My dealership is giving me free oil changes

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: Razl
Toyota specs 5W-30, not 0W-20 officially but I've seen some UOAs that show 0W-20 works well in the Prius. I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota switched to a xW-20 with the 2009 Prius.

Steve, nothing wrong with the 5W-30 Toyota oil, it's just that I prefer full synthetic protection and the slight MPG improvement (the Energy Monitor teases you beat your MPG record each time you drive it). So you and FZ1 think I should just forget the Mobil 1? I'd have no prblem running longer intervals with M1 but not until the powertrian warranty runs out.


IMO, you wont see any improvement with a 0w30, but if you really wanted to get the most......I'd take the dealer changes and go on the maintenance dose of Auto-RX. That way you are guaranteed to have your engine running its whole life at the most efficient and clean as it can possibly be. Not to mention you'd probably lower the emissions just a hair, too.

 

[Titan]

I will NEVER, as long as I am able to change it myself, let a Dealer change my oil. I've had several cars with "Free" oil changes for some period of time, and without fail, they ALWAYS screwed something up on my car. Without fail, they always put in the bulk grade from their tanks which was not even the grade specified in the owner's manual....unless they were wrong when they told me the grade they had in their bulk oil tank.

I've had dipsticks bent up, dipsticks left out, dipsticks not seated, pan threads stripped, oil filters leak (although that could have just been a bad filter), and alloy wheels scarred.

No, I care too much to let a Dealer mess with my vehicles....besides, by using "on-sale" filters and "synthetics", combined with extended periods of use, my lifetime vehicle OCI costs are very low.

 

[Norm Olt]

I probably had 35 to 40 free oil & filter changes (every 3K, usually) done by the dealership on the SVX, starting with 100% synthetic (yes, way back in 1992 there was a synthetic oil product) and going to a 3/3 blend for 7 or 8 years before I started doing my own. Probably because I didn't like having to wait for an hour or so each time while they serviced the car...

Once after I started to do my own changes on this car I went back and a new tech put "2 units" of oil into the car: only problem was that each "unit" was the 4 quart "unit" that went into the Acura RSX and not the 6 quarts that my car called for.

Two extra quarts on the dipstip when I got home cured me of going back, however I'm sure I received somewhere between $600 and $800 worth of free oil, filters & labor over the 1st 10 years we owned the car.

Not a bad deal.

On subject, one could always take the car in for the free oil & FACTORY filter change and then drain out the oil at a convenient time (say @ 1K later) and refill with synthetic. You could easily extend your intervals as needed and still protect the warranty coverage...

Cheers!

 

[FZ1]

Just ask the service guy to help you check your car out with you when they return it. Pop the Hood,check the oil level on the dipstick,check for the oil cap. Check for oil drip. Tell him good job,but next time you want the oil level filled exactly to the top line,but not above.

 

[NHHEMI]

I think you are far less likely, FAR less, to have a dealership mechanic screw up an OC than a place like Jiffy Lube. My back isn't up to crawling around on the ground anymore so I let the dealer do it. So far in all these years( 20+ now )I have had one issue. A new trainee that did an OC on my 04 HEMI Ram never tightened the drain plug. I dripped about 3 qts of RP on the driveway overnight it was so loose( actually it popped out in my hand when I went to snug it and I got covered in like 1/2 qt oil before I could get it back in ). What a mess.

It sure explained the funny smell I was getting that I had no explanation for. Note - RP smells REALLY bad when it drips on the exhaust yet doesn't seem to smoke much. I kind of thought it smelled like electrical issues more than fluid burning off. I mean it really smelled odd.

So I tightened it up, went to the nearest supplier for RP, came home topped it off, then went right to the dealer. Talked with the SM who was a great guy. He was furious. The trainee( a young girl )was working with a seasoned mechanic. Each one thought the other had tightened it. They both got chewed out big time and I got reimbursed for the extra oil I needed PLUS the entire cost of the 1st OC( labor, filter, and oil ). The dealership owner even offered to reseal the driveway. I told him no sweat it cleaned up okay with speedi-dri so no harm no foul.

Not all dealers are bad and not all dealer mechanics are incompetant. Even the best mechanic can make a simple mistake at times.

 

[BennyL]

yeah, i'm with the majority... you know the saying: there's no such thing in life as a free lunch. you get what your paying for. and thats nothing, lol.

when its free, you know they don't give a poop. i mean, they could hardly care less when doing a PAID oil change... think about how they feel dong a free one. forget it! if anything, i'd tell him i just want the OEM filters at what ever the set OCI is and thats it. come in, take the filter, go home. thanks for the free filter.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: BennyL
yeah, i'm with the majority... you know the saying: there's no such thing in life as a free lunch. you get what your paying for. and thats nothing, lol.

when its free, you know they don't give a poop. i mean, they could hardly care less when doing a PAID oil change... think about how they feel dong a free one. forget it! if anything, i'd tell him i just want the OEM filters at what ever the set OCI is and thats it. come in, take the filter, go home. thanks for the free filter.


But it isn't free. The OP paid $20k+ for a car. Not to mention, the dealership wants customers to return and buy from them again. They aren't going to try and push away their business. Return customers who only buy from specific dealerships are a significant source of income for dealerships.

 

[jazztrumpet216]

I might be inclined not to use the free oil changes, but I'd let them do one and see what they use. The reason I say this is that when I bought my Stratus, I bought it from a Chrysler dealer that has both Ford and Chevy branches. They are famous for advertising the "$1 oil change" for any "American" (Big 3) vehicle. I drove the Stratus for about 1500 miles on the stuff they gave me, then raised it to take a look around underneath the car. Instead of a Mopar oil filter, I found something called a "Premium Guard" oil filter. I did some research and they specialize in bulk orders only, and don't list a whole lot of specs on their website. Not knowing what kind of oil they used (but figuring it wasn't good based on their choice of filter), I quickly ran out to Napa, bought a Napa Gold, and did an oil change with some of the $1/qt Q-Torque in my stock.

Roughly $11 for a full synthetic oil change? Now THAT'S what I call a bargain, and I know what went into my car. I'd never go back for one of their $1 oil changes, at least not without giving them my own filter.

 

[mpvue]

stealerships don't give away ANYTHING. EVERYTHING they do, free this or that, whatever, is to get you in the store. when I sold cars, we were required to 'work the service line'. the waiting room was conveinently located in the showroom. "hey, why not check out the new cars while you're waiting?" most all the dealers will pay the service bill for you if you trade in your car right then. some people are so tired of bringing in a car for service, they are ready for a new car. some sales guys are real good smoozing ladies in the waiting area, chatting them up, taking out a test ride, "while you're waiting anyway". if you got a good rep w/ the service writer, they'll give you a heads up when a good prospect comes in also.
all that being said, I only go to the dealer for warranty work, which is close to never.

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: jazztrumpet216
I might be inclined not to use the free oil changes, but I'd let them do one and see what they use. The reason I say this is that when I bought my Stratus, I bought it from a Chrysler dealer that has both Ford and Chevy branches. They are famous for advertising the "$1 oil change" for any "American" (Big 3) vehicle. I drove the Stratus for about 1500 miles on the stuff they gave me, then raised it to take a look around underneath the car. Instead of a Mopar oil filter, I found something called a "Premium Guard" oil filter. I did some research and they specialize in bulk orders only, and don't list a whole lot of specs on their website. Not knowing what kind of oil they used (but figuring it wasn't good based on their choice of filter), I quickly ran out to Napa, bought a Napa Gold, and did an oil change with some of the $1/qt Q-Torque in my stock.

Roughly $11 for a full synthetic oil change? Now THAT'S what I call a bargain, and I know what went into my car. I'd never go back for one of their $1 oil changes, at least not without giving them my own filter.


Tell me what dealership that was and I can probably tell you what oil they use.

 

[Razl]

Is the bulk oil's weight marked on the drum or would I have to take their word for it?

 

[gtoracer]

Originally Posted By: daman
IMO i would pass on the free dealership oil,,in my experience
i've seen some shady work let me tell ya,loose oil filter's
loose drain plugs OR overly tight drain plugs,missing filler
caps etc,etc..

do it your self with a oil you feel good about and know that
the jobs getting done right, no one touches my cars but me..



IMHO this is the best reply of all.

 

[BennyL]

yup, there's just too much unknown.

if i lived down in the states where you guys constantly get close-out prices and amazing mail-in rebates, i would basically stock up on really cheap oil and always have enough to do oil changes for cheap. just like jazztrumpet216, who mentioned $1/qt Q-Torque. thats amazing! i would have bought a hundred quarts at that price!

 

[chet2]

take the money and run

 

[Louie's gone fishing]

Imagine how much stuff they will have to suggest to get you to buy enough to pay for that bulk oil in the big drum in the back of the shop. Ask specifically what oil and what filter they use.

 

[jazztrumpet216]

Originally Posted By: BennyL
yup, there's just too much unknown.

if i lived down in the states where you guys constantly get close-out prices and amazing mail-in rebates, i would basically stock up on really cheap oil and always have enough to do oil changes for cheap. just like jazztrumpet216, who mentioned $1/qt Q-Torque. thats amazing! i would have bought a hundred quarts at that price!


It was a mail-in-rebate deal through a hardware store around here that let you buy 6 quarts of Q-Torque or Q-Horse (5w30 and 10w30 only) for $1/qt, but the catch was that the rebate was in a gift card for their store. However, I shop there enough that it was worth it. They run the deal every few months so I go and get 6 quarts. Right now I probably have 15-16 quarts of the stuff.

 

[Brien]

you guy are nuts.

You do realize that if the dealership does every oil change on time that no matter what type of oil they use if something on the engine fails that is even remotely related to the oil that is completely covered for as long as you get the oil changed at the dealership.

So all these issues of them stripping stuff or bending stuff are not a problem.

 

[daman]

Originally Posted By: Brien
you guy are nuts.

You do realize that if the dealership does every oil change on time that no matter what type of oil they use if something on the engine fails that is even remotely related to the oil that is completely covered for as long as you get the oil changed at the dealership.

So all these issues of them stripping stuff or bending stuff are not a problem.

They would find some loop hole around it and put the blame back on you,i've seen it happen

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I started having the dealership do the first oil change after purchase, back in 1991. A factory assembly gorilla put on an oil filter waay too tight, and I decided right then if someone was going to screw up the oil filter or engine, it should be the dealer. All turned out OK, but since then, I have taken my cars back to the dealer for that first oil change, free or not. It is also a good chance to see how their service dept is run, first hand.

 

[Mr Nice]

If the dealership could find bulk 10w40 or 20w50 very cheap.....of course they will use it as a replacement for 5w20/5w30.