New car's first oil change?

Question

Just recently bought a 2011 VW Jetta SEL 2.5liter and reached my first 1000 miles, and I had a question on when I should bring it in for its first oil change. I've been hearing differing opinions and was hoping to get some insight from someone here.

My service manual -- and the guys at the VW shop -- state that I am to get the first oil change at 10k miles and every subsequent 10k miles after that, but I recently read it's good practice to change the oil at the first 20 miles, then the first 1000 miles, then every 5000 miles after that. The initial 20 and 1000 miles oil changes to rid the filter and engine of any metal deposits that may be in the oil.

I have the 3 year 36k free maintenance plan and so I called the guy at VW service and he said VW suggests leaving in the factory oil while breaking in the engine and to go by the maintenance schedule, but I can do so but will have to pay the $90 oil change charge to do so.

So what are the thoughts? I know cars are more resilient now than they have been and are made to undergo longer intervals between oil changes, but I want to make sure I break this guy in properly and take care of it so it lasts.

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Answer 1

You should follow the mechanic's advice. They told me the same thing about my 04 Accord. I now have 184,000 miles and it runsvery well. Let it break in properly like they suggest. After that, bring it in for an oil change as often as they will let you get away with. Your manual likely says every 10,000 miles for normal driving, or every 5,000 miles for extreme conditions. This can mean temperatures below freezing, or above 90 degrees, or frequent trips less than 12 miles or so. Look in your manual to see and review it with your mechanic, because if it applies to your driving conditions, than they should change the oil every 5,000 under the maintenance agreement (assuming your says what mine says). The first one should still be at 10,000 though, for the proper break-in.

Answer 2

If you know how to change oil and have a good filter wrench and a small range of metric sockets or wrenches, you can probably handle it. It depends on the car though. For example, a Volvo or certain GM cars may require a large socket due to the use of a canister filter. Just take a look around. Dont listen to these people. The Monkey-lube places are the worst to take your car too. Alot of the time they just guess on filters, and the majority of those guys should not even be at a quick-lube place, let alone a real shop. Take it to a smaller shop that advertises name brand oil and filters. My shop charges 25$ for a basic oil change with name brand oil and filters. Take it do the dealership every few couple oil changes for a check up if you are unsure of your local shop. Jim

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

New car's first oil change?

Just recently bought a 2011 VW Jetta SEL 2.5liter and reached my first 1000 miles, and I had a question on when I should bring it in for its first oil change. I've been hearing differing opinions and was hoping to get some insight from someone here.



My service manual -- and the guys at the...

Answer 4

Americans tend to change their oil way too often. Its not really required, much of it is the dealer and oil mfr. trying to get you to buy more of their oil. The dealer will often say that they changed it, but often does not and still charges you. If you really want to change it, do it yourself to be sure. Many of today's oils last a lot longer than they did years ago. If anything just change the filter. What I found is that if I place my used oil in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid on and let it sit for a month or so, much of the particles will settle to the bottom and it will Look clear like new again. Much is wasted for no good reason. If you go overseas many of the cars last just as long without hardly ever changing the oil, just filters. Figure that?

Answer 5

I have heard that most new cars have the engines broken in before the car is sold to the consumer. This eliminates the need for that short oil change interval you mentioned at the start of your details.



As for sticking with the 10k recommendation that your VW guy told you, I would go with it. My 2010 Chevy Malibu has an oil life sensor, and it usually tells me to change the oil at 8000 miles.

Answer 6

every 7,500 miles is plenty