Question(s) for sticklers like me, starting with: First oil change, when?

[manoftaste]

I understand that according to the manual, its like 15k miles or something (actually I have not even RTFM yet), but I am still old school when it comes to breaking in a new car

I remember doing my first oil change on my 13' LR4 at 1200 miles, but I have read various suggestions like 500 or 700 miles for first oil change.

More importantly, should I be concerned about the fact that a special type of oil may have been put in at the factory for the initial wear and tear? I remember reading somewhere that Honda did it for its Accord and therefore recommended that the oil not be changed before the suggested period.

Thanks.

 

[umbertob]

It's your money. Modern engines are designed with very tight tolerances these days, and are quite literally broken in during manufacturing, ready to roll when you take delivery. There isn't even a chapter about "Breaking In" an engine in an Owner's Manual anymore (the chapter has sadly been replaced by 65 pages describing airbags, seat belts and every possible way to securely latch a child seat...) Use common sense and take it easy on the gas pedal for a few hundred miles if you must, but I wouldn't waste time and money changing a synthetic oil that's likely to come out of the sump looking brand new, if I were you. Having said that, I have yet to hear a single story of a car having engine trouble because the oil was changed too frequently. As long as you use an approved oil (and filter), Land Rover won't ding you or care if you decide to change oil more often than what they recommend.

Did you buy or lease? If you bought and are in it for the long haul, or are driving in particularly inhospitable climates and conditions most of the times, you may want to consider cutting the recommended service interval (I believe it's 1 year or 16K miles for your NAS 2016) in half, and replace motor oil and filter every 6 months or 7.5/8K miles. These fancy synthetics our engine takes have been shown to easily go twice that mileage or time without degradation, but why pushing it if this is going to be your car for a long time? If you leased - or routinely trade your cars in after 3-4 years and are not putting lots of miles on them, I'd just stick to the recommended intervals and let the next owner worry about it.