Manufacturer mandates oil changes every 3 months!!

[blackdiamond]

Originally Posted By: gwm
blackdiamond, I like your thought process.

It says,"Change engine oil and filter at 5k mi. or every 3mo., whichever occurs first".

Hmmmm.....


The odds of an oil failure are nearly zero, but if you changed the filter every 3 months and topped off the oil you might be ok per the warranty.

 

[chet2]

i can imagine you would have any problems

 

[chet2]

cant imagine...i would not worry about the 5 k

 

[pickled]

Still gotta be able to produce the receipts on demand though...don't forget they will ask you for a log if something goes down.

 

[65cuda]

I bought a new Mazda 3 for the wife and it calls for 4 months or 5000 miles. I called and told them I would only have less than 3000 on it at 4 months. They said that I could go 5 months since the oil would still be fresh yet. I decided that I'd take it in at the 4 months since I wouldn't be saving that much and I don't want to give them a opening in case there is a problem.

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
I would just buy oil and a filter at the required change interval and just not change it. Keep the receipts so it looks like you did, and just keep it in your stash for later.

i was going to suggest what stevie wrote.

 

[AlanRebod]

Some suggestions ...

Go to wal-mart or wherever and buy your 5qts and filter every 3 months. Copy the receipt and keep the copy for warranty purposes. Return both. Change your oil at your preferred interval. You have "documentation" if there are ever any questions.

If you're good with computers and photo software, you can print your own receipts. Print it out in low quality in black+white and say its a copy.

Receipts from full-service mechanics tend to be computer generated, they tend to have a brand/logo on top and some computer text describing the services performed. Those are ridiculously easy to forge.

Unethical? I don't see it that way, as long as you are actually changing the oil at reasonable intervals, as verified by UOA and inspection under the filler cap. It is these ridiculous intervals required by the mfg's to CYA that are unethical.

 

[Tornado Red]

Changing the oil every xx,000 miles makes sense -- it's a reasonable proxy for engine hours of use.

Changing the oil every x months makes no sense at all, at least not with a decent oil. Oil does not deteriorate in the bottle, why should it deteriorate inside an engine that's not running?

 

[oilyriser]

Change after February, April, and June pass by. That's three months, right?

 

[eljefino]

This sounds like the first car I've seen in a while that doesn't have a light vs severe duty schedule. Used to be you could point out most of your driving was a 12 mile commute (they usually have a 10 mile below freezing/ 4 mile above cutoff) and therefore you qualified for "light duty".

I like the DIY oil/filter hoarding/reciept idea. The oil and filters will come in handy eventually anyway, or you could embezzle the oil for some other car.

 

[sciphi]

Perfect reason to stash oil.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Tornado Red
Oil does not deteriorate in the bottle, why should it deteriorate inside an engine that's not running?

Because it's exposed to fuel and moisture that's also present in a typical engine.

Kind of like with other car fluids - brake fluid, coolant. Most manufacturers put a time limit on it, not miles.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Well, I only drive approx. 8k mi./year, so that means I'd have to change oil every 2k mi.! I can't afford to do that and use synthetic.



Plan some long excursions so that using synthetic, changed 4 times a year, will be more economical. Drive enough, and it should be free.

Sorry! I've been morified!!!

 

[MrCritical]

Are you looking at a severe use schedule, or is there only one maintenance schedule?

The Vibe was not made by Toyota, but NUMMI in California. The Matrix is made in Mexico.

 

[hillclimber]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
While I'm a fan of PP, I think it's a waste to keep dumping it out at 5K. I would use Yellow Bottle until the warranty period is up and dump it at 5K as required. Then switch to PP after the warranty period and run to 8K...

 

[blackdiamond]

Originally Posted By: AlanRebod
Unethical? I don't see it that way, as long as you are actually changing the oil at reasonable intervals, as verified by UOA and inspection under the filler cap. It is these ridiculous intervals required by the mfg's to CYA that are unethical.


While I agree that the service interval is stupid, it is the consumers choice to purchase a specific vehicle or not. Once you make the choice you have the option to follow the required service interval, that is set by the manufacture, or risk the cost of an unexpected failure. Producing fake receipts is blatant dishonesty and anyone that doesn't think so is messed up. Personally, I don't keep receipts either way so it wouldn't matter, but I would never intentionally lie to cover my [censored].

 

[pickled]

I appreciate your ethics.

 

[gwm]

There is only one maint. schedule.

The Vibe engines ARE made by Toyota. As WAS a good portion of the rest of the car.

 

[blackdiamond]

The warranty book that came with my 2004 Toyota Sequoia says the following, "You are responsible for performance of the required maintenance indicated in the Owner's Manual and the Scheduled Maintenance Guide. Toyota will not deny a warranty claim solely because you do not have records to show that you maintained your vehicle. However, any failure or noncompliance caused by a lack of maintenance is not covered by this warranty."

This means that as long as you don't have a failure directly related to an oil failure (i.e. sludge) you don't have to worry. If Toyota looks in my block and it looks like new, as it does with about 80,000 miles on it, I doubt they will ask for oil change receipts as proof of proper maintenance if something internal were to break. Obviously, it is way out of warranty but I think the concept holds.

If you're confident that you can maintain your car in a way that won't cause any oil related failures you're home free. I believe they're looking for the idiots that that could donate their cars for Castrol commercials and wonder why they broke.

 

[blackdiamond]

How can a manufacture ask for records when so many cars are purchased used?