular 10k Service, and 5-6k oil change with my trusty mechanic, alongside those other maintenance intervals at 2-3k.  

Is this your story too ? @Frederic

 

[DP1011]

13 minutes ago, Benjamin said:

This is a great question @DP1011 I was actually thinking of putting down the same post here for advice. 
 

because I was thinking that if I got a service every 5000kms the service provider would know me by name at that stage 😂 

Personally atleast at my house myself and @Gary F service at 10,000kms  more convenient and better costs in the end of the day. 
 

however I still unscrew the intake  cover and take the filter out of the intake giving it a tap to remove any large amounts of dust or sand, also vacuum out the intake before placing the filter back into the intake.

Guess time to revisit the interval of 10k, with you & @Gary F both now in IM - Its better to spend 200 10 times vs spending 2500 at one go 😂 in addition to having a longer life

[Gary F]

Somewhere in between 5-10k sounds good, my last service at 20k , the old air filter was surprisingly clean.  I’m also thinking there was an 8 week period  we somehow managed to rack up 5k. 
 
And for those of us that grew up in miles 10,000km is only 6214miles

One thing I do really like about having the agency service package is we have used their warranty on work and battery twice which we would not have gotten using some other places. 
 

I rotated the gladiator tires at 10k had to rotate them back at 17k due to wobble , rebalanced and aligned at 19k and now starting to wobble again at 21k,  but this is more a mud terrain tire issue .

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Gary F
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[Simon D]

From my humble experience with cars ( oil and fluids are cheap while engines and Transmission box are expensive )

The oil changing intervals are only  estimates and recommendations based on the Oil companies and the vehicle manufacturers expectation of the driving conditions and driving behaviors of normal drivers on normal roads( which we are not  ). so,  it depends on how much are we pushing the RPM and redlining the engine and for how long and what's the temperature of the oil that we have reached all these factors combined will directly impact on the Oil characteristics degradation and will no longer be able to protect the engine components . 

As my personal rule ( for only my off-road vehicle, for the other vehicles i use some more relaxed protocols 😂 ) i change the oil around 7 to 8k in combination with the following routine :

 check the engine oil status using the dip stick once every 3 to 4 weeks ( or before a long IM drive like sweihan in AD) you will need to get your hands dirty and look for 

  - the oil level it should fall just below the MAX line ( if the oil is closer to the min , will have to top it up)

  - the oil viscosity ,this is the most important characteristics of the oil ( if it is water like fluid then its about time to change )

  - while checking the viscosity with your fingers try also looking for some solid particles in the oil if you do find ( change the oil immediately and flush the engine ) if some sand escape into the engine , this way you will save the engine before it get damaged.

  - If the oil Smell has a burned like smell it means its about time to change soon .

  - use only Fully Syntactic , as the oil which have the word "Syntactic " it means its a blend between syntactic and organic 

  - change the Oil filter with every oil change ( no cutting corners on this one sorry ) 

Very important to make sure to wash the engine bay before the oil change or at least to air blow and clean underneath  the engine oil cap otherwise some trapped sand under the cap might fall inside the engine when opened !!!

 

While for the Gearbox, Transfer case , and differentials  change the fluids between 30 to 40K . but if it happens and you drive in water for a long period of time without an elevated breather ( change all these fluids immediately after the drive )

 

 For the airlifter i have and K&N oiled filter i knock the sand of it every 4 to 5 drives and clean it every 7 to 8 drives ( this might vary from one car to the other depending on the intake position in the car . as in my case i have a snorkel with a pre-filter  

 

There are other things that needs maintenance like the engine coolant flush( usually 100K or 5 years  )  break fluid and others ... etc you should follow the owner manual for your car ( changing these fluids will protect protect the bearings from corroding and will lengthen lifespan of these systems .