DIY vs Warranty

ThundahBeagle · October 16, 2020

Hello everyone,

I have a used 2014 GMC Sierra z71 double cab 5.3. that I got a year and a half ago. A 3rd party warranty came with it. LOVE this truck. I replaced the old Ranchos with Bilsteins and love it even more.

It's time for my its "100,000 mile service", which really is 90,000 through 105. This entails a coolant system flush & fill, and flush & fills for the tranny, 4x4 transfer case and diff fluid. This adds up to over $1200. Also, it could use a serpentine belt change and rear brake pads.

Dealership wants almost $700 to do the rear brake pads. Over $100 to change the serpentine belt.

Of course, I can do the brake pads and belt myself. I've never done a flush of a tranny myself, and I have reservations about a flush, rather than a drop and replace.

My questions are:

-on a truck as young as this, is it ok that the tranny and coolant be flushed and filled, or am I already looking at being careful and just emptying what I can from the radiator/ dropping the tranny pan and refilling, rather than a forceful flush? Same question for the transfer case.

-How, if I have that warranty, can I do some of this myself and still have it "show up" on a report and have it count on the record as having been done?

If I did the pads and belt myself, I could keep the receipts, but nothing would show up through GMC service reporting system that the work has been done, sosome people might not accept that it has been.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

tmo · October 16, 2020

For one of the questions.. I actually ran into this dilemma myself when I purchased my 2018. I wanted to be able to make sure things were done properly and save money without it seeming like I didn’t properly maintenance my vehicle. I don’t really have a solid answer, but what I have been doing is logging all of my oil changes and tire rotations into carfax so if the next owner/buyer is looking for them they can find them. Carfax also gives you the option to add receipts, miles and data for each log so it’s more legit I guess. You log them as a DIY so you can see when you did it vs a shop.

Gregory Krisa · October 16, 2020

For one of the questions.. I actually ran into this dilemma myself when I purchased my 2018. I wanted to be able to make sure things were done properly and save money without it seeming like I didn’t properly maintenance my vehicle. I don’t really have a solid answer, but what I have been doing is logging all of my oil changes and tire rotations into carfax so if the next owner/buyer is looking for them they can find them. Carfax also gives you the option to add receipts, miles and data for each log so it’s more legit I guess. You log them as a DIY so you can see when you did it vs a shop.

Nice tip I didn't know that.

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ThundahBeagle · October 21, 2020

I also did not know that. Very good tip, TMO. I suppose I know the real answer is that if I want credit for the service, I should bite the bullet and just have GMC do it. Then if i sell it, it comes up "all factory recommended service was done..." and blah blah blah.

And if I dont ever expect to sell it, or dont plan on using the warranty, then go ahead and take the chance doing it myself, hoping I save enough money to offset any work the warranty masters will deny me...

All my other trucks were much older than this when I owned them, so it was easy: jack it up and get busy.

Thanks for the replies guys

evad · October 21, 2020

i did all my own work on my 2012 ..just sold it and the guy that bought it never asked for any paperwork or proof.......i think if you take good care of something it shows and people will see it

Edited October 21, 2020 by evad

royalkangaroo · October 21, 2020

I’ve got a 2015 Sierra that I’ve owned since it had 7 miles on it. I’ve contemplated these things before as I’m also pretty meticulous about service.

I work on my own vehicle to my abilities because a) I know I’m going to do things right, and b) it’s much cheaper in most cases.

I replaced the fluid in both diffs and the transfer case for about $130 with AMSOIL, and the price of the rear diff seal. If you can turn a wrench, it’s a no brainer compared to the price of a shop.

Brakes are similar, I now have 68k and I plan on doing all 4 rotors and pads with NAPA premium/ultra premium for about $400 in parts come spring.

Transmission fluid, I’ve always heard do it early and often or never at all. And NEVER do a flush. All these trucks require is a pan drop, filter change, and refill. I did mine at 50k miles and will probably continue to do it ever 50k. I also had a trustworthy shop tackle this because it looks like a real messy PITA. I can’t speak to whether 100k is too late to change the fluid or not, I’d say it has to do with your driving/towing style. I wouldn’t expect a pan drop/fluid fill to be an issue but we’ve all read transmission horror stories.

I wasn’t aware that you could enter CarFax data. I think you can enter your own services on the MyGMC site. Regardless, personally I wouldn’t put too much weight on the recorded service history. To me it’s worth the $$ savings and peace of mind to DIY. Hope this helps

MichiganCCab · October 22, 2020

I use my My.Chevrolet.com account. You can see service records done at dealerships. You can also add service records for work that you do or someone else does for you.

Malibu SS · October 22, 2020

Never needed receipts or proof of anything to sell one of my vehicles. The guy just looks at my vehicle......looks in my barn.......and says sold. A smart buyer will just know......

KARNUT · October 22, 2020

I would never do a flush. I would do an exchange. My recent used purchase had very complete records and nothing on car fax. It looks brand new, obviously well taken care of. That sold it.

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