Servicing New Giulietta?

[Laura]

Hi, I've been told that I need to take my new Giulietta into get serviced at 3,000KM.  Is this normal? And should I also get the filters & oils changed at $250.  Any feedback would be great.  Ciao

[alfamisa]

Hi Laura, you don't "need" to do it, it's optional on Giulietta's.

Basically overseas the first service is 30,000 km but for Australia it's already halved to 15,000 km (or 12 months) so it really is not necessary at 3000 km. It's a carry over from old days when all engines would leave residue and worn metal in the running in period...old days manufacturing.

However you know how you drive your Alfa (it's not a car) and if the length of time into it's first 12mths has meant lots of stop start movement in traffic long periods of idling (not using start/stop function) then you might wish to do it due to some dilution of the oil but something a good country drive would fix say every month or two (like a Alfa club drive day - see calendar). But really the factory oil and filter can handle 30,000 kms. But we do it at 15,000 in Australia.

PS A first service is approx. $360 at 12mths or 15,000km so $250 is just for oil and filter, a nice little earner for a dealer.
PSS I talking about the 1.4 Giulietta in my comments above regarding kms before service.

[colcol]

If it was me, i would drive the car home, drain the oil, put some running in oil in it a take for a 1,000 klm drive through the hills to run it in and dump the oil and filter and then put in whatever Alfa Romeo recommend.
The most important time for a car engine is the running in period, do it properly and it will last good and not use much oil, don't run it in properly and it won't bed in correctly.
Engines in the olden days and today have sharp pieces of metal from the manufacturing process, that get smoothed out and bed in during the running in period, this produces swarth, that is shards of metal.
You don't want sharp bits of metal floating round in your engine, thats why you change the oil and filter, early on.
The cheapest thing you will put in your engine is oil, Colin.

[Steve S]

Hi, I've been told that I need to take my new Giulietta into get serviced at 3,000KM.  Is this normal? And should I also get the filters & oils changed at $250.  Any feedback would be great.  Ciao

Told by who? Follow the owners manual or any updated service information you may have received in writing from the dealer.

The sulphur content in our premium fuel can be up to 5 times higher than in Europe so the service intervals need to be shorter as explained. I would be inclined to change the oil at 10,000km if you are performing mostly short trips or heavy urban driving

[Silver Bodgie]

I agree with Steve follow the manufactures recommendations. The Service book does mention that if you do less than 10000 km a year change the oil and filter.
Peter

[jdk]

Hi, I have a new 1.4 Giulietta and asked this very question a couple of weeks ago. I was told that it "required" a service at 2,000km but this was optional. Not sure how it can be required and optional at the same time? The service sticker on the windscreen shows 2,000km.
I contacted the dealer service department and they confirmed that the 2,000km service (check over) was optional but most customers chose to change the oil as well - cost advised as $50.00.
For the stated fifty dollars that is exactly what I will be doing (currently have 1000km on the clock).

John

[alfamisa]

I contacted the dealer service department and they confirmed that the 2,000km service (check over) was optional but most customers chose to change the oil as well - cost advised as $50.00.
For the stated fifty dollars that is exactly what I will be doing (currently have 1000km on the clock).

John

Yes John like Laura and you I too actually have a 1.4 Giulietta. Not wishing to repeat myself I said what the manufacturer states oil & filter change 15,000 km or 12 months (this is the Australian version overseas it's 30,000 or 24 mths).

It states in the service book "If  the vehicle is mainly used for town driving or has an annual mileage of less than 10,000 km, the engine oil and filter must be replaced at least every 12 months".

So as this note duplicated the time period of "or 12 months" change it is logical to assume this note was intended for the overseas 30,000 km or 24 months.

I agree with you John that the dealer could have explained better, if he had he should have said that unlike the 147 (that I also owned from new) that did have a provision in the maintenance booklet for the 3000 km interim service, the Giulietta does not, because it isn't needed.

And please let me know that dealer's name, hell if he can change the oil and filter for $50 I'll be going there in future! For my first 12mth service (well under 15,000 kms) cost $73 KPE oil and $30 filter! That's before labour!

[colcol]

The most important oil and filter change in the cars career, dump the oil and filter to get rid of all the metal fragments.
The reason for the long oil change policy and no oil change when the car is new, so that it looks good to potential buyers, "look it will only cost you the price of an oil change in the first 15,000klms", Colin.

[Craig_m67]

The manufacturer has spent thousands of hours testing and ensuring that the service schedule ensures no risk to the engine so that they themselves are not exposed to expensive warranty claims and/or poor product performance and perception.

If you think you know better than the collective knowledge of decades of engineers at FPT, knock yourself out and change the oil. I'm sure the environment will thank you (better still give it to somebody like me with a JTD and I will use it as fuel).

[colcol]

For $50 they claim it will cost to dump the old oil out, i would do that.
When the engines are manufactured, the bores and bearing surfaces are still rough from the machining marks and as they slide over each other, they knock off the high spots, which are shards of metal, which end up in the oil and filter.
Every time i have done an engine, i always put in running in oil, which i usually buy at Repco, its made by Valvoline or Penrite, its quite thin, to get around the engine and to create friction and it has detergent in it to clean the rubbish out.
Its no big deal, thats what i would do, but if you don't, its not the end of the world, but i keep my cars forever, look at the 30 year old Alfa 33, but a lot keep their car for 3 years until the lease is up then they sell it on, so changing your oil out is not an issue, Colin.

[jdk]

Laura,
This question may be oustide of the forum rules (mod - please let me know) but would be very interested to know the name of your dealer. Seems I may have been given the $50.00 as a throw away line. The $250.00 quoted to you for oil/filters seems to me to be more likley. Not that it matters - this is my car and I will be keeping for a long time - all oil/filters will be changed at 2000kms regardless of price.
thanks

John

[Mick A]

The most important oil and filter change in the cars career, dump the oil and filter to get rid of all the metal fragments.
The reason for the long oil change policy and no oil change when the car is new, so that it looks good to potential buyers, "look it will only cost you the price of an oil change in the first 15,000klms", Colin.

What is your source for that information Colin?

I don't think that is correct at all.

[colcol]

The manufacturers like to have cheap capped servicing during the first 3 years of ownership, it makes it look like the cars are cheaper to own during that period.
If it is under lease, and you don't buy the car back after the lease is up, then the lack of oil changes is someone else's problem.
I would get an oil change done at 1,000-3,000 klms, to remove all the residue from the running in process, if i owned the car, but thats just me, Colin.

[Mick A]

You didn't answer my question!

[Garibaldi]

I sell brand T and the first service on all our vehicles is at 1,000 klms or 1 month whichever comes first. Changing the oil is not part of this service. I get what Colin is saying but if a big company like this with a huge reputation to protect does not recommend it then it must be ok.