Hi I own a 2007 Ford Focus 1.6L manual trans with 174,000km (108,000miles). I mainly use it for short distance driving around where I live, with quite a lot of stop start traffic. Would you recommend changing the oil & filter at more regular intervals than the usual 4-5000 miles due to the short distances and stop start driving
Thanks in advance
conal
If you use full synthetic oil, 5000 miles is perfectly fine. However, if you use regular oil, I’d change it every 3000 miles.
To burn off the built up carbon, feel free to give the car an Italian tune up, once a month on the highway. You may or may not notice your engine running smoother after it, too.
Short distance, stop-and-go driving is, in terms of classification, "severe use." I'd change it at 3K. "Oil is cheap. Engines are expensive."
To be fair, I pored over my own cars owner manual and that of my flatmates car also. Both classed stop start driving as what you did, extreme use and recommended a change at 5-6000km which is 3-3500 miles or so. Which I have unconsciously been doing for the last four years anyway as she gets new oil and filter twice per year in March and September!
I agree that you should be changing 3-5k miles as that would be considered "severe" driving. Full synthetic is the best.
You seem to be doing a good job.
Follow the maintenance guide in your owners manual under severe driving conditions. It should give you the oil change interval for severe driving conditions. I agree with @kerem it's best to use full synthetic oil.
Yeah fully synth is what I use anyway, its only about €10 more expensive per gallon than mineral or semi-synth here.
Yes I'm a fan of the Italian tune up, usually I dump a bottle of the injector cleaner fluid in the tank too and run it at about 3,500rpm in 4th gear for at least a 50km stretch!
Thanks for the assistance,
conal
No worries & all the best.