Walt... the house next door just sold... and unfortunatly the new owner has already figured out how to sucker me into the odd "help"...
Just drain you current factory oil, leave the factory filter it is good...put in 3.8 quarts of what ever brand and weight you intend to use for the life of the car and do not worry about all us motor heads over anal procedures...
You can still do the brake bedding procedure... because I bet you have not have many oppurtunitis to get them real hot yet...
Based on your post, I assume you are being timid and real easy on the new Lil Bugger... this week ...after she is all warmed up to full operating temp you should do at leat two real good and firm accelerations from stop up to 35~45 mph being rather agressive with the throttle every day...like going to work and on the way home...
Do this, being slightly more and more agressive, for the next two weeks ...do a final oil and filter change @400~500 miles, and enjoy the new car...
Leave in the factory filter? The whole reason you change the factory oil immediately is because there is likely to be metal shavings and detritus left over from the manufacturing process in a new engine. That stuff is now in the filter. You very definitely should change the filter every time you change the oil. If you don't change the filter, you are saving a whole $8.00, assuming you are aware of the non-smart branded equivalent filters.
Leave in the factory filter? The whole reason you change the factory oil immediately is because there is likely to be metal shavings and detritus left over from the manufacturing process in a new engine. That stuff is now in the filter. You very definitely should change the filter every time you change the oil. If you don't change the filter, you are saving a whole $8.00, assuming you are aware of the non-smart branded equivalent filters.
Well, now that you've mentioned it, what are some of the non-smart branded equivalent filters?
“All of the above instructions also apply when driving the first 1000 miles (1500 km) after the engine has been replaced.”
That sounds a little ominous, especially when appearing in the new car break-in section.
i think smart is thinking far down the line, 100-150-250K miles, when you replace the engine, you just have to do this 1000 mile thing again, some people are a bit more paranoid than others
i think smart is thinking far down the line, 100-150-250K miles, when you replace the engine, you just have to do this 1000 mile thing again, some people are a bit more paranoid than others
No, not paranoid myself. Just noting that it isn't the most comforting thing to appear in a new owner's instructions. I've never had an owners manual that invited my thoughts toward an engine replacment at any mileage.
hi oldsmart, i've been going 10 years on a new car for the last 20 years, my last had only 37,000 miles on it when i sold it. (1998 chevy metro) i did oil changes with regular 5W-30 all along at 2000 mile intervals, usually 6-7 months, at one time i went 5000 miles on wallymart full synthetic, the engine ran like new when i sold it. i've never known of a car that used oil under my ownership. personally, i'm thinking of playing it "safe", i'm uncomfortable with 10,000 miles changes, i'm approaching 1,700 miles with the original oil in it, i drive rather conservatively, and will continue to do so. my step-father got a new BMW 325xi a few years ago and it's recommended oil change interval was 15,000 miles, i think he died before it hit that mark, and the car died because my mother didn't drive it in 2+ years, so the fuel jelled and the car won't start! (my mother killed my step-father and his BMW, it's still dead in the garage 4 years later)
i'm thinking of changing the oil/filter at 3,000 miles and split the difference, the filter will catch the crap, not much surface area in a 1 liter engine. i'm sort of with Fred, i prefer the anal approach, but i don't drive 15-20K miles a year. my father is a retired aircraft A&P mechanic of 42 years, he did the scheduled stuff on planes and is lax on his cars. 12 years ago i worked at a ford dealership in the parts department. a dealership thrives on maintenance, not new car sales, so they make money on the "service". i'm not going to do mine at 10,000 miles! i'll buy a few filters from the dealer and get my oil changed at a local shop at shorter intervals.
as of now, i intend to keep the smart as my "life" vehicle (barring a bad accident) or winning the lottery, so i can have a cabrio and a few other cars, i'll be 48 this year and think this car can outlive me, if well maintained. my metro only required a new cat converter, outside of oil changes in 10 years. GM screwed me on that, a cat converter is 8 year/80K mile warranty, mine failed at 6 years/22K miles and they refused to replace it! can you say F@CK GM?!?!?
My intent is 10,000 or yearly maintenance with a 5,000 mile or 6-month oil and filter change in between, whichever comes first. When I predict my usage I think I will be on the year/6-month cycle rather than miles. I see 7,000 to 8,000 short-haul miles a year.
I have about 5100K miles already, so I went to the local smart center and bought the Mitzu filter and gasket for about $15 total. Then had a friend help me drain the oil, replace the gasket and filter, then top it off with the 3.5 quarts. Took maybe half hour from start to finish and paid my friend $20 for his time.
Didn't seem to help a whole lot on the mileage as I just filled up and got 37 MPG. At least I am set for another 5,000 miles...
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1976 Rover Mini
2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (SOLD)
2009 smart Passion (Gone)
2011 smart Passion
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