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been receiving these ads in my email on a regular basis for quiet some time now. when i look at the things that are on the list and the price that the dealership charges, i kind of have to take a deep breath and tell myself to relax.
1. engine oil and oil filter replacement
* 5 qts of full synthetic oil plus a quality filter should cost around $30 ($20-$25 for the oil, $5-$10 for the filter)
A few months ago, walmart had a deal on mobil extended performance 0w-20 engine oil，you can buy 5qts of the oil for $15.
2. replace oil drain plug
* this to me is optional. i change my own oil, every time i remove the drain plug, i check it myself, if i don't see anything wrong with it, i normally don't replace it. in case you do decide to replace it, it costs around $5 on amazon
3. add oil booster
* never added oil booster on any of my cars, never noticed any problems. personally, i feel like there are probably a million things that you can do or spend money on to make your car runs better, smoothier, faster... but is it really worth to pay the dealership to do these services?
for example, i know some shop charges $70 for cleaning 4 spark plugs, and brand new spark plugs costs around $7 each.
4. inspect exhaust system and leak
* never heard any weird noise from the exhaust system of any of my cars, never touched it, never had problem with it
5&6, replace engine and cabin filter
* probably one of the easiest things that you can do on your own; don't even need any tools to replace them. an average quality engine air filter costs around $10, cabin filter is about the same.
7. rotate tires, correct tire pressure and check brakes
* it is just work. loose all the lug nuts on all 4 tires, jack the car up, rotate them. tire pressure, spend $10 and buy a tire gauge and check it yourself, should be 32psi. brakes, just check the thickness of the pads and rotors.
8&9. perform multiple point inspection&vacuum
* who knows what the hell multiple point inspection includes. after they perform the multiple point inspection, they will recommend me to pay $49.99 for the fuel cleaning service, it will clean the fuel system of my car inside out, yea right.
vacuum, no comment
together, in parts, it costs around $55($30 for the engine oil&filter, $20 for the engine air&cabin filters, $5 for the drain plug) and the dealership is charging over 160 US dollars to do the things that are on the list and this is actually considered as a coupon and has an expiration date on it, lol. what a joke!
Last edited by some1livesinamerica; 05-16-2017 at 03:15 AM..
As a retired Tech, I'd rather pay a few extra bucks to have someone else crawl all over the place......although I find that the quality of work from some places are below the standard......having an issue with Bruce Bennette Nissan in Wilton CT at the moment, they replaced a Battery and corroded Terminal, but left the other bank of connectors attached to the Terminal full of corrosion, been going back and forth with me calling them.....apologies, but no solution offered, guess this is thier standard of acceptable work. 2014 Maxima, just rolled 12,000 on the odometer.
As a retired Tech, I'd rather pay a few extra bucks to have someone else crawl all over the place......although I find that the quality of work from some places are below the standard......having an issue with Bruce Bennette Nissan in Wilton CT at the moment, they replaced a Battery and corroded Terminal, but left the other bank of connectors attached to the Terminal full of corrosion, been going back and forth with me calling them.....apologies, but no solution offered, guess this is thier standard of acceptable work. 2014 Maxima, just rolled 12,000 on the odometer.
That's what I call half @ss work with @ss service.
I'm going to be changing my going on 4 year old battery by the end of next month by myself, they'll be no issues then.
Glad I saw this thread. I just leased a 2017 Nissan Sentra SV from a big dealership here in central NY. First time I have ever leased a vehicle.
They gave me a booklet with a schedule for all routine checkups with prices.
The question I have is do I have to use their schedule and service center? I have driven Toyotas for a long time, keeping up with synthetic oil changes every 5000-6000 miles, tire rotation, replacing belts when needed, etc. Never had a problem with any of those cars.
Some of the in-house maintenance is very pricey (one or two are $299 for several things). I'm on a limited budget (retired, low retirement income). Someone wrote if I couldn't afford the maintenance, I couldn't afford the car. I also heard the warranty is canceled if you don't use their service center and follow their schedule.
A mechanic friend of mine said the new cars are built well and hold up much better than prior years cars.
Realize that the "Service Manager" is just a salesman. His job is to maximize revenue. He'll especially prey on those whom are not well informed. He has a sales quota to meet. If he fails, he'll be replaced.
Your car comes with an owners manual. In the maintenance chapter, the manufacturer tells you what to do. Do exactly that.
Although I'm 67 and retired, I still do all my own basic maintenance. I learned it all as a kid. I don't trust anybody else to do it correctly. But it's easy for me because I have a heated garage, complete sets of tools, and I can take my time. I actually enjoy doing the job perfectly.
Glad I saw this thread. I just leased a 2017 Nissan Sentra SV from a big dealership here in central NY. First time I have ever leased a vehicle.
They gave me a booklet with a schedule for all routine checkups with prices.
The question I have is do I have to use their schedule and service center? I have driven Toyotas for a long time, keeping up with synthetic oil changes every 5000-6000 miles, tire rotation, replacing belts when needed, etc. Never had a problem with any of those cars.
Some of the in-house maintenance is very pricey (one or two are $299 for several things). I'm on a limited budget (retired, low retirement income). Someone wrote if I couldn't afford the maintenance, I couldn't afford the car. I also heard the warranty is canceled if you don't use their service center and follow their schedule.
A mechanic friend of mine said the new cars are built well and hold up much better than prior years cars.
Opinions?
What does it say? Some of its probably needed, some isn't, most can be done far cheaper at an independent shop.
Some of it probably says "replace brake pads at 25K miles." You might need to replace them, you might not. Etc...
I'll do simple stuff myself (wipers, cabin filter, air filter, etc). Beyond that, I go to the respective dealers. Both of my cars are late-model, under warranty, etc. So far, both dealers have treated me good. It's very unlike the dealerships I dealt with for decades before moving to FL. If that changes, I'll look to go elsewhere.
I'm pretty sure it means replace oil drain plug crush washer, not the actual drain plug. But yeah, most of the "inspections" are just things to make client feel like they're getting their money's worth. The inspection consists of pointing flash light at it for 2 seconds.
You're still looking at 70-130 bucks in parts and services
$20 Wash car at a car wash
$10-30 Air filter
$10-40 Cabin filter
$30-40 Oil and filter
Even if you diy you got time and some money into it. Yes all the services are cheap and easy by themselves.
I would love to pay 160 bucks for that service. Considering my air filter and my oil and oil filter alone are about 130 bucks. And that's me buying it.
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