Minimum Budget Service

alstar5 · 08-07-2021, 10:22 AM

Hey Forum

I own a 2008 FG G6 with 196,000 kms. Due to my financial situation, I decided to sell the car, only to have second thoughts and I've decided to go ahead and keep her.

There is very little wrong with the car other than a rough idle. I have owned her since 140,000 kms and I've had no problems whatsoever.

Here is my issue - I'm 3,000 kms OVER the last service (13,000 kms in total). I know that pushing a used Falcon beyond 10,000 for a service can ruin the whole "Built Ford Tough" but I genuinely cannot afford to fork out the $600.00 quoted by my mechanic which would include everything that needs to be done.

I am wondering if there is any chance of my having like an "emergency" service done. I could probably afford around $250.00 / $300.00 max. I could then revisit the situation in a few months time when I've got some more money together.

I guess my questions is:

1. Will it hurt to drive the car to 15,000 kms over the last service?
2. If not, what is the absolute minimum I should do? Just oil + filter??

I'd appreciate anybodys assistance with this.

bangm001 · 08-07-2021, 10:30 AM

Just do oil and filter yourself if budget is tight? What else needs doing?

**PG2** · 08-07-2021, 10:41 AM

Aren't FG Falcons 12 month/15,000k service intervals?

slowsnake · 08-07-2021, 11:12 AM

when I joined this website in 2016 it was not for mateship or camaraderie, it was the best Ford Forum I could find that dealt with mainly Australian manufactured Fords!

My AU2 Fairmont was a high klm but a seemingly well cared for car, the outside was perfect, this told me the previous owner cared for his car, but inside was a little rough, not tidy, torn drivers seat etc but ok otherwise, the key was hard to use to open door, asked about remote, he gave me a sandwich bag with bits and pieces, quick look and I knew a very small joint needed to be resoldered ( it was easy and I fixed it ).

He stated he was a motor mechanic by trade, and looking at his garage at home it was messy, tells me he only fixed things when they were broken beyond repair!
But for $2000, it looked OK, had a fully rebuilt auto trans, with receipts and I could see visually it was what he said, I needed a comfortable ride Sydney to Perth, this was as good as any, screwed it down to $1500.

But everything I have done to that car, services to major issues, well I got all I needed from this forum, and still do find all I need here.
Personally because I drive very "quietly" and low km per year, I change oil at 10,000 km, plus 1 or 2 thousand, oil filter 15,000 km, plus 1 or 2 thousand and so on and so forth, its a stop start shopping trolley, that gets blasted along some back road once in awhile, like flat out, get them cobwebs out.

If you drive hard service often, if a soft/quietly driven car service when you hear the pistons coming through the block or you experience "lift off"...

Cheers King Billy

alstar5 · 08-07-2021, 12:10 PM

Thanks so much for this advice. I drive "quietly" and even match the acceleration to the automatic transmission (hard to describe but I can predict the gear change and accelerate accordingly). I never drive hard because reliability means so much to me. This isn't to say I don't "stretch her legs" with the occasional 125km/h cruise control on the Princes Hwy.

I just spoke to my mechanic who told me to buy my own oil + filter, he'll take a look and let me know if anything urgent needs doing (I trust this guy).

ivorya · 08-07-2021, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alstar5

Thanks so much for this advice. I drive "quietly" and even match the acceleration to the automatic transmission (hard to describe but I can predict the gear change and accelerate accordingly). I never drive hard because reliability means so much to me. This isn't to say I don't "stretch her legs" with the occasional 125km/h cruise control on the Princes Hwy.

I just spoke to my mechanic who told me to buy my own oil + filter, he'll take a look and let me know if anything urgent needs doing (I trust this guy).

Ask him for a quote on the oil + filter. He may have a good discount going.
Also have a look at some online stores and compare to Supercheap, Autobarn, Repco etc.

I've been buying my filters from sparesbox but have been told by supercheap that they'll match online stores.

Tassie f100 · 08-07-2021, 02:28 PM

Just do a basic oil and filter change,probably cost you around $100 if you do it yourself.It isn’t rocket science,getting under it is the hardest part,but maybe you can park over a street kerb or run it up a ramp made up of a couple of bits of 150 x 50 timber and a couple of timber blocks.

The Yeti · 09-07-2021, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowsnake

He stated he was a motor mechanic by trade, and looking at his garage at home it was messy, tells me he only fixed things when they were broken beyond repair!

But everything I have done to that car, services to major issues, well I got all I needed from this forum, and still do find all I need here.
Personally because I drive very "quietly" and low km per year, I change oil at 10,000 km, plus 1 or 2 thousand, oil filter 15,000 km, plus 1 or 2 thousand and so on and so forth, its a stop start shopping trolley, that gets blasted along some back road once in awhile, like flat out, get them cobwebs out.

If you drive hard service often, if a soft/quietly driven car service when you hear the pistons coming through the block or you experience "lift off"...

Cheers King Billy

Obviously he didn’t wait until things were beyond repair to fix them, because by fixing them they were repaired

Let me get this right you do an oil change at 10,000km and the filter at 15,000km ?

Why? So you put clean oil through the old filter? This used to be common in the old 5,000km oil change intervals,

But why would you just change the filter at 15,000km

Why not just do the oil and filter together at 10,000km

I do high kms and religiously do the oil and filter every 10,000 being diesel I do the fuel and air filter every 20,000

BENT_8 · 09-07-2021, 09:33 AM

Do oil and filter, the rough idle may be a shagged inlet manifold gasket which is reasonably common on the 4.0l i6.
Gasket not expensive, fitting it can be a pain, I haven't done one on a Barra but im sure many on here have.

sgt_doofey · 09-07-2021, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENT_8

the rough idle may be a shagged inlet manifold gasket which is reasonably common on the 4.0l i6.

One of the members on here runs a YouTube channel, Motoring Box. He's recently done a video on replacing the inlet manifold gasket!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWgkHCybatg&t=2219s

Pis-ton broke · 09-07-2021, 10:38 AM

i used to do an oil/filter change for 20-25 bucks , on my xe. valuolone xld oil $12, z9 oil filter $10.
how things change.

slowsnake · 09-07-2021, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Yeti

Obviously he didn’t wait until things were beyond repair to fix them, because by fixing them they were repaired

Let me get this right you do an oil change at 10,000km and the filter at 15,000km ?

Why? So you put clean oil through the old filter? This used to be common in the old 5,000km oil change intervals,

But why would you just change the filter at 15,000km

Why not just do the oil and filter together at 10,000km

I do high kms and religiously do the oil and filter every 10,000 being diesel I do the fuel and air filter every 20,000

Mmmm, where to start, so many questions and so many answers,
Auto, whoever used to service it used wrong oil, Dexron I think he said, chewed the box out, he bought a recon replacement.

Oil change, used to be every 5000klm and filter at 10,000, but I didn't drive it hard so I changed oil at 10,000klm and filter at 15,000, I did pull filter at 10,000klm and replaced it just once, I cut my filters open with an angle grinder to see what I got, junk and gunk wise, they are quite clean, I top up my filter with new oil and screw back on, now 10,000 klm now may be 3-4 years, its not a 6 monthly thing, its just me doing what I want to do to a high milage Ford Fairmont, just boredom really,

And I do all my neighbours cars too!...labour is free, when oil is on special I let them know and see if they want to buy now for later, and just bought 3 x 5 litre bottles of 10w x 40 Nulon, $17 each!, it can sit for 6 months until next service!...just imagine being quoted $110 for an oil change, and good old King Billy does it in half an hour for $17 bucks!

Yes I know were you were going with your questions, but they seem OK to me and my neighbours?

Cheers King Billy

slowsnake · 09-07-2021, 12:59 PM

To alstar5,
If you follow your service manual, and you will find a copy here on this forum then you will be alright!
Some folk, like me just know by the engine sound and performance when something is amiss, that's where this forum comes in very handy.

I come here and ask first and foremost before I look elsewhere, you are going to get lots of different opinions, from logic to bull****, but just go by the service manual, I see by your signature that you have owned an awful lot of cars and bikes, so you either ride or drive and pay someone else to maintain, or you did basic services yourself and more technical was left to the "experts".

Cars and bikes are made now so the average owner can't fix em without special computer skills and high tech expensive equipment.
But on the average modern car (2000 on) with ECU etc they still need the old style basic hands on and dirty service, you can do that, easy, there is a lot of "street cred" involved when ya missus calls you for dinner and you walk in with a set of Rochester Tri-power carbies under your arm and she looks like a stunned mullet, and you tell her "its too cold for them outside" lol, hahaha

Cheers King Billy

Vesper Martini · 09-07-2021, 01:34 PM

OP just wanted to know if it was ok to go 15,000 kms between service not sure if ^^ helps.

The answer is yes.

Oh and always change the oil and Filter at the same time - waste of good oil if you didn't

ratter · 09-07-2021, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

OP just wanted to know if it was ok to go 15,000 kms between service not sure if ^^ helps.

The answer is yes.

Oh and always change the oil and Filter at the same time - waste of good oil if you didn't

all good info and better than what some others are suggesting, but assuming that 15000 klms does not take 5 years to get to ;)

Tassie f100 · 09-07-2021, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

OP just wanted to know if it was ok to go 15,000 kms between service not sure if ^^ helps.

The answer is yes.

Oh and always change the oil and Filter at the same time - waste of good oil if you didn't

Sometimes wonder if it is necessary to change the oil if you fit a new filter.

pottery beige · 09-07-2021, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowsnake

Mmmm, where to start, so many questions and so many answers,
Auto, whoever used to service it used wrong oil, Dexron I think he said, chewed the box out, he bought a recon replacement.

Oil change, used to be every 5000klm and filter at 10,000, but I didn't drive it hard so I changed oil at 10,000klm and filter at 15,000, I did pull filter at 10,000klm and replaced it just once, I cut my filters open with an angle grinder to see what I got, junk and gunk wise, they are quite clean, I top up my filter with new oil and screw back on, now 10,000 klm now may be 3-4 years, its not a 6 monthly thing, its just me doing what I want to do to a high milage Ford Fairmont, just boredom really,

And I do all my neighbours cars too!...labour is free, when oil is on special I let them know and see if they want to buy now for later, and just bought 3 x 5 litre bottles of 10w x 40 Nulon, $17 each!, it can sit for 6 months until next service!...just imagine being quoted $110 for an oil change, and good old King Billy does it in half an hour for $17 bucks!

Yes I know were you were going with your questions, but they seem OK to me and my neighbours?

Cheers King Billy

i use a magnetised hacksaw blade, run a magnet up and down the blade five or seven times and it will pick up the chips as you saw thru filter and not catch fire of the filter

mondeomatureguy · 09-07-2021, 06:50 PM

Hi Guys,
I change my oil and Filter and oil filter my self mostly every 10,00ks myself and it usually cost $100 or $110 dollars.
I put the car up on ramps and i am 62 years old so if i can do it you younger guys should have no trouble.

I do my Mondeo and have done for a long while now and enjoy doing it, it usually takes me about an hour and when i am under the car i make sure there's nothing wrong and make sure there's no oil leaks at the same time.

whynot · 09-07-2021, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alstar5

Hey Forum

I guess my questions is:

1. Will it hurt to drive the car to 15,000 kms over the last service?
2. If not, what is the absolute minimum I should do? Just oil + filter??

I'd appreciate anybodys assistance with this.

Engine oil life depends on the accumulation of contaminates (like metal parts) and the ability to control acid build up. Unfortunately, oil life is a "how long is a piece of string" question. If the oil temperature is routinely allowed to get hot enough to burn off the acid (typically 20-30 minutes highway run time once per month) AND the engine is driven gently AND the oil is replaced around the 12 month mark, then getting around 15,000 km out of an oil change probably wont cause a noticeable increase in engine wear. In fact, there are some expensive oils rated for 20,000km.

The trouble is that when people are trying to stretch the budget, this often means shorter trips (to save fuel) and they well and truly exceed the 12 month change period. In turn, the engine oil has been subject to numerous cold starts and cold runs.

There are two options to consider.

Option 1

The first is to do an oil change yourself. Engine oil is currently on sale at Supercheap, about $45 for 10 litres (you will need 7 litres). You will also need an oil filter for $20. In addition, you will need an oil drip pan ($12) and an oil wrench ($15). If you have no tools, you will also need (from memory) a 19mm ring spanner ($14).

Doing an engine oil change is somewhat tedious but relatively easy - provided someone has shown you how to do it first. Getting the old oil filter off can be a real bitch and it is not exactly easy to reach.

If you not mechanically minded, I would suggest getting a garage do it. For example, if you don't know which way to rotate the spanner to undo the oil drain sump plug, you will definitely need some help.

[Edit] - I routinely do the oil change on my car (Mazda 3), my daughters Territory, and use to do it on the other daughter's Camry. Of the three cars, the Camry was by far the easiest.

Option 2

Try a few local garages. Explain to them that money is very tight and all you want is an oil change and a new filter. You should be able to get a price within your budget. Ask for a fixed price quote on oil+filter change and nothing else. Don't mention your budget (work will just inflate to meet it).

Don't be surprised if they come back with a long list of things that need fixing. That is a job when you have saved up for it.

As for the rough idle, if money is tight, I would suggest living with it for now. There are a number of possible reasons; gasket, worn spark plug, air sensor, etc, etc.

slowsnake · 09-07-2021, 09:42 PM

My 1998 VW T4 which I bought in 2007 was a van that run like clockwork, it was a front wheel drive 5 cylinder petrol running on 98 octane, oil to be changed every 5000 klm, if I went over by 10 klm it would let me know, it would, miss, rattle, shake, vibrate, you name it and it did it.

But do oil change dead on 5000 klm and it would grow another leg, like a Melbourne Cup mud runner, it was the strangest car/van I ever owned, it would pig root around and try and throw you out to the cabin, the dude I bought it off warned me too!...I didn't believe him, only did that once, this thing had a soul, was a mean spirited thing, I did end up selling it though to buy a 4 x 4, and I warned the new owner too, follow the log book and it will be fine!
And it only took VW oil, nothing else.

Strange car, but very reliable if serviced on time, every time!...

Cheers King Billy

MrEL · 10-07-2021, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowsnake

Mmmm, where to start, so many questions and so many answers,
Auto, whoever used to service it used wrong oil, Dexron I think he said, chewed the box out, he bought a recon replacement.

Oil change, used to be every 5000klm and filter at 10,000, but I didn't drive it hard so I changed oil at 10,000klm and filter at 15,000, I did pull filter at 10,000klm and replaced it just once, I cut my filters open with an angle grinder to see what I got, junk and gunk wise, they are quite clean, I top up my filter with new oil and screw back on, now 10,000 klm now may be 3-4 years, its not a 6 monthly thing, its just me doing what I want to do to a high milage Ford Fairmont, just boredom really,

And I do all my neighbours cars too!...labour is free, when oil is on special I let them know and see if they want to buy now for later, and just bought 3 x 5 litre bottles of 10w x 40 Nulon, $17 each!, it can sit for 6 months until next service!...just imagine being quoted $110 for an oil change, and good old King Billy does it in half an hour for $17 bucks!

Yes I know were you were going with your questions, but they seem OK to me and my neighbours?

Cheers King Billy

Oil actually absorbs moisture and becomes acidic when used.
Waiting 3-4 years if your 10000kms isn't up certainly isn't the right thing to do.
Should be changed at a Max of 12 months.