Cars in Singapore are usually serviced every 6 months or 10km, whichever comes earlier. The amount that you pay depends on whether you go to an authorised workshop or one of the many workshops that litter the island as well as the mileage that you’ve clocked. Major servicing is reserved for mileages of 40km, 80km, 120km etc, but Singaporean car owners who are more willing to spend on their cars may consider a major servicing every 20km instead.
So why service every 6 months or 10km? Essentially the engine oil needs to be changed regularly, if not when the engine gets too clogged up, it will cost a few thousand dollars to replace it. Engine oil may be divided into synthetic and non-synthetic. Synthetic oil usually can last for 10,000 km before you need to change. Non-synthetic oil however can only last for 5,000 km before you need to change. Different cars use different grades of engine oil, and car owners with prior experience at car workshops will soon know what grade of engine oil is used for their cars.
After spending a few hundred dollars at car workshops, I’ve realised that 5W40 is a commonly used engine oil for a humble Toyota Altis, and there are many brands in the market such as Shell Helix, Castrol, Mobil One, Schnell Ultimate II and Carlube. Unknown to the public is the fact that you can usually purchase these engine oil at a lower price at our hypermarts like Giant when they are on promotion and bring them to your friendly car workshop during your next car servicing. Instead of charging you a premium for labour+cost, they will then charge you a nominal fee for labour. What’s more, you get to enjoy up to 5% rebate while shopping at supermarkets using your favourite credit cards (click here if you have not read before), and of course enjoy whatever mall promotions there are at that point in time!
A quick check on local car forums such as mycarforum and hardwarezone has shown that many like-minded drivers use this particular brand called Schnell Ultimate II 5W40 which is german made. So far, my personal experience has proved that it is not inferior to branded ones like Mobil and Castrol. Currently, Giant is running a promotion till 28/4/13 at $24.99 instead of $39.39! Grab one to try if you are interested! Of course, do your own research first before buying and if you find the engine oil that the workshop uses for your precious car on discount, you may consider buying that instead!