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First oil change

97K views 188 replies 58 participants last post by  Bigdaddyaw 
#1 ·
When should you do it?
 
#90 ·
I think they do. It has been my experience that they are interested in the customers impressions and the dealers level of service.
It certainly appears that the Danvers dealership doesn't. It's pretty mind boggling that they would deny you your free service because you did an early service at your expense.
 
#92 ·
I think they do. It has been my experience that they are interested in the customers impressions and the dealers level of service.
It certainly appears that the Danvers dealership doesn't. It's pretty mind boggling that they would deny you your free service because you did an early service at your expense.

Two different times they said the same thing.

I'll call Alfa care.
 
#91 ·
^ What he said. They sound like they are playing games.

As far as the oil change thing...generally I'm a fan of early changes however it probably isn't totally nesessary.

1, synthetic oil really is good for 10k intervals. Porsche was one of the 1st to suggest them in the mid nineties. We'de be seeing problems if it wasn't ok.

2, even the 2.0 is a Ferrari design, clean sheet not modified. It does use the "Multi-air" setup from Fiat, but that is a plus. Besides the efficency improvements it is designed specifically for direct injection and controls airflow and cooling properly to minimize the dreaded carbon biuld up issues. I owned a 2013 Fiat 500 and put 130k on it in 2 years (driving between Prescott and Phoenix AZ 5 days a week) since it was always intended to be driven into the ground I changed the oil myself at about 10-15k (that many miles/day it only takes a few days to go way over). That engine was bullet-proof, beat the crap out of it running up the mountain in 3rd gear at redline doing 70mph everyday and it never let me down, gas miledge only got better, and the power never got worse....

...unlike the 2015 Jetta I just got rid of, 50k on it oil changes done religiously at 5k. That was having carbon problems IMO, gas milege and power both dropped significantly from new. It was also driven primarily in Prescott a town with no speed limits above 50mph anywhere, and most of them are 35, so the engine was not run up to redline to blow out the crud.

IMO running the engine up to redline reasonably often is more important than 5k mile oil changes for long term reliability. Direct injection is very reliable in race engines, which get run at redline all the time...

So it is only my experiance, but 10k oil changes are fine on modern high performance engines. The problems come from babying the engine too much, use the entier rev band, let the engine breath...
 
#93 ·
WHAT HE SAID!! YOU SUMMED UP MY 20YRS WORTH OF RESEARCH ON THE TOPIC. I HAVEN'T BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT OIL CHANGES FOR YEARS NOW, BUT FOR SOME REASON , I KNEW dI ENGINES HAD CARBON BUILD UP ISSUES. (Ecoboosts's have very frequent change intervals. My dealer was offering free changes every 3750mi). YOU JUST EXPLAINED TO ME MORE ABOUT THE MULTIAIR CONCEPT THAN I HAVE FOUND TO READ. (oops caps lock). I will let the computers guide me...... As the slug munches on my brain.
 
#96 ·
^ Technically I am mis-speaking, but then so is everybody that says the Quad engine is a Ferrari V8 with 2 cylinders chopped off (it does share ALOT with the design of Ferrari V8s though). Every Alfa Romeo engine in an all Alfa design, however the engineers behind the designs were hired away from Ferrari. Alfa wanted everything top secret so once they started working on the Giorgio platform they stopped working for, and communicating with, Ferrari.

It was on one of the youTube videos I watched. Don't remember which one specifically, but it was at a hotel in Italy at a press drive, and the host interviewed one of the engine designers, I believe he worked on the engine modifications for the Ferrari FXX before moving to the Giorgio team. Remember specifically him saying the 2.0 in the Alfa was one of his favorite engine designs ever, how they used everything they know about how to reliably cool an engine on it, like the liquid cooling for the turbo, etc...


Remember, the entire Giorgio platform including both gasoline engines was engineered by a skunkworks team in just under 2 1/2 years, that team was led by Ferrari engineers...

This article mentions Gianluca Pivetti, I think he was the person interviewed in the video I saw, really not positive on that though. It also talks about the uniqueness of the quad engine.

https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/alfa-romeos-revolutionary-gamble-in-development
 
#97 ·
I am just passed 3000 miles and my oil change light came on - anyone else way below 10k miles? I would feel better around 5k but given the car was built in sept 2017 this is probably a good thing - anyone agree?
 
#98 ·
Other than level, it would be good to confirm what other aspects of oil quality and condition can be monitored- I, for one, baby my car (long distance runner more than hard performance) and so far went to the 10K and now 20K intervals with no warning. I would consult with my dealer in case the interval setting is the thing. @ 20K, the tech said the oil was dirty (and he prefers less time between changes personally) but following the book is probably the right thing under normal use. Keep us in the loop please.
 
#99 ·
"built September 2017"

I guess the clock tripped your 12 months or 10,000 indicator.

if the oil has been in use for that amount of time it has had contaminants just from start up etc - but realistically, how much stuff has been created, and if your delivery date and actual use is far short of a year .....

perhaps if you haven't had the vehicle for long, Alfa will take care of you now and at 10,000, as one could say they provided you with oil past it's prime - but I sure wouldn't be upset if they did an over ride of the reset to something that reflects the reality.
just an opinion, no factual data on oil contamination levels from driving a vehicle on/off a boat and a truck.
 
#100 ·
"Remember specifically him saying the 2.0 in the Alfa was one of his favorite engine designs ever,"

no, no, he said this about the V-6 on a stelvio quad intro in dubai video, at the rest stop with that gangly Brit big bucks cars driver.

he probably says it about every engine he's involved with, and why not - favorite for the parameters etc, and of course these guys don't forget what they already know when they do a new project, they build on and apply their knowledge and experience.
Alfa engines, Alfa suspension, with designs by engineers quite aware that Ferrari got it's start using Alfa cars, and then a "stolen" Alfa engineer, and yes, Ferrari has made 4 and 6 cylinder cars as well
 
#102 · (Edited)
Don't think that was the one I'm thinking of. The one I'm talking about was definitely in Italy and featured the 2.0, I specifically didn't do any research on the quad before getting the Stelvio since it wasn't what I was looking at.

Pretty sure there was small amount of snow driving in it also, might not have been in English, I watched every video I could find on the 2.0, some of them through translators since there are more Euro videos....it could have been attached to an article too, after a while it all runs together.

Or I could be remembering wrong.

Probably right about the engineers saying that about every engine, but maybe not too. Most car companies do not let thier engineers steer the ship, Alfa obviously did.

Just look at the heat shielding around the turbo on the 2.0, Audi, BMW, MBZ, Toyota..they would never ok development and manufacturing expenses for that on a base model engine...or the placement, it is one of the most accessible turbos on any engine, which could also be said about almost anything else on the 2.0. Even the oil filter is thoughfully placed for maintenance, all the A/C fittings are open and easy to get hoses on - and the lines are routed intelligently through the engine bay, not just shoved where they fit. The bolts and nuts used throughout the engine are high grade metal and placed with enough room to get a socket on them without doing yoga for the most part. Even with a truckton of electronics and wires all over the top of the engine the spark plugs/coil packs are still basically easy to get at and don't require the tech to relocate anything (doesn't look like it at least), then lets talk about the electronics, they use connectors that are designed to be removed and reattached without breaking! Unlike say everyone else in Europe, who primarily use single use connectors that basically have to be broken to remove, making diagnosis expensive and/or slow, especially once the car is a few years old.

Even the way the hood is hinged to bring it up at the rear a little which actually makes it easy to access the entier engine from either side as well as the front! People make a big deal about the "service position" Honda uses for thier hoods...Alfa makes the service position the only position...most manufacturers would tell the engineers "No" too expensive and no one cares about a hinge.... Which is correct, except for engineers...they care about hinges. (Owners and technitions do to, just not till poor design/engineering makes work harder/more expensive and then it is too late)

Alfa just let the engineers do what they wanted, then told the design team to make it work. Most car companies do the reverse. The design team does what it wants and the engineers make it work. More and more the real engineers aren't even employed directly by the manufacturers but work for a supplier subcontracted to engineer vehicles based on design specs. Look up Magna Steyr and thier connection to Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, etc...

I haven't poked around the engine bay of the quad, but the 2.0 reads like a love letter from an Automotive engineer to the people who will be driving and maintaining the vehicle...seems like it could be some engineer's favorite....

(Not getting into limitations set by regulations, or market demands/positioning and profitability requirments...at the end of the day, no one really just does what they want.)

Sorry for the book. I just really think the 2.0 is an incredibly under-rated engine. If BMW or Honda came out with something like this the automotive press would start a new religion around it...but Alfa did it so the best you get is, "It's nice but it'll probably catch fire or something, that V6 though..."

Like the pic BTW...
 
#105 ·
Unless your dealer is a petrochemical degree'd expert, I 'd ignore him. The least of my concerns on a garaged vehicle in the 21st century is the time frame. Outside in the humid south....I might think a bit differently or cold starting in Maine or Minnesota all winter.... It does NO HARM to sevice more but every test you see has proven it is unnecessary with 21st century lubricants and engines. If you want to make the motor last 300000 miles instead of 275000 miles , go for it, but add up the costs of those additional changes and you would be better off replacing the vehicle 6 months sooner.
 
#107 ·
If sensors say it is time.....ABSOLUTELY. They are doing their job.



About that 3K oil change light. If that car sat outside in an above mentioned climate and was only started intermittently to move cars in lot for example, the sensors may indeed detect oil that should be changed. Besides that, after your 1st freebie, dealers LOVE to change your oil more often as they get more opportunities to recommend other things like brake pads, filters ...........padding the profits is natural at many dealerships.
 
#108 ·
Having had my head under the hood (that **** front section!!!!) of 2 BMW's , I can fully attest to what Alfaoffroad is saying. On my BMW X5d, The PROFOUND STUPIDITY of placing the urea tanks in the midst of the engine so it takes hours to disassemble and reassemble half the engine bay was unacceptable, especially for a part that has a known history of failing on all the vehicles prematurely. To make things worse, when the redesigned from the original TT diesel to the single turbo in 2015, those same idiots, even with evidence of thousands of urea tank failures, kept the tanks in the same non serviceable location.



That post I just read made me think back to my initial visit to look at a Stelvio and checking out under the hood. I remember thinking about how much room there was to get to stuff. Having just done my 1st mod, the air intake was readily accessible. I did not have to disconnect one thing not related to this mod!!! It is actually easy to rest the oil change computer unlike the hyroglyphics you deal with on a BMW. The stupidity of having to see a dealer when you drop in a new battery was also $$$ BS. I blew it off because my vehicle was always on a charger, so I figured the car was always operating from a position of battery strength. Folks on forums had experienced same thing. The simplicity of the DNA architecture is like years more logical than the 20 buttons of BS on a Porsche or the myriad of redundant settings on higher end beemers.... Great thread!!
 
#109 ·
Talked to dealer - they are recommending waiting. I am considering waiting until at least 5000 miles. I am in the northeast (philly area) so fairly large temperature shifts season to season. I am having the two recalls completed on the 5th so I may change my mind - certainly don't want to void the warranty.
 
#110 ·
I just had my service done at AR Birmingham,AL. Bought a number of cars there over the years (it's a 150 mile drive each way). Service was excellent they did a top notch job, fixed the four recalls too.

I've got to say I hate the way you have to check oil on this car! It seems so massively imprecise. I note mine is slightly low, but I'm only adding a tiny bit each time so I don't go too far. Was it that tough to put a dipstick into the design?
 
#111 ·
I've got to say I hate the way you have to check oil on this car! It seems so massively imprecise. I note mine is slightly low, but I'm only adding a tiny bit each time so I don't go too far. Was it that tough to put a dipstick into the design?
AMEN!

........ and increasingly higher end cars are placing cover panels underneath the car for better aerodynamics and engine protection, BUT, how hard is it to design an access panel to the oil drain plug???!!!
 
#112 ·
One good reason to use the dealer for service: on my previous Overland, the front skid plate disappeared along the way (it has to be removed to access the drain plug) - the dealer is very meticulous in this regard.
 
#113 ·
Its amazing what you can do with a sawsall and a few 1/4 turn quick release fasteners if it bothers you. Those panels, to me are great in the winter because they keep most of the winter nastiness from getting blasted all over the engine bay in slushy nasty events. They drop of a a few minutes. Downside of a dipstick, remember on vehicles with a really slanted dipstick how it could read full on one side , yet be down a pint on the other??? That one always got me!
 
#114 ·
I'm NOT buying a $45K-$50k car to use a sawsall on it and or drill holes in it!! :eek The underneath panels do serve a purpose but designing an access panel for the oil drain plug is not rocket science in the automotive industry.

Oil dipsticks, thank god, are still used in extensively in cars from all sorts of manufacturers, precisely for easy checks that doesn't require a mechanic. So in a very well thought-out scheme, they have replaced the unflinching reliability of a dip-stick with electronic sensors riding in a bath of very hot oil with hydrocarbons mixed in. Sometimes engineers enthralled with their own cleverness do things simply because they can, but there are supposed to be adults in the room to stop them.
 
#116 ·
Dipstick has a long history of being a derogatory term.......


BTW, I won't cut a hole in mine either because it is so darn easy to remove the panel.
 
#120 ·
^ best reason for getting a Quad I've heard...

Now I just need to be able to swing $80k...


Btw, we can thank the Germans for no dipstick. First manufacturers I know of were Porsche, Audi, BMW. The market accepted it from them, now almost everyone does it. Supposedly keeps the engine cleaner...
 
#121 ·
WOW!! its amazing that they put a dipstick on the higher end Stelvio knowing full well that the 2.0 liter engine didn't have it .... a sensor is a good thing to have to tell you the oil is low (just like many older cars have a warning light on the instrument cluster) .... but more importantly, the ability to not only SEE how low the oil is but to see the COLOR as well
 
#122 ·
Dipstick is nothing. What pisses me off is no drain plug on some new Vehicles. Major turn off on new Jags. That means I pull cover at first change, drill and install one. I guess I understand gravity better than the manufacturers. Heavy stuff sinks to the bottom.
 
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