Local dealers still pushing 5k max oil changes...

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Up here in Canada our ford dealers are really pushing for a max of 5k miles (8000 kms) and recommending synthetic at that... they are going as far to say that warranty may not be honoured if you follow Ford’s oil life monitor. This fear mongering from dealer reps is just nuts. They are scaring people to come in every 6 months minimum or you will lose your warranty (oh the horror). They are publicly saying on Facebook forums that all oil is worn out by 5k miles and must be changed. It can’t possibly last any longer. And following the oil life monitor will surely damage the engine. Didn’t ford send a letter out to dealers telling them to stop this nonsense? Anyone have a link to it?
 
If you think that’s bad, you should see what some local dealers do to push that $50 oil change into a $300 oil change. It’s all in the name of “preventative maintenance”.
 
Funny thing is that if you buy a maintenance package when you buy your vehicle they include services every 8k kms/6 months. You pay quite dearly for that. But they use it as gospel saying that you have to do that to keep your warranty. They also push that because we are in Canada you have to follow this because we are severe duty automatically. And the oil life monitor doesn’t factor that in.... right... they seem to have a lot of people brain washed with this garbage though.
 
This is why Bitogers advocate changing your own oil. The job will be done right. You will know exactly what oil is in the engine and what filter is on the engine. The dealers / stealers are just out for money. You on the other hand can keep an eye on things yourself. There is a lot of pride attained by maintaining your car. For the dealer, it’s another possible gotcha. Not all dealers are bad, but many are and unfortunately perception rules.
 
My wife's Ford dealer where she got her 2017 EcoBoost Explorer "recommends" 5,000 mile oil changes. They use non Ford conventional oil and not even Motorcraft Synthetic Blend for their $90 oil change. They charge additional if you want Motorcraft oil crzy! Having a DI & Turbo engine and using conventional oil with using the iOLM seems a "bit dicey" for engine longevity, though as long as the conventional oil meets the Ford spec. Ford says to follow the iOLM. If the proper Ford oil spec is used and the iOLM is followed I don't believe the dealer can void the warranty without Ford agreeing to do so. PS. We don't get the oil changes done there, I do them myself with Mobil 1 5W-30 grin. Whimsey
 
Seems Illegal to me, Id print out the owners manual on oil changes and see what that says. Also, if theyre candian sold cars, wouldnt they be programmed for that oil life? Theres a few differences in the instrument cluster, mainly km to miles, so a simple adjustment to that program would fix it. If Ford is selling it that way up there, its on them to correct the info.
 
Interesting, my wife bought a new Ford Explore this spring and now coming up 10,000 kms on the factory oil and the olm says 30% left.:) No calls or letters from local Ford dealer to bring it in, I guess it all depends on the dealer.
 
Considering your average driver does not check their oil anywhere near as regularly as they should (every second fill up perhaps), I can understand why they might be pushing 8,000 km oil changes. I'm not saying I support it, and while your oil is perhaps far from being "worn" by that milestone, your average Joe doesn't check his oil, doesn't check his tire pressures, etc. and when a warning light comes on, they wait until it is "convenient" to go get it checked out - convenient translating to a major disaster like engine oil starvation. Perhaps more a game of saving their backsides more than making money.
 
Originally Posted By: advocate
Up here in Canada our ford dealers are really pushing for a max of 5k miles (8000 kms) and recommending synthetic at that... they are going as far to say that warranty may not be honoured if you follow Ford’s oil life monitor. This fear mongering from dealer reps is just nuts. They are scaring people to come in every 6 months minimum or you will lose your warranty (oh the horror). They are publicly saying on Facebook forums that all oil is worn out by 5k miles and must be changed. It can’t possibly last any longer. And following the oil life monitor will surely damage the engine. Didn’t ford send a letter out to dealers telling them to stop this nonsense? Anyone have a link to it?
Most people are stupid and just go with what the dealer says. If there isn't a TSB about the oil life monitor being incorrect and the correct grade/spec oil is being used there is nothing they can do about it. I to get letters from my Chrysler dealer all the time about changing my oil at 3K miles (5,000km) to keep the warranty intact meanwhile it has an OLM. I have had it in for warranty work / recalls and not a word was said about it.
 
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My ford dealer here in MO where i work we put 5K oil stickers on cars and reset the oil lights. 90% of people do follow the stickers and some do follow the IOLM. We have motorcraft syn blend in bulk in 5w20, 5w30, and we have motorcraft 0w20 in 55 gallon drums. Diesel oil is also in bulk. All of out synthetic oil is in quart bottles in parts.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: advocate
Up here in Canada our ford dealers are really pushing for a max of 5k miles (8000 kms) and recommending synthetic at that... they are going as far to say that warranty may not be honoured if you follow Ford’s oil life monitor. This fear mongering from dealer reps is just nuts. They are scaring people to come in every 6 months minimum or you will lose your warranty (oh the horror). They are publicly saying on Facebook forums that all oil is worn out by 5k miles and must be changed. It can’t possibly last any longer. And following the oil life monitor will surely damage the engine. Didn’t ford send a letter out to dealers telling them to stop this nonsense? Anyone have a link to it?
Most people are stupid and just go with what the dealer says. If there isn't a TSB about the oil life monitor being incorrect and the correct grade/spec oil is being used there is nothing they can do about it. I to get letters from my Chrysler dealer all the time about changing my oil at 3K miles (5,000km) to keep the warranty intact meanwhile it has an OLM. I have had it in for warranty work / recalls and not a word was said about it.
Do you change your own oil and if so did they bring that up?
 
I change my own oil and use the oil life monitor getting it as close to 0% as I can. I suppose I’ve voided my warranty at this point... guess I’ll have to come down to the states if I need any warranty work done haha. I don’t bring my own truck to the dealer for anything if possible. All of the minions who believe the dealer blind side figure that my truck is doomed and it will catastrophically fail and not be covered. They are all brainwashed.
 
The shorter than factory recommended oil change interval is the service writer's chance to take a shot at more business. If it's not a logistics problem you might consider shopping around and try to figure out if there's another dealer that you'd trust with your service. If they mess with you on something as simple as an oil change, imagine what they'd do with anything a bit more involved. This might also be the time to find an independent shop with the right certs and equipment to do your service work. Where I live there are several and I have one that gets all my business for things I don't do at home.
 
Originally Posted By: advocate
Up here in Canada our ford dealers are really pushing for a max of 5k miles (8000 kms) and recommending synthetic at that... they are going as far to say that warranty may not be honoured if you follow Ford’s oil life monitor. This fear mongering from dealer reps is just nuts. They are scaring people to come in every 6 months minimum or you will lose your warranty (oh the horror). They are publicly saying on Facebook forums that all oil is worn out by 5k miles and must be changed. It can’t possibly last any longer. And following the oil life monitor will surely damage the engine. Didn’t ford send a letter out to dealers telling them to stop this nonsense? Anyone have a link to it?
You need someone like Pat Foran from CTV news who runs Consumer Alert every night on the news. Obviously he is in Toronto but I am sure someone like him exists out there as well? Maybe even try contacting him somehow to get some leads as your dealer needs to stop doing this illegal business practice. I am sure one phone call from someone like Pat Foran or a letter to an editor in a local paper would quickly get them to change their tune! http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/more/consumer-alert Good luck, and keep us informed on how you make out? cheers
 
With GDI and turbos becoming wide spread, I'm all for shorter oil change intervals. I would think that the MFGs would program that into the oil life monitors, they were concerned about the life of the engine. Of course, if the motor makes it past the 36,000 mile mark, they are covered cost wise. My 2¢
 
The Ford engineers who wrote the owner's manual and programmed the OLM are much more intelligent than those service advisors.
 
Originally Posted By: sir1900
If you think that’s bad, you should see what some local dealers do to push that $50 oil change into a $300 oil change. It’s all in the name of “preventative maintenance”.
Well that's the standard price at Mercedes. It's a 10k oil change, they use synthetic and the sump on my E-350 is 8.5 quarts. They basically check a bunch of stuff I can check and basically it's an oil change with wipers, maybe change the battery in the Fob, cabin filters and that's about it. Their B service which includes a brake fluid flush is $500.
 
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