Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don’t have a oil monitoring system in my vehicle I’ll continue to use what the dealership uses in their vehicles because i always let the dealer do it ,it’s not much more than if i did it my self, i have changed my own oil many a time when the dealer prices were higher in the 80’s and early 90’s then they came out with their quick lube express and were open on Saturday when i had the day off. Now I’m 63 yrs old I’m not about to crawl under any car anymore been there done that but now i can afford to have the dealer do it, and i sit there have a free coffee and donuts waiting for them to finish. And I’m not a fanatic about vehicles anymore to me they are just a mode of transmission, because I’ve had so many that vehicles just don’t matter that much anymore.
I'm older than you and I still change my own oil. Not because I'm cheap, but because I know the job will be done right. You need go no further than this forum to find horror stories about dealers, jiffy lubes and independents screwing up something as simple as an oil change. And the fact that the dealer has to fix it is no consolation. My vehicle would still be out of commission while they're fixing it. One of my cars came with free lifetime oil changes and I still refuse to let the dealer touch it.
To answer someones question, I said I would take the best oil they had. Car's aren't an investment I know, but this car was super expensive for my budget and I'm not going to cheap out now. I want it to last.
Been going to that Valvolinee with my older beater for years. Not sure I see the same people twice And yes they were always selling me something, I actually got to the point where I had bought every service they sold and there was nothing to press on me.
Once they left a cap off something, I could tell something was up by the way the engine was running. But that was once.
If there are other things they did or didn't do they were supposed to I guess I wouldn't know.
Uhauling it today. At somepoint I will buy a better air filter.
With my beater, which I loved and also babied beyond its worth, I changed the oil frequently. I'm not so sure I should have to change this expensive oil in a 3 year old engine every 3000. The car is out of warranty and i didn't buy an extension.
Question: They did try to sell me some sort of 4wd gear oil change. Said there were 3 places in this car that had gears with oil or something that needed to be changed. The car is 59,500 so he said they recommend it at 60,000.
Is this something I should have my mechanic do or is it ok to have Valvoline do it?
Read your owners manual, it should say when these services should be done. If it doesn’t, join a 4 Runner forum and ask other owners of same vehicles. Use your mechanic only, from now on.
I use semi synthetic because to keep my warranty on my vehicle oil changes every 5,000 miles or 6 months so why use full synthetic. And for your information manufacures use high quality semi or full synthetic motor oil no more regular oil that you had to change every 3,000 miles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by easy62
If you have a new vehicle it should be because you better follow the oil change schedule or it will nullified your warranty.
The manufacturer has no way of knowing when you changed your oil unless you take it to the dealer or one of the oil change shops that report the service. All they can actually do is inspect the engine and see if there are unusual carbon and dirt deposits indicative of the oil not being changed frequently enough. If you are about to tell me your car has an oil life monitoring system, you should understand what those systems actually do, what they actually monitor and their capabilities. Oil life monitors are just a program that monitors things such as temperatures, length of time driven and how the engine was ran (RPM's, load, etc). It then uses a predetermined algorithm to determine when to turn the light on and request an oil change. What the system is completely incapable of is knowing what type and quality of oil you are using, improvements in oil technology allowing oil to last longer than it did years ago when your algorithm was written and it is also completely incapable of actually measuring oil viscosity and cleanliness. What it also is incapable of is knowing whether you simply reset the system without changing the oil or if you did in fact change the oil because it has no way of detecting the condition of the oil. My point is that oil life monitoring systems are basically just idiot lights to nag the people that are bad about never changing their oil.
I have multiple vehicles including trucks, suv's and a car with anywhere from 150,000 miles to almost 500,000 miles all with the original engines. I bought some used and a couple brand new and from my very first oil change in every one of them, I have ran full synthetic and I change the oil after they go over 12,000 miles on the oil change whether it needs to be changed yet or not. lol The truck with almost a half million miles on it was bought new and maintained this way from the very first oil change. When I replaced the oil pan and valve cover gaskets at around 350,000 miles, the inside of the engine was incredibly clean. You could not tell by looking at it whether it had 30,000 miles or 350,000 miles.
Your oil change intervals should be based on what type of oil and filter you use, your environmental/weather conditions, driving conditions and how hard you work the engine.
I'm older than you and I still change my own oil. Not because I'm cheap, but because I know the job will be done right. You need go no further than this forum to find horror stories about dealers, jiffy lubes and independents screwing up something as simple as an oil change. And the fact that the dealer has to fix it is no consolation. My vehicle would still be out of commission while they're fixing it. One of my cars came with free lifetime oil changes and I still refuse to let the dealer touch it.
Sorry for your luck but we’re I’m at I’ve never had a problem with any dealership. And if the dealer screws up it’s on them to fix and supply me with a loaner. Both my vehicles are under warranty one is a 2016 Kia Sorento with only 17,000 miles this is my wife’s Cuv And a 2015 Nissan Sentra with is a lease witch is mine. So when the lease is up later this year I’m going to lease again. So i let dealer do everything i don’t keep vehicles much so the oil that the dealer uses is fine with me.
The manufacturer has no way of knowing when you changed your oil unless you take it to the dealer or one of the oil change shops that report the service. All they can actually do is inspect the engine and see if there are unusual carbon and dirt deposits indicative of the oil not being changed frequently enough. If you are about to tell me your car has an oil life monitoring system, you should understand what those systems actually do, what they actually monitor and their capabilities. Oil life monitors are just a program that monitors things such as temperatures, length of time driven and how the engine was ran (RPM's, load, etc). It then uses a predetermined algorithm to determine when to turn the light on and request an oil change. What the system is completely incapable of is knowing what type and quality of oil you are using, improvements in oil technology allowing oil to last longer than it did years ago when your algorithm was written and it is also completely incapable of actually measuring oil viscosity and cleanliness. What it also is incapable of is knowing whether you simply reset the system without changing the oil or if you did in fact change the oil because it has no way of detecting the condition of the oil. My point is that oil life monitoring systems are basically just idiot lights to nag the people that are bad about never changing their oil.
I have multiple vehicles including trucks, suv's and a car with anywhere from 150,000 miles to almost 500,000 miles all with the original engines. I bought some used and a couple brand new and from my very first oil change in every one of them, I have ran full synthetic and I change the oil after they go over 12,000 miles on the oil change whether it needs to be changed yet or not. lol The truck with almost a half million miles on it was bought new and maintained this way from the very first oil change. When I replaced the oil pan and valve cover gaskets at around 350,000 miles, the inside of the engine was incredibly clean. You could not tell by looking at it whether it had 30,000 miles or 350,000 miles.
Your oil change intervals should be based on what type of oil and filter you use, your environmental/weather conditions, driving conditions and how hard you work the engine.
If you’re vehicle is under the manufacturer warranty you better prove that the oil was changed when it was suspose to of been changed because a manufacture can deny any warranty claim if you can’t prove you were following the maintenance schedule.
If you’re vehicle is under the manufacturer warranty you better prove that the oil was changed when it was suspose to of been changed because a manufacture can deny any warranty claim if you can’t prove you were following the maintenance schedule.
I have never seen nor heard of any dealership asking for proof of oil changes. No one I know has had that happen either.
Maybe you know someone who knows someone that happened to but I doubt it.
I have never seen nor heard of any dealership asking for proof of oil changes. No one I know has had that happen either.
Maybe you know someone who knows someone that happened to but I doubt it.
I have if the service was not done at the dealer if a warranty issue arise. They can void a warranty claim if you can’t prove you kept up with recommend service as stated in the owners manual. Why would a manufacturer honor a warranty if you failed to do the maintenance on it when you are suspose to. I’ve seen it happen before because when the had to take the motor apart they could tell the oil wasn’t changed like it was suspose to be.
For years, I changed my own oil. Old school: Every 2-3,000 miles. Unnecessary, but made me feel like I was trying hard to protect my vehicle.
More recently, I have gone to the Dealer to have these services performed. My wife has ALWAYS had her car dealer serviced, and when something goes wrong, you at least eliminate the "we can't know what someone else did" issue. They give her the benefit of the doubt, or take responsibility for breakdowns because they have always done the work (and made the money).
Something to be said for that. If you are paying Valvoline or another quick change shop, you are basically shopping at K-Mart or the Dollar Store and can expect the lowest quality products and services. There is a reason, OP, you have been to Valvoline with the old beater for years and "never had the same person" service your vehicle twice.
IMHO, pay the extra amount to have the dealer do the work and get some benefit when problems arise. They will at least know you when you walk in or need a 'rush' service. On top of that you will get better products (filters, with more pleats (and better filtering), for example) and protect your investment. Makes no sense to spend $30,000 on a car and skimp on maintenance.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And yes they were always selling me something, I actually got to the point where I had bought every service they sold and there was nothing to press on me. 
