Spec OEM fluid price gouging : your experience ?

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The boutique oil makers are looking like a real bargain these days.



Unless you're under warranty. Most of the boutique blenders don't have API or manufacturer certs, they just claim to meet or exceed.

 

[DoubleWasp]

This is true. That cannot be overlooked.

I meant just in terms of price per amount.

 

[Ammofirst]

I tried amsoil / redline / royal purp / no Help. Probably not enough demand. Strike that : At this point their are Millions of cars on the road with these Haldex AWD systems (or similar) These so called "boutique brands" are dropping the ball.

 

[Hall]

Motorcraft LV ATF is around $8/quart at either O'Reillys or most Ford dealers. Honda DW-1 ATF is $8.99/quart at AAP and around $8/quart at a local Honda dealer (at least what I paid).

Should the thread title be changed from "OEM" to "GM" ?

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: 28oz
No kidding! My "health insurance" just dropped the clinic network we normally go to so I've been forced to take my son to a new provider. It was a well check simply to renew his RX. Since he was a "new patient", they charged us $235 for a less than 10 minute visit! Of course, my insurance is high deductible, so I'm out of pocket for that. I'd be HAPPY to only pay $200/hr in this instance.


No offense, but you're doing it wrong.

You only need to stay in-network in a high deductible plan if there's a good chance you'll actually pass your minimum and actually get reimbursed before the end of the year. Since the money you're spending is your own, you can probably get cheaper out of network care at the clinic. If it's health care you're paying for, your insurance company can't say no. It just won't count towards your minimum.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Motorcraft LV ATF is around $8/quart at either O'Reillys or most Ford dealers. Honda DW-1 ATF is $8.99/quart at AAP and around $8/quart at a local Honda dealer (at least what I paid).

Should the thread title be changed from "OEM" to "GM" ?


If you are being charged $8 for LV you are being ripped off. MSRP is $5.73/qt.

 

[28oz]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: 28oz
No kidding! My "health insurance" just dropped the clinic network we normally go to so I've been forced to take my son to a new provider. It was a well check simply to renew his RX. Since he was a "new patient", they charged us $235 for a less than 10 minute visit! Of course, my insurance is high deductible, so I'm out of pocket for that. I'd be HAPPY to only pay $200/hr in this instance.


No offense, but you're doing it wrong.

You only need to stay in-network in a high deductible plan if there's a good chance you'll actually pass your minimum and actually get reimbursed before the end of the year. Since the money you're spending is your own, you can probably get cheaper out of network care at the clinic. If it's health care you're paying for, your insurance company can't say no. It just won't count towards your minimum.


None taken. Yes, I've gone out of network for things like an MRI simply because it was way cheaper to pay cash than go through insurance. In this particular case, my son needed an ongoing medication that requires a "doctor relationship" to acquire. It simply did not occur to me to ask how much this particular provider charges for new patients as my previous experience with new patient fees at other providers were MUCH more reasonable. My mistake and I will just chalk it up to experience and move on.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
If you are being charged $8 for LV you are being ripped off. MSRP is $5.73/qt.


Show me one place where people can buy it for $5.73/quart

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Motorcraft LV ATF is around $8/quart at either O'Reillys or most Ford dealers. Honda DW-1 ATF is $8.99/quart at AAP and around $8/quart at a local Honda dealer (at least what I paid).

Should the thread title be changed from "OEM" to "GM" ?


Motorcraft LV ATF can be purchased from Rock Auto for $60/12 quart box delivered. That's $5/quart. I know because I did it recently.

Whimsey

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
If you are being charged $8 for LV you are being ripped off. MSRP is $5.73/qt.


Show me one place where people can buy it for $5.73/quart


My work everyday. Unfortunately I cannot ship it, but if you come here I can sell it to you.

 

[BrianF]

In pricing out fluid for my Ram in my sig, the AS69RC requires this mystical ASRC fluid from the dealer. Locally its about 18$ a liter all in. Turns out its rebadged Mobil 3309, which apparently is just rebadged Toyota T4. I have options for various fluids that meet those specs and none are more than 9$ a liter all in. Whats funny, yet very sad, I called one of the areas largest lube distributors for Mobil and asked him for a price point on the 3309. Well this guy at the desk just tells me he has never heard of 3309. I give him the product number from their website and explain what it is. Never heard of it. Sorry I just had to vent, guy was an absolute clown.

Anyways, this topic is why I like this site, gave me ideas, articles to reference and it has saved me piles of money and I mean piles.

 

[Tom777]

VW dealership sells G550540A2 ATF for $24 a qt. I bet they make more money on selling parts than selling cars.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: Tom777
VW dealership sells G550540A2 ATF for $24 a qt. I bet they make more money on selling parts than selling cars.


I recently had the dealer change the fluid in the PTU in our 2017 Explorer because it's a real pain to change. It uses 75W-140 gear oil. They charged $22 for a quart of Motorcraft 75W-140 gear oil. This dealer also charges $90 for a 5 qt oil change, same as the Ford "Works" $39 description one but they use bulk conventional oil, Motorcraft oil is an extra up charge charge. Needless to say they don't do my oil changes

.

Whimsey

 

[Mainia]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: DoubleWasp
The boutique oil makers are looking like a real bargain these days.



Unless you're under warranty. Most of the boutique blenders don't have API or manufacturer certs, they just claim to meet or exceed.



No need to cert when you go from a simple group 3 OEM "price point oil" to a group 4 or group 5 oil and it is well known Amsoil or Redline oils and ALWAYS far better then OEM in their add-pack and base oils . Why send a $500,000 for really NOTHING. "What is known doesn't need to be said or certified"

If in the USA no need to worry about warranty with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Just so you are willing to hire an attorney and wait a LONG time...

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Just so you are willing to hire an attorney and wait a LONG time...


Precisely.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: Whimsey
Originally Posted By: Tom777
VW dealership sells G550540A2 ATF for $24 a qt. I bet they make more money on selling parts than selling cars.


I recently had the dealer change the fluid in the PTU in our 2017 Explorer because it's a real pain to change. It uses 75W-140 gear oil. They charged $22 for a quart of Motorcraft 75W-140 gear oil. This dealer also charges $90 for a 5 qt oil change, same as the Ford "Works" $39 description one but they use bulk conventional oil, Motorcraft oil is an extra up charge charge. Needless to say they don't do my oil changes

.

Whimsey


$22.11 is MSRP for 1 quart of Motorcraft 75W140

 

[Ammofirst]

At the risk of being self serving, anyone know of a product to use in place of GM part # 19256084 transfer case fluid ? Or GM PART # 88863349 Differential clutch fluid.

 

[Mainia]

Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Just so you are willing to hire an attorney and wait a LONG time...


Precisely.



More [censored] oil forum DOGMA of fear. They cant deny unless they have proof that it was the oil, because the manufacture has to prove it was the oil that did the damage. Most ATF differ mostly in the add-pack and slip agents. The most they look at is if the oil is "transmission fluid" and if it was at the proper level. I have a couple friends at dealers and that is all they do. It is just not cost effective to take people to court when the manufacture will loose every time because they know very well about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Transmissions don't fail much because you don't have OEM oil in them. They would of failed even with the OEM oil, it's just coincidental.

They may look at CVT's to see if you put in ATF, but if you have Redline or Amsoil CVT fluid in you have better fluid then the OEM's so it is a moot point, and the manufactures know this. Like my one friend said ....."it's not like we see fried warranty transmissions daily and we need to find why, so we don't expend $$$. We see one a month at best and can go a couple months without, we don't bother with checking, we just replace the dam thing".

Before I put a transmission cooler on our warrantied Rav4 I called around to 3 different Toyota dealers and asked for the service manager. (I wanted to tow a small 14 ft boat and when I switched out the [censored] Toyota WS ATF it was completely burn't at 21,400 miles that a lease return women owned from upstate new York.) I asked if my trans went belly up and I came in with the trans cooler on, what would happen to my warranty. One said nothing, I would not even contact Toyota, I would replace the trans. Next, the other stated he would look at the installation and see if anything was kinked and see that it was a "proper installation" and if it was would move on in replacing it. The last one said he would call Toyota and advise what they wanted to do, but his feeling was there would not be any issue if we felt it was a "good installed setup". WHY.... because the trans cooler falls into the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act as does changing to any "approved" trans oil that the oil manufacturer says will work in that car.


http://www.mikethemechanic.com/about/magnuson-moss-warranty-act/



If any issue came up I have access to a retired oil engineer/automatic transmission engineer that is very well known to the industry that will be my star witness. He has no issue swapping to boutique oils from [censored] OEM "price point" oils. He said, those oils will NEVER be the issue, if the trans failed, it was because it was going to fail anyways. The add-packs and base stock's are designed for extreme service and excel in a mildly used transmission.



.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: Mainia
Originally Posted By: MCompact
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Just so you are willing to hire an attorney and wait a LONG time...


Precisely.



More [censored] oil forum DOGMA of fear. They cant deny unless they have proof that it was the oil, because the manufacture has to prove it was the oil that did the damage. Most ATF differ mostly in the add-pack and slip agents. The most they look at is if the oil is "transmission fluid" and if it was at the proper level. I have a couple friends at dealers and that is all they do. It is just not cost effective to take people to court when the manufacture will loose every time because they know very well about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Transmissions don't fail much because you don't have OEM oil in them. They would of failed even with the OEM oil, it's just coincidental.

They may look at CVT's to see if you put in ATF, but if you have Redline or Amsoil CVT fluid in you have better fluid then the OEM's so it is a moot point, and the manufactures know this. Like my one friend said ....."it's not like we see fried warranty transmissions daily and we need to find why, so we don't expend $$$. We see one a month at best and can go a couple months without, we don't bother with checking, we just replace the dam thing".

Before I put a transmission cooler on our warrantied Rav4 I called around to 3 different Toyota dealers and asked for the service manager. (I wanted to tow a small 14 ft boat and when I switched out the [censored] Toyota WS ATF it was completely burn't at 21,400 miles that a lease return women owned from upstate new York.) I asked if my trans went belly up and I came in with the trans cooler on, what would happen to my warranty. One said nothing, I would not even contact Toyota, I would replace the trans. Next, the other stated he would look at the installation and see if anything was kinked and see that it was a "proper installation" and if it was would move on in replacing it. The last one said he would call Toyota and advise what they wanted to do, but his feeling was there would not be any issue if we felt it was a "good installed setup". WHY.... because the trans cooler falls into the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act as does changing to any "approved" trans oil that the oil manufacturer says will work in that car.


http://www.mikethemechanic.com/about/magnuson-moss-warranty-act/



If any issue came up I have access to a retired oil engineer/automatic transmission engineer that is very well known to the industry that will be my star witness. He has no issue swapping to boutique oils from [censored] OEM "price point" oils. He said, those oils will NEVER be the issue, if the trans failed, it was because it was going to fail anyways. The add-packs and base stock's are designed for extreme service and excel in a mildly used transmission.



.


Well, I've only worked in the legal system for 35 years, so I will defer to your obviously superior knowledge of how a lawsuit involving Magnuson-Moss would play out...