24/02/2025
When are shortened oil change intervals useful?
What are difficult operating conditions and what are the manufacturers’ recommendations?
Some vehicle manufacturers explicitly prescribe modified maintenance schedules or maintenance/service intervals in the operating instructions. Make sure that you check the information in the vehicle manual. For example, maintenance work and service scopes must be carried out more frequently if the vehicle is mainly or regularly used under difficult conditions. As a rule, the change interval is halved. Depending on the vehicle manufacturer, however, the modified change interval can also be as little as 1/3 of the maximum permissible interval. The service interval display is only an aid.
The driver of the vehicle is responsible for carrying out maintenance work and servicing more often than prescribed due to the actual operating conditions and/or loads. Severe conditions and thus reasons for shorter manufacturer change intervals can be, for example, the following:
Repeated driving over short distances of less than eight kilometers at normal temperatures or less than 16 kilometers in frosty conditions
Excessive idling or driving at low speed for long distances
Frequent driving in stop-and-go traffic
Driving in an area with heavy traffic, e.g. city traffic
Vehicle speeds above 170 km/h
Repeated driving uphill, downhill or over mountain roads
Towing a trailer or using a roof rack
Driving on dusty, muddy, uneven and unpaved roads covered with gravel or de-icing salt
Use as an emergency vehicle, taxi or other commercial use as a towing vehicle
Frequently interrupted regeneration of the particulate filter
Consequences of difficult operating conditions
Severe operating conditions and/or stress are the trigger for contamination in the oil. Fuel ingress destroys the oil film. The lubricity, load-bearing ability, dirt-bearing capacity and long-life capability are reduced as a result and metal-to-metal contact and thus increased wear can occur. Dust and salt have an abrasive effect and can lead to the formation of mirror surfaces on cylinder barrels, to bearing damage and to turbocharger damage.
Note: If the oil is not changed regularly and in good time, there is a risk of serious engine damage.
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Extreme loads, short distances, tough conditions – all of these things put a strain on your engine oil. We help with our additives and individual recommendations.