I would agree that the quality of the oils produced now is much better and longer-lasting than oils of years past. I'm 100% for innovation and I agree that there is a point where you might be wasting money.. your roof analogy is a bit off the mark tho. I would maybe say that some of the cleaning and treatments to extend roof life maybe up for debate as to whether you're wasting your money and still have to change your shingles after 20 years. And some of these treatments like pressure washing may actually shorten the lifespan of roof shingles. But I don't believe there's any data to prove that if you shorten or change your oil one time between the manufacturer's interval, that's somehow you would be causing harm. Also the roof analogy is an excessively expensive comparison to say just change the roof every 5 years. We are just talking a few hundred dollars maybe 6 months to a year. Also following the guidelines for the ZF8HP transmission from the manufacturer of the transmission and not from JLR. They actually do have a transmission fluid and filter interval. JLR amongst most others all seem to state that it's a lifetime fill. Again, what is their definition of lifetime? I would say taking the manufacturers guidelines as the baseline, and then adding in some services that allow for the potential for a vehicle to have less problems in the future by considering preventative maintenance is a great option for a lot of people, especially people who are considering keeping vehicle for longer than maybe JLR would want you to keep your vehicle. Keep in mind, if a vehicle is going in for service at a reputable shop, there are technicians that really care about your vehicle keeping an eye on things versus the alternative of waiting until 20,000 miles to come in for your first service. And I agree that the book will tell you to shorten intervals based on usage, however, unless your service provider is reminding you or a warning light comes on and your dash, most people do not factor in this level of maintenance. They tend to have very busy lives. Now if you are planning to get rid of your vehicle after warranty, or changing out to a new vehicle every 3 years or so, I would say it may be a waste of money to do preventive maintenance. And yes I am aware of a lot of people that only follow manufacturers guidelines and never have any issues. I am a proponent of allowing owners of vehicles to make up their own mind based off of fact-based information and not just blindly following what a manufacturer requires. The good news is We still have the freedom to repair act that does not handcuff us to a manufacturer and their guidelines.

 

I never asserted that changing oil more frequent than recommended intervals would cause any harm to the motor. All I said was that it's not necessary technically. I even mentioned either on this thread or another similar one that it's completely understandable and sensical to do so for psychological/emotional/mental reason.

I only challenge the conventional wisdom that keeps getting perpetuated that the motor is going to have all kinds of problems down the road if you don't change the oil frequently (i.e. Half of the recommended interval).

My roof analogy was not about pressure wash or treatment and such, instead, it's about material engineering. Perhaps I should use another analogy about decking. Replacing engineered synthetic lumber on your deck every 10 years just in case. Or applying rustproofing coating to the undercarriage of your modern vehicle. Or replacing your motorcycle/ski helmet every year just in case and etc

The point is that technology/engineering continues to advance and protocol changes along with it that reflects the improved performance, capability, and durability and such. Implementing protocol from the past is a waste of money and resources from a technical standpoint. But it's absolutely valuable and worth it from an emotional standpoint.


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Over $1000 at my local dealer. I’d not trust them with this stuff.

DIY approximate costs are
$80 oil
$8 filter
$3 front wipers
$25 cabin air filter
$20 air filter

The oil analysis I’ve had done seems to support the 10k mile intervals I’m using.

Shortening the interval on my rear diff oil change has resulted in noticeable changes. Ie. It’s now quieter. The oil that came out didn’t look great.

I’ll be doing the front diff too soon. It’s not listed in the service schedule at all. Weird.

DIY fluid changes are simple, inexpensive, and will likely benefit high dollar drive train elements that are being worked out.

Anecdotal evidence is a helluva drug though.

 

$600 Land Rover dealer here in town. That's btw just for the oil change...no inspection, no nothing else, no 21k service. I find this a bit hilarious, it's complete price gouging "ability to pay" pricing if you ask me... but whatever...

I'd ask the Land Rover dealer -- Why is the Porsche dealer cheaper on a 992 GT3 oil change than you are on a P400 Defender? Now *that* makes zero sense.

 

FWIW this is what I paid for my last oil change at the dealer. Just an oil and filter change and nothing else.

 

I think here in WA and OR, the dealers know the majority of their customers view oil changes and the likes with levels of complexity approaching rocket surgery.
Most customers don't view DIY (home or auto) as a thing. The dealers don't have any real competition for these service items. Once again, the level of perceived complexity, among the customer base, precludes the use of a regular garage.

It's clever. You got to hand it to them. If your service bays are all full, and you're booked out weeks in advance, if anything, raise your prices.

It's madness, but I'm a cheap mfer.

 

I just paid $1400 for the 21k mile service which was Oil Service, Brake Fluid Flush, Cabin Filter and key batteries. Land Rover Santa Monica.

 

These are pants on heads numbers.

Hope the fob batteries were at least LR branded OEM energizers

 

Agreed, but I wanted to have the service recorded in the Passport to Service to have no issues with warranty and also to have a short list of warranty items taken care of.

 

Where your vehicle gets serviced, and by whom, has no impact on warranty integrity in USA and probably most other places.
This is another oft-touted concern that folks seem to factor in when deciding to shell out dealership prices for dirt cheap simple items. Largely perpetuated by misleading statements by dealerships. Service records can be recorded anywhere.


I've had a bunch of warranty stuff done and my Defender never got serviced by the dealer.
They do a terrible sloppy job with everything as a rule. At least mine does. I almost always have to fix their mistakes.