Do you trust your dealer?

Pennzoil motor oil
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stygz

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I just took my 13' Pathfinder in to the dealer I purchased it at for the first o/c (2 free). I received the regular valvoline syn blend w/ oem filter. I asked about what syn oil they have if I opted in the future. They said M1, and it runs about $65-70. I was wondering how well the techs actually pay attention to the work orders if a customer asks for syn oil? How many of you trust your dealer to put in the M1 you specify? I have one free o/c coming and may see if they will do M1 for free or if I would just have to pay the difference. It looks like the service dept just charges the o/c back the the sales dept. They charged the sales dept about $63 for my o/c.

On a side note the tech adjusted my TP to 40psi. The door sticker says 33psi. I wonder why so many people dont know what manufacture recomended tire pressure is? I will say my tires are supposed to be filled with nitrogen....not sure if that matters.
 
The valvoline durablend is a great lube, absolutely stay with that while it is free! i would let them know about the tire pressure. tell the guy the door sticker says 33 psi, why did you inflate the tires to 40? get a reason and then request it back to spec.

that price isn't terrible for M1 and having the dealer do it. I believe it is more than that at some quick lubes for a synthetic change. Of course the cheapest is DIY, however if that isn't and option let the dealer do it. Plus at the dealer is your likely getting an OEM filter Vs a cheap driveworks filter..ect at a quicklube shop

as far as making sure your actually getting the lube you requested just watch from a distance and see what they pour into it.
 
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I like my dealer but I do my own oil changes. I use a new metal nissan oil pan gasket every time and inspect the spindle for tightness every time. I also warm the car up every time I change its oil. Im sure they would skip one of those steps if they would do it so I guess no I dont trust them. My changes only cost 28 $ with Full Synthetic
And a mobil ep filter or equivalent so its pretty cheap.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
The valvoline durablend is a great lube, absolutely stay with that while it is free! i would let them know about the tire pressure. tell the guy the door sticker says 33 psi, why did you inflate the tires to 40? get a reason and then request it back to spec.

that price isn't terrible for Mobil 1 and having the dealer do it. I believe it is more than that at some quick lubes for a synthetic change. Of course the cheapest is DIY, however if that isn't and option let the dealer do it. Plus at the dealer is your likely getting an OEM filter Vs a cheap driveworks filter..ect at a quicklube shop

as far as making sure your actually getting the lube you requested just watch from a distance and see what they pour into it.



Yea I will stick with the syn blend while it is free but I am going to try for the Mobil 1 upgrade for free. I really have no interest in quick lubes as I want an oem or Mobil 1 filter used.

My dealer invoice did specify a new drain plug gasket, not sure if it is metal. I can say my engine is warmed up as I wait for my service to be completed.

I am going to have them change my profile / reminders to 7500 oci instead of the 3750 oci. I do a mix of driving. Hwy type driving about 2 times a week for a solid 20 min or more. My only idling is while entering the stop and go traffic going through the military base (10 min). I guess there seems to be such a push to use the severe driving maint schedule. I feel good about 8 mo / 7500 miles on Mobil 1 or PP. I figure I would save about $10-15 if I carried my oil in....($25 oil, 12 filter, 15 labor).
 
Stick with the Valvoline,it`s an excellent oil. Wish I could still find it here,I`d use it exclusively. All of the stores here go rid of it. Wish Walmart carried it.
 
The dealer I bought my Mustang from almost 11 years ago I trusted when I took it there. I haven't been there in over 6 years, however.

I stopped taking our '09 Sonata to the dealer as soon as the warranty expired. After all the lies and the nonsense sales pushes they lost me as a customer (for service and any future purchases).

On a general note, I don't trust any of them. If there's a poster child for a generally shady business, car dealerships (both new and used) are the example.
 
I'm with donnyj08. Valvoline blend and a Nissan OEM filter is pretty good for free. I wouldn't hesitate to run it. But if it's less convenient for you to go to the dealer and wait around versus doing it yourself, don't worry about "missing out" on the free change and DIY with the oil/filter of your choice.

I'm planning on taking my ATS to the dealer for oil/filter changes while it's covered for free under Cadillac's 4-years/50K-miles "Premium Care Maintenance". They use dexos1 spec oil, so it's pretty good stuff. With an appointment it's pretty convenient for me. I can sit in their lounge, drink their coffee, and enjoy the quiet time away from the kids for an hour.
smile.gif


Regarding the tire pressure, did the service invoice indicate they set it at 40? Or is it possible that they set it to spec and you measured it when the tires were hot? Remember, spec pressure is cold and the pressure will generally 4-6 psi when hot.
 
No! I don't trust anybody with my oil, especially the quick lube places. The previous driver of my company truck had the oil changed right before I got it. Said he took it to one the quick lubes. I look at the reminder sticker and it says a mileage equivalent to a 3k mile interval. Owner's manual says up to 10k miles per OCI. Probably 5k or 7.5k for severe service. The truck requires a syn blend or full syn. If these idiots told me I should chnage the oil in 3k miles, makes me wonder if they used dino in it! To be safe, I changed the oil myself at the interval on the sticker and used Quaker State Ultimate Durability. I'll be changing the oil myself from here on out.
 
I do, yes. But they are far away so I do not go there.

Funny thing about tire PSI. For liability reasons, they have to inflate to max recommended tire pressure. Whenever my father brings his truck in for an oil change ... they up the tire pressure to 80.
 
Yup. The dealer I bought my car from is the one that does the work for us when I won't or can't do it. Never an upsell or pushiness.

Had the wife's Escape in for its inspection and they found a leaky flex pipe. Makes sense as it's an 03 with 138k. Without provocation they offered me the choice of Ford parts for $500 or they would call the local muffler shop and see if they could get it in for $125. I took option 2.

It's stuff like that which makes me think they are good and makes me continue using them.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Funny thing about tire PSI. For liability reasons, they have to inflate to max recommended tire pressure. Whenever my father brings his truck in for an oil change ... they up the tire pressure to 80.

Hmmm... I can't say I've ever had any place (i.e. dealer, tire shop, indy) do that before. Although I'm a bit anal about tire pressure and like to check/adjust pressure when the car has been parked all night and is truly "cold", I've only experienced at most +5-10 psi when someone else has done it. If there were someplace inflating my tires to max every time, I would never ever return.
 
Originally Posted By: barlowc
Originally Posted By: Miller88
Funny thing about tire PSI. For liability reasons, they have to inflate to max recommended tire pressure. Whenever my father brings his truck in for an oil change ... they up the tire pressure to 80.

Hmmm... I can't say I've ever had any place (i.e. dealer, tire shop, indy) do that before. Although I'm a bit anal about tire pressure and like to check/adjust pressure when the car has been parked all night and is truly "cold", I've only experienced at most +5-10 psi when someone else has done it. If there were someplace inflating my tires to max every time, I would never ever return.


Agreed

Firestone Tires ring a bell? Max PSI is for installing (beading up) tires. If I am not mistaken a tire company (goodyear for example)recomends the vehicle manufactures number.

Miller88 - I think the dealer employee needs to read the owners manual and possibly call the manufactures tech line (ford, chevy etc)
 
I've had mixed experiences with the dealer. The Honda dealer once told me they couldn't properly do an alignment because 2 of the tires had a radial pull. I had heard in the past that blaming radial pull was simply a way for shops to get out of not doing a good alignment, so I asked the service advisor to put this in writing (hoping to catch their lie). He did so without any issue and it turned out the 2 tires were actually defective and I got them changed under warranty at Discount Tire. This same Honda dealership, though, during a state inspection refused to air the tires up to the recommended 35 psi in my Pilot and left it at only 32
21.gif


Another time at the Benz dealership when they brought my ML around after an oil change, the 3rd turn signal lamp assembly on the front quarter panel was missing completely. I told my service advisor and he acknowledged the assembly was there before and they replaced it. Turned out the free car wash they give had ripped it out!

The main bad experience I had was when the Hyundai dealer overfilled my transmission during a fluid flush by half a quart. The transmission jerked around, got stuck in gears and flaired left and right. I couldn't believe an extra half qt. could do that but with the temperature being over a 100 that day, the extra fluid must have expanded like crazy. They fixed and luckily no damage occured as I drove that car another 60k miles before ai sold it.
 
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Originally Posted By: stygz
I just took my 13' Pathfinder in to the dealer I purchased it at for the first o/c (2 free). I received the regular valvoline syn blend w/ oem filter. I asked about what syn oil they have if I opted in the future. They said Mobil 1, and it runs about $65-70. I was wondering how well the techs actually pay attention to the work orders if a customer asks for syn oil? How many of you trust your dealer to put in the Mobil 1 you specify? I have one free o/c coming and may see if they will do Mobil 1 for free or if I would just have to pay the difference. It looks like the service dept just charges the o/c back the the sales dept. They charged the sales dept about $63 for my o/c.

On a side note the tech adjusted my TP to 40psi. The door sticker says 33psi. I wonder why so many people dont know what manufacture recomended tire pressure is? I will say my tires are supposed to be filled with nitrogen....not sure if that matters.


I wrestled with this one myself. Most dealers will let you bring your own oil. There's is some uncertainty either way. If you pay for full syn, did they pay sufficient attention and actually substitute their syn? If I bring my own and put it in plain view on the seat, did the tech just put my oil in his trunk or on his work bench? Ultimately I decided that the tech is much more likely to miss the request to use their syn on the order form than to steal my oil. As an added safeguard, I ask that the tech return my empty bottles. Am I absolutely certain to get syn? No, but I do feel pretty confident. A used oil analysis performed on the oil installed by the Volvo dealer pointed to the dealer having actually used my Mobil 1 0W40.
 
My dealer is only good as a source for a vehicle. After several issues with them, they will never touch a vehicle of mine for a repair again. Warranty or not. Will go elsewhere. The last straw was when they did a simple flush and fill of the engine coolant, along with replacing thermostat and large radiator hoses, on my 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel, and the caused the head to crack. If you can't do something this simple without causing $3500 in damage, then you don't get a second chance. Bought a 2013 Silverado off of them last Memorial day, and it has not been back to the dealership for anything since, and never will.
 
If I had a dealer guess you could say I trusted him, but since I've never taken my '07 Mercury back in the 5.5 years I've owned it(not even for free the oil changes or state inspections) guess you could say I don't trust them...

I got along fine for over 40 years without a dealer when I bought the car, don't need one now...
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
My dealer is only good as a source for a vehicle. After several issues with them, they will never touch a vehicle of mine for a repair again. Warranty or not. Will go elsewhere. The last straw was when they did a simple flush and fill of the engine coolant, along with replacing thermostat and large radiator hoses, on my 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel, and the caused the head to crack. If you can't do something this simple without causing $3500 in damage, then you don't get a second chance. Bought a 2013 Silverado off of them last Memorial day, and it has not been back to the dealership for anything since, and never will.


This.

Far, far, too common an experience by MANY customers.

They didn't get coined "$tealerships" for
nuttin. LOL
 
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