gamma742

Honestly, I don't buy into the 1 year or 10K..

I go by miles ---> 10K.

If I drove only 1K a year I would definitely wait at least 2 yrs.


I drive about 10K per year but change it strictly on the Odometer when it hits the 10K mark + or - 500 miles

chi515

I still have my 2005 (Toyota) Scion that has almost 250,000 miles on it.. Scion recommends a change every 3k miles but I change my oil in that car every 15k or once a year (whichever comes first).. It was my commuter car so I used to put a lot of miles on it.. I use Mobile 1 synthetic oil and Mobile 1 oil filter that are both rated for 15,000 miles.. car still running great with no issues..

Now with my 2018 ESh, I'll probably keep it at the 10k interval until the warranty period expires.. then depending on how much I drive and I may push it to 15k as well.. Mobile 1 oil and filters are rated at 15k.. I dont think they would try to false advertise on their product just to bring up their sales..

IMO, doing oil change has 1k vs 10k has minimal affect on the engine.. I think if you red line your engine all the time, or red line your engine at every cold starts, will have a much worse impact on your engine than the oil change.. that's just my opinion..

nuraman00

Not sure if this is the best thread to put this in.

I called 2 dealers to get service pricing info. One dealer I'd been to before.

Dealer A:

Oil Change: $89 for regular, $129 for full synthetic (before any coupons or discounts).

Tire rotation: $50

Dealer B:

Oil Change: $89. I asked if it was fully synthetic. They said yes.

Still being suspicious about the big price difference compared to dealer A, I called again and asked for the exact oil manufacturer and type.

They checked and said it was Castrol fully synthetic. I asked if it was for OW-20. They said "no, fully synthetic". I guess that's the best answer I can get over the phone.

Also, the person answering my questions both times wasn't a service adviser. They weren't available because they were busy with customers. It's probable that I'd have gotten a more exact answer from a service adviser. This was the receptionist who asked a service adviser and was trying to help me over the phone.

According to Castrol's website, there are 3 types of fully synthetic. Castrol Edge, Edge Extended Performance, and Magnatec. I guess I should be satisfied as long as they're using one of those.

I haven't ruled out buying my own oil. They said that would be ok. But I'd also like to see their exact pricing breakdown. And the only way I can do that is to have them do everything once, and then look at the invoice.

Or should I scratch that idea and still bring my own oil for the first time, anyways?

Where do I get an oil filter and gasket, anyways? How do I know what to get?

There was also a coupon I saw for $20 off an oil change. I asked if I could apply that on top of the $89. They said sure, as long as it wasn't expired. Again, I'll probably have to go there in person to see if they'll really take the coupon. It actually wasn't really a coupon, just a frame on their website that said $20 off a regular oil change. But I'd still take a screen shot and print-out, regardless.

I doubt I'd be able to use the $20 coupon if I brought my own oil. So maybe I should just bring the coupon, hope they will take it, and then that would be cheaper than any savings I'd have from buying my own oil, oil filter, and gasket.

There's also a chance that their $89 price already includes the $20 discount. Since it didn't look like a real coupon, but just a frame on their website alerting of the fact that oil changes have a reduced price.

Tire Rotation: $69


I plan to start using America's Tire Company for tire rotations anyways. But it's interesting that Dealer A was more expensive for an oil change, but less for a tire rotation.

bc6152

I guess because it's California you pay more for just about everything including gas and taxes. Maybe that will change on November 6th. IMO $89.00 for an oil change is exorbitant. $50.00 or $69.00 for a tire rotation is ridiculous. I change my own oil but understand that's not for everyone to do. My Lexus dealer gets $70.00 for pure, full synthetic oil and filter.
I checked with AAA service and they too get $70.00 for a synthetic oil change. I get a filter at Walmart for about $5.00 and a 5 qt. jug of Castrol, Valvoline, or Mobil one for $24.00 before rebates, and add another quart and a half for the change. Final cost about $35.00 + my labor. I get my tires rotated at Walmart for $10.00...

There are ways to save money if you check around and are not embarrassed to let Walmart put your car on a lift or change your own oil... BTW, a synthetic oil change at Walmart is about $50.00 for 6.5 qts...

nuraman00

Walmart or Sears are fine for some stuff. I like America Tires Company tire rotation program. It's $60 for the lifetime of the tires (if you didn't buy the tires from them).

For oil change, I know people that have had bad experiences at non-dealers (leaking oil afterwards) so that's why I want to go to a dealer.

I already tried the Toyota dealer once for a Lexus, and they ended up adding more items to the service request to run up my bill, so I don't want to go back to them.

That's why I'm comparing between two Lexus dealers. $89 was the cheaper Lexus dealer, and it's possible I can use that $20 coupon on top of that. I'll have to see when I actually go to them.

Is the AAA oil service only for emergencies? Or can I use them for regular maintenance?

Can you link to what oil filter you get? How do I know if it will work for me?

Mike728

Seriously? They and Discount Tire by me, appear to be owned by the same company. Discount Tire gives free rotations to everyone that makes an appointment.

bc6152

Fram has 3 levels of filters. I use the top of the line model. Go onto Fram.com and enter your vehicle and you'll get the filter number. Been using Fram for 50 years. And AAA is like any other garage and service center. Has nothing to do with emergencies. You make an appointment like any other place... Call and get a price...Make sure it's for 100% synthetic. $29.95 oil changes are available anywhere but you get a no name filter and mystery oil...

nuraman00

Yes, they're owned by the same company.

When I called them, they said the free tire rotations are only if you bought the tires from them.

Since I still have my stock tires, then I'll have to pay the lifetime service fee for the unlimited tire rotations.

For Discount Tires, do they still rotate tires for free if you didn't buy the tires from there?

nuraman00

Thanks. I haven't called the AAA center yet, will do that.

I checked the distance. It's 18 miles away. Would probably take me 30 mins with no traffic, 40 - 45 if there's traffic.

Dealer B from my list above was 16 miles, and I think a faster drive.

I'll check back on this after I get a price from them.

Mike728

Yes, they did when I started going there a couple years ago. I've heard it's still an ongoing practice. It seems to be a great idea. It got me to buy new tires from them last year.

nuraman00

I called the AAA service center.

$59.99 for synthetic Mobil 1.

Also, $27.99 for a tire rotation.

I think I'd try Dealer B once to see if I can use that $20 coupon. That would bring it to $69.99. Plus, it's a much shorter drive in time, even if there's not much of a difference in distance. I think going to the AAA service center will take about 35 mins.

If Dealer B doesn't take the $20 coupon, then after that time, I'll try the AAA service center.


Does the AAA service center take appointments?

jgscott

iTrader: (1)

Walmart Auto Center around me does $54.99 Synthetic Oil and Filter.