Howdy...
We have a 2yr old car that as the second car does not do too many k's a month, probably averaging ~14,000km a year.
Like all manufacturer's new car warranty the service period is no longer based soley on 'use' - ie mileage, but also time period. They all state something like the service interval is 10,000km or 6 months whichever comes first...
I just want to understand why a brand new car that does light domestic duties needs to be serviced every six months when it is well off the mileage? I don't believe the BS about thickening oils and perishing rubber hoses - this is 2011 not 1959....
I would have thought that an annual service so long as the vehicle is running well and has not exceeded the next service km's is all that is required... 
Over time you get fuel contamination of oil as the fuel can seep past the rings on shutdown and get into the oil. Also you will get condesation from the engine getting hot then cooling off so you get water contamination.
Tbh I get my oil done every six months rather than looking at kays. Its cheap enough just to get an oil & filter change at any service center or DIY 
I would do the K's option but no longer than an annual interval. Coolants and oils are up to it these days and if the car is used regularly then there should be no problem.
Works for me....
Agree Doggie
But most of the time that car will only need oil changes, at least 2 out of three services will only be oil and a filter
and it is still $130 plus for a service in which you get $20 of oil and a $8 filter (at dealer cost) so I can see his objection.
$100 labour for a 5min job?
Oh I forgot the 100 point safety check ..........where 20 points are wheel nuts, 4 pts for tyre tread, 4 pts for tyre inflation, 1 for steering wheel attached, 1 point for "it starts" and so on. 
but dont buy them off me, Im expensive
but dont buy them off me, Im expensive
If it' $700.00 then they will do somthing important... (have look in the book)
If you wanna save some money, save the intermediate oil changes.
I did not change the timing belt once and it cost me $3000.00 
my credentials:
* Double decker bus electrician
* Double decker bus mechanic
* Ford commercial technician
* Ford car technician
* Ford CPU diagnostics and multiplex wiring engineer
* Drivechain (inc auto) rebuild specialist
* Roadworthy licenced for car and commercial (MOT)
(Bus 4 years, Ford Dealer 8 years)
the answer to your query is: KM's is the only thing that counts
Time interval is purely added to generate revenue from the light use market.
probably identified by some suit, as 15% of the market could be scammed into required services.
The whole car industry is run by cowboys.
While I was at ford they changed their parent company trading name 3 times in 8 years - guarantee this was all very clever tax planning.
Ive seen some shocking things go down at manufacturer service centres.
but dont buy them off me, Im expensive
Got a new 100 series Landcruiser once. The great aussie go anywhere tough as vehicle.
Drove it out the dealer and headed north.
Didn't even get to my destination before the first service was due. Less than 3/4 of one journey and service is due (1,000 km). Voided the warranty before I had even managed to get home.
Then the book says every 10,000 km - or 5,000km if used in 'harsh' environment.
Are they really telling me a new diesel engine with modern oils can't do more than 5,000 km ?. That is a service almost once a week.
Go buy another brand of vehicle of very similar nature and the service interval is 5,000km for first check and then 20,000km. You do one service for every four in a 'cruiser.
Now, I would agree that the more often and better quality oils the better, but 5,000km for the toughest 4x4 built for harsh remote locations ? got to be takin' the piss if it is 5,000km for one brand and 20,000km for another.
Don't trust dealers full stop. I bought a 2002 Commodore brand new, got to the 20k service they rang me and said my front brake pads wouldn't get to the next service, told them i am a mechanic i will replace them myself, they made all the usual noises about voiding warranty blah blah blah, after a couple of minutes back and forth of arguing they agreed it would not void my warranty as i was a qualified person. The point is, I sold the car at 102000kms and it still had the original brake pads with plenty of meat on them.
I also was told the brake fluid needed flushing at the same service ($110) I said no and asked if they could give the phone number of Holden so I could ask why they were using inferior brake fluid in their vehicles from new if it needed to replaced after only 20000 kms. they packpeddled very quickly.
I have had other makes as well since then and they are all the same. I don't mind paying for something that needs doing, but don't try and rip me off or you will never see me again.
^^^Troopy...?
Dang it, was gonna buy one of them
as mentioned, kays all that matter; wanna get picky, the type of kays matter just as much.
be safe, break out the tools and do it every 5000k, keep the old oil for two stroke mix
I have an 80series 4.2TD 50%road, %50harsh
For me.
5k oil, oil filter, Blow out the filter.
10k oil, oil/fuel/air filters, new diff oil, new coolant + flush, balance+rotate all wheels
15k as per 5k + full going over + torch, mirror, hrs on my back, the fun stuff 
go the K's, save money. NasiGoreng is on the money.
Carantoc , do you want a vehicle with electric windows and a CD player or one that gets you home when the going gets tough, the standard level diesel cruiser is the best there is. My 100 has never let me down and neither has my old mans 80. Cruisers are the best, good enough for every tough situation around the world from the UN to the Somalian guerilla. So what if they need an oil change every 5k, happy to pay that for rock solid reliability.
Yes my wife has a little Japanese car and we get it serviced at a local mechanic. We follow the service book intervals to ensure the warranty is valid. Once its out of warranty I think we will change the oil and filter every 7000 kms.
My diesel van needs an oil and filter change every 5000 kms. The oil gets so dirty so quickly.
I'm not trying to be rude about about 'cruisers. But then again not saying they are the only thing that is any good. Plenty of other vehicles out there will get you home everytime.
My point is more related to the first post, the query was 'is 6 months too often if you haven't done the kms, even thought he handbook says do it'
I say yes it is in respect of the question.
Isn't the manufacturer specifying 6 months because many people drive every day, doing say 4 trips in stop start traffic but clocking 25km per day so only do 5,000km in 6 months. But wear on the engine is not half of 10,000km done on long steady journeys.
The 6 months surely isn't related to oils going off. Go buy a tub of oil in a motor shop. How old do you reckon it is, time from refining to packing to distributing to retailing to sitting in your shed to goign into your engine, even before you turn the key. If oils went off in 6 months and blew engines they would have a 'use by date' on the tub.
I was only being rude about a cruiser in respect of what I saw as excessive manufacture recommendations in general. It was an example I had.
My current vehicle has nearly 200,000km on it, gets serviced by the book, at the dealer everytime - every 20,000km irrespective of the time period. It too has never let me down. Been everywhere from Cape Leuwin to Cape York, across the Nullabour on the old coach road, into the Simpson. Pulls a horsebox everyweekend.
I've also got a vehicle built in 1983, 160,000 miles on the clock (speedo not in km), I change the oil every 10,000 miles, which lately has been couple of year intervals. Filter is always clean, no metal filings in the sump, all good I reckon.
Change the oil every six months instead of twelve would give GPA what ?? engine life of 300,000km not 250,000km ? is that really that important on a vehicle that will take 20 years to get to 250,000km ? the engine may be great but rest of the vehicle is shot.
A diesel is also slightly different to a petrol, the sump oil get harsher treatment with the sulphur and other particulates.
If you run the diesel on home made poorly filtered veg oil, change the filter every 2,000km.
But modern oil, in a modern engine running on modern fuel must last more than six months of occasional use surely ?
