new Mazda6..Dealer oil changes or do it right?

[gtmaster303]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Dealer is wrong, pure and simple, if he's installing an oil that goes against your owner's manual...depends on what your contract with them for the 9 oil changes is...if it's a Mazda thing, call him on it.

If it's not Mazda, and is a dealer only, take your own M1 (or oil of your choice), and ask him for $10 cash in hand as reimbursement for the oil he didn't supply...even getting it installed free is worth a hundred bucks or so.


lol installing an oil
That just sounds wrong

 

[gtmaster303]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I would just let it go and change the oil myself, or let the dealer do their thing. If you start fighting them on the oil, chances are they will print 0w20 and put in bulk anyway since you cannot check afterwards, or refuse the service.
Most dealers and mechanics simply hate picky people. I'm not saying that you're being picky here, I fully agree with your stance on using the correct oil and protect your warranty, but in dealers eyes you will be seen as picky since they already gave you "free" oil changes and now you want the pricier oil.

IMO, the aggravation is simply not worth it. It's like returning a burger and demanding another because you didn't like the first one. The chances of some sort of sabotage are too high to my liking in both cases.

Never seen or heard of a car with void warranty due to running the wrong oil weight.

 

[OneEyeJack]

In the past several service managers have made statements like, we have local knowledge about our conditions and we recommend 10w-40 or what ever, instead of 5w-20. That might be true if say Toyota or Ford did not know were California was and had no idea about the weather conditions there. When it comes to the selection of engine oil I'd say that mechanics and dealerships that stray away from factory specs should be largely ignored. On top of that because of past experience I'd be concerned about the oil they put in your vehicle matching the oil on the invoice.

 

[bigt61]

I like the free part, let them do it. As a side note, 0W-20 is now available in a semi synthetic from a few different brands.

 

[jrustles]

The dealer is being cheap. Running the blend 5w20 won't have any perceptible consequences, but it's simply a matter of them being cheap.


Also, their Mobil 1 deal is even worse, stay away.

 

[wemay]

Not to scare you away from the dealership OC; I had a recent incident where one dealership used a damaged oil filter, causing a rattle soon after. Once noticing the noise, i went to the closest dealership as soon as possible where they fixed the issue. These guys are close to my job and are very professional and accomodating, allowing you to watch as they perform the service. I actually brought the other vehicle as well because i didnt trust the original service departmet's work.

I supplement their bulk oil with whatever i bring in (see sig). Maybe you can do the same by brining in a couple qts of a preferred 0w20.

 

[ammolab]

So you are willing to do the change yourself...but you "paid" for 9 oil changes...

Do it this way: let them change it. Drive home and dump that oil into a clean pan. Fill the crankcase with the 0W-20 oil of your choice. Use the dealers oil in another vehicle.

This way you get what you paid for, and your car gets proper oil and a flush even!

 

[fdcg27]

The selling dealer's service department isn't going to do documented oil changes with anything that would hurt the car's engine or imperil the warranty.
For free, I'd take the nine oil changes.
The upsell, in this case, will be for you to authorize warranty work, at no cost to you.
You should obviously avoid the other offers of "vital" paid services that will inevitably come.
You could burn through these "free" changes at 4-6K intervals.
Now, the dealer's service department might make it so inconvenient for you that you'll find these "free" oil changes not to be worth the effort.
Unless Mazda recommends otherwise (Honda does), put them to the test on a 1-3K drain of the factory fill.
You can then judge whether the real cost of these "free" oil changes is one that you pay in time and aggravation.

 

[CELICA_XX]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Just ask them for 9 genuine Mazda oil filters and call it a day. Change it yourself with the Mazda filters.

Yes !!!

Why let anyone else work on your car?

Maybe they will even fill some empty oil containers and you can use it on an older car...

 

[MCompact]

My Mazda dealer gave me free 5000 mile oil changes for as long as I own the car, although if I want synthetic I have to bring it in myself. I simply supply 6 quarts of M1 5W-30 EP. This arrangement has worked well over the past 141,000 miles...

 

[Garak]

I can't see it being harmful in the least. However, it would bug me, too, and that's why I stay away from anything resembling service plans or oil change package deals.

 

[gtmaster303]

Originally Posted By: javacontour
Just ask them for 9 genuine Mazda oil filters and call it a day. Change it yourself with the Mazda filters.

Not sure if the dealer will let you just run off with parts like that. Sure you paid for the changes, but I don't think many consumers would do that, therefore there's no way for the dealer to keep track of it.