Dealer vs Owner oil changes

[RWTJR]

2 hours ago, elcamino said:

Fear mongering.

Yep!

I have a friend who was a dealership service manager for 15 years, including a Chevy dealership. She told me, keep records of your work and the receipts for parts & fluids and it'll never be an issue (and she's seen it all). She recommends to all her friends & her family to do their own maintenance. You get better products for less money.  I keep all my receipts and run an eXcel spreadsheet of all my work. I have done almost all of my maintenance and a great deal of mechanical work on my vehicles and I have never had an issue.

 

[OnTheReel]

See more fear mongering from the people who insist nobody should have the dealer change their oil because they will screw it up.

 

Not saying that doesn’t happen.
 

But the average vehicle on an American road is 12 years old. And fewer than 30% are owner maintained. Probably fewer than 10% realistically. So it’s not rational to think that techs at service facilities are constantly making errors that have any impact on engine life.

In the past couple years I’ve had warranty work done to replace my oil cooler lines, reprogram my brakes, replace my steering column. I chose not to worry about them performing a simple oil change when I’ve got no choice but to trust them with much more consequential services. And it’s their ass if they screw it up anyway.

[dieselfan1]

See more fear mongering from the people who insist nobody should have the dealer change their oil because they will screw it up.
 
Not saying that doesn’t happen.
 
But the average vehicle on an American road is 12 years old. And fewer than 30% are owner maintained. Probably fewer than 10% realistically. So it’s not rational to think that techs at service facilities are constantly making errors that have any impact on engine life.

In the past couple years I’ve had warranty work done to replace my oil cooler lines, reprogram my brakes, replace my steering column. I chose not to worry about them performing a simple oil change when I’ve got no choice but to trust them with much more consequential services. And it’s their ass if they screw it up anyway.

I usually don't have problem with the parts replacers at the dealer. They are pretty good at what they do and by working on the same vehicles all the time they got it figured out .
Each dealer I know of has guy that's good at say transmission work or electrical or whatever.
Those guys are good. I have no problem there. The dipshit they use for oil change and tire rotation is making 14-15 bucks an hour and could care less about your truck. Is the drain plug tight, or too tight? Same with the filter. Is it full? I seen it in person. That's why I do it myself. And for 40 bucks I don't even think twice about it.

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[Transient]

I'm in San Diego. My dealer has a special where you pay $100 for 3 oil changes. They know they're losing money on it. In the retail industry this is called a "loss leader". They do this because they believe they'll make up the difference with something else needed. For example, the multi-point inspection will probably find something else that'll cause the customer to fork out a few more dollars and make the dealer a profit. Unfortunately for my dealer, they know I'll perform my own work in something that's out of warranty. If it's in warranty I'll let them repair it because GM is paying the bill.

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[Transient]

Dealers have bulk oil tanks. Unless you are bringing them your own oil (who does that?), they aren’t pouring it out of quart bottles all day and leaving a few drops in each one. Imagine the waste.

Only for the oil they need to service the vehicles they sell. If they get another make where they don't have the oil in stock they'll have cases they need to crack open.

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[gemarsh]

Having 5 pickups, 3 straight trucks, 1 semi, 5 tractors, 5 industrial power units for pumping water thru pivots, 1 combine, 1 sprayer and more small engines than I have fingers, I would be broke if I was to have dealerships do my oil changes.

[Grall]

Most peeps have no choice but to use a dealer for oil changes as they are too fat and out of shape to do it themselves.

Thats why I gotta trail boss so no excuse [emoji1787][emoji1787]

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[diyer2]

On 1/14/2021 at 9:38 AM, It's Tim said:

Most peeps have no choice but to use a dealer for oil changes as they are too fat and out of shape to do it themselves.

Leave it to Tim. Such a nice guy. lol

[RWTJR]

On 1/14/2021 at 9:19 PM, OnTheReel said:

See more fear mongering from the people who insist nobody should have the dealer change their oil because they will screw it up.

 

Not saying that doesn’t happen.

 

Yes there's a fair share of that type of fear mongering too.

 

I can only share my experiences, thoughts and questions.

 

I have had oil changes completed at a dealership maybe 6 times and two of those times they screwed it up. The first time, my wife entered the house and said, "Why is there a pool of oil under your truck?" and when I touched the oil filter it fell into my hand. I have no idea how far from home it started leaking and there was still some oil in it but not enough to register on the dipstick. Had I not lived close to the dealership I suspect my engine would have probably blown.

 

The second time, in a moment of weakness, I took my wife's Equinox in for it's first and free oil change. When it was completed, but before I left the dealership, I checked the oil and it was over-filled. Apparently, they put 5 qts of oil in a vehicle that requires 4.2 qts. So approximately 33.3 percent of my dealership oil changes, at different dealerships, were screwed up.

 

As a member of a Camaro forum, I have read, and seen pictures of, front fender and under body structural damage that  occurred during dealership oil changes due to improper lifting. This is not something I desire to personally experience and I'm sure it won't happen in my garage while performing my DIY oil changes.

 

Yet, I have never heard, read, or seen any instances where someone was denied warranty work because a properly performed DIY oil change. I have never personally experienced any issues, warranty or otherwise, from any of the DIY oil changes I have done.

 

I am not trying to imply, or insist, anyone fear a dealership oil change but my experiences have shown that my decision to change my own oil was the right one for me. Additionally,  I can use arguably better products for less money and feel confident it has been done right.

 

Am not trying to convince anyone of anything (or incite fear). I am just sharing my thoughts, experiences and opinions to further the conversation. Although I quoted "OnTheReal" in this post my response is not directed at him, his post just inspired me to post. My post is intended for, and directed towards, everyone and anyone.

 

JMHO

No expertise implied or expressed

 

 

[Transient]

Most peeps have no choice but to use a dealer for oil changes as they are too fat and out of shape to do it themselves.

Or, they sign a 101 page lease that includes clause such as no working on vehicles and no washing vehicles. Gotta love the military and their rules.

 

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[RWTJR]

10 hours ago, Transient said:

Or, they sign a 101 page lease that includes clause such as no working on vehicles and no washing vehicles. Gotta love the military and their rules.

 

Do they no longer have free use auto shops on bases?

 

When I was in the Army (40+ years ago) we had auto shops on bases with bays, lifts and even a tool crib where you could borrow tools. All free, it was great. I would just reserve a time, show up, drive in, lift my vehicle, pull over the oil catch, grab some tools from the crib, (MWR person manned the crib and managed the schedule), and do my oil change and tire rotation. Bada Bing! Sometime they even had a tire machine you could get checked out on to mount/dismount your own tires. Often times there was a wash bay next door/nearby.

 

When I was stationed at FT. Meade, MD., we had 5 branches of service there (still do) so they offered a Valet Service at the auto shop for the Air Force guys. Just kidding, couldn't help myself.

 

The shops were run by the MWR office. You might want to check around.

 

 

No expertise implied or expressed

[Transient]

Do they no longer have free use auto shops on bases?

 

When I was in the Army (40+ years ago) we had auto shops on bases with bays, lifts and even a tool crib where you could borrow tools. All free, it was great. I would just reserve a time, show up, drive in, lift my vehicle, pull over the oil catch, grab some tools from the crib, (MWR person manned the crib and managed the schedule), and do my oil change and tire rotation. Bada Bing! Sometime they even had a tire machine you could get checked out on to mount/dismount your own tires. Often times there was a wash bay next door/nearby.

 

When I was stationed at FT. Meade, MD., we had 5 branches of service there (still do) so they offered a Valet Service at the auto shop for the Air Force guys. Just kidding, couldn't help myself.

 

The shops were run by the MWR office. You might want to check around.

 

 

No expertise implied or expressed

Free? No.

 

Open during COVID? No.

 

What you're referring to is called a Hobby Shop. I've spent many hours in some.

 

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[redwngr]

Some owners shouldn't be trusted with tools.

 

 

 

[Black02Silverado]

Yes, the Auto Hobby shop was great.  All free and having lifts and such made it nice with tranny changes and such.

[RyanbabZ71]

That is why I built this.  Out of all the oil changes I do I get a couple of qts every month from what drains out of the bottles after an oil change.  I use it in lawn equipment or when I get an old beater that uses oil every 1000 miles.  I can add more to it to hold as many qts or jugs as needed.  I just stopped at 5..  What I do is let the qts sit  on their side over night then dump them on here.  That way the oil is on the side and then drains right out and not trying to drip from the bottom of the container.
 

Nice I let mine sit for a bit




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