Maintenance Plan oil changes

[wemay]

Sonata 2.4 Just recvd information that we have a 36 month/7 free oil change plan ftom the dealer. We have the same plan with the 2.0T but since they use conventional oil, i bring my own for that vehicle. The 2.4 has no turbo so the plan would seem to work better for it. Would/Do you trust maint pln oil changes?

 

[Kira]

Hello, It would be a sorry state of affairs if we couldn't trust a dealer to do oil changes. Then again, we do live in a sorry state of affairs, don't we! If the price differential wasn't too bad, could you pay a premium for synthetic to be used in the turbo? Are they trustworthy enough to do even that? I'd dread having to communicate with them. I honestly believe they'd lie and tell you they used synthetic and use conventional oil just to get their jollies. Why not get the oil changed through this plan (details, please) then dump the oil and replace it with your favorite synthetic? You could find a taker for the relatively new oil, couldn't you? Kira

 

[fdcg27]

If the dealership will do the changes on the same "severe service" schedule that Hyudai seems to try to impose on every owner, then why not without regard to the oil used? OTOH, how much do you trust the service deaprtment not to screw things up?

 

[MCompact]

I have a great Mazda dealer that offers new/used car customers free 5000 mile oil changes for as long as you own the car. I bring in my own 5W-30 M1 EP and I'm good to go...

 

[wemay]

http://www.pinkbird.com/webpage.nsf/Product?OpenPage They have been fantastic regarding other maintenance issues (Veloster now sold) so I don't believe I have a reason not to trust them with routine maint. They are ULTRA consumer oriented, sending you surveys after every visit etc. I called the service department and received the following information: They let you select the oci so long as the maximum mfr recommendation isnt exceeded. They charge you the difference ($22) for synthetic. They bulk 5w20 and 5w30 from a distributor named Flamingo that stocks the brands seen in the link I provided or if not interested in opening the link, Shell, Castrol, Kendall, Coastal, 76, EcoPower, Eneos, Motorcraft and Maximo.

 

[Deamos]

Originally Posted By: wemay

Sonata 2.4 Just recvd information that we have a 36 month/7 free oil change plan ftom the dealer. We have the same plan with the 2.0T but since they use conventional oil, i bring my own for that vehicle. The 2.4 has no turbo so the plan would seem to work better for it. Would/Do you trust maint pln oil changes?

When I had my Sportage I had that. I still brought them my oil but let them provide the filter and the labor, worked for me, they had no problems and the 2.4 was always happy with QSGB. I would definitely use the service that was included.

 

[sir1900]

Originally Posted By: wemay

Sonata 2.4 Would/Do you trust maint pln oil changes?

Generally speaking, yes. However, I cannot be bothered with setting up a time and having the dealer keep the car for a few hours just for an oil change. DIY in my own garage on a Sunday afternoon is the way to go.

 

[jimbrewer]

I think those things are really sold as a kind of punch card type arrangements and its up to you to bring it in when you will. For what its worth the (grossly overpriced) Ford maintenance plans imply a service interval of about 5,000 miles, considerably less than their manual interval.

 

[MrQuackers]

Let them do those oil changes and inspect for issues. I would run the oil for about 500 miles for a good flush, then drain and fill from my vast stash of deeply discounted full synthetic oil. Your engine will be spotless.

 

[wemay]

I sorely doubt I will empty/refill. If I allow their oil to be used, I will see the oci through. Everything they bulk is SN/GF-5.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The dealer from which I bought the previous Buick has always done fine by me. I can see no reason not to use the CPO oil changes that came with the Regal; this dealer recommends 5000 miles and use ACDelco semi-synth, and they're fine if I come in earlier than 5K miles. When the CPO changes are used up, next April or so, I'll buy my own oil and filter, and go to my regular mechanic.

 

[CELICA_XX]

I don't know how mechanically inclined you are, but the minute my cars leave the dealership lot, I prefer not to let other people work on them. I would go and just get 7 oil filters from them.

 

[jmb3675]

I would just use the free package. It's free, and eliminates trouble with warranty issues. If anything goes wrong, the dealer will be responsible.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: wemay

Would/Do you trust maint pln oil changes?

Generally, I do not. The people doing the oil changes are often at the bottom of the totem pole. If it were a good dealer I trusted, I could probably live with it, assuming they used a good oil and the OEM filter. When I got my G, the Chrysler dealer from whom I bought it offered a lifetime warranty on the engine if they got to do all the oil changes. Considering that Chrysler at the time didn't have a filter cross reference (they do now, with the Fiat thing), they farmed out the initial oil change to the Canadian Tire across the street, who conveniently overfilled the thing by over a litre and used the cheapest filter in the land of Canadian Tire. So, I declined this lifetime warranty.

 

[wemay]

Originally Posted By: Garak

Originally Posted By: wemay

Would/Do you trust maint pln oil changes?

Generally, I do not. The people doing the oil changes are often at the bottom of the totem pole. If it were a good dealer I trusted, I could probably live with it, assuming they used a good oil and the OEM filter. When I got my G, the Chrysler dealer from whom I bought it offered a lifetime warranty on the engine if they got to do all the oil changes. Considering that Chrysler at the time didn't have a filter cross reference (they do now, with the Fiat thing), they farmed out the initial oil change to the Canadian Tire across the street, who conveniently overfilled the thing by over a litre and used the cheapest filter in the land of Canadian Tire. So, I declined this lifetime warranty.

Scary stuff. My only problem is not knowing, for certain, what they used. I may take my own oil and use the plan for the labor and filter. Once I visit, ill inquire some more (with a jug in the car just in case).

 

[Benzadmiral]

Today I had the second of my CPO oil changes, at the local dealer from whom I bought the previous Buick. I told the service writer to please have the technician get a sample of the old oil. The tech who came to me while I was waiting was not bottom of the totem pole, not some kid on his first job. He brought me the oil bottle fresh off the griddle, so to speak: It was almost hot to the touch. He told me, "The plastic canister will be in the car when I bring it down." And it was; and they'd reset the OLM to 100%. The writer made an error, charging me for the oil change, but when I pointed out my car's warranty, he swiftly and cheerfully corrected it. Quality service all depends on the dealer. It shouldn't -- good service should be the standard -- but it often does.

 

[raytseng]

Even if the kid is on the bottom of the totem pole. Take off your tin-foil hats It's not like oil changes are the rocket science or brain surgery like you guys make it out to be. Most of the people here just learned how to do it reading internet forums or watching a youtube video, rather than reading the actual service manual procedure. After a month, he's probably done a couple hundred oil changes and more than a shadetree mechanic does in a lifetime. To move up the totem pole and get certifications, the tech needs to complete different service tasks multiple times. Oil change probably requires 25+ to tick off that box. So just because he's doing oil changes does not mean by default he's a dumb kid, could be a smart kid working his way up.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral

Quality service all depends on the dealer. It shouldn't -- good service should be the standard -- but it often does.

Exactly.