Getting a new car serviced

Cherokeekid88

Cherokeekid88

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Location
High Point, NC
How do you treat your services needed on a new car?
We bought a Mazda 3 back in march and its now time for its first oil change. The manual calls for 0w-20 which from what I have read is either a synthetic blend or fully senthetic... I need to get the oil changed and tires rotated and balanced. I found a coupon online for flow Mazda in Greensboro for a Oil change(fully synthetic) Mazda OEM filter change (found out that the OEM oil filter has a bypass valve in it) tire rotation, full circle inspection, check all hoses, belts, fluids, brakes - for $69.95

Figure its a little much but by the time I buy all the stuff - find the right filter, I wouldn't be saving that much by just getting someone else to do it and I know its done right (hopefully)
 
Screw that... I know you can change your own oil for less than 70 bucks. Granted, you can't balance the tires, but you can rotate them yourself. The only thing I don't do myself is a state inspection and that's only because I don't have my license.

I just don't trust other people with my vehicles. At all. Not even a little. I usually mount and balance my own tires too, but I'm kinda picky.

I'd also say that it's not even close to difficult to find an oil filter than fits that car. Luckily, it's not a cartridge filter. Not that they're any worse, I just prefer a spin on myself.


With all that said, dealerships are a bunch of crooks (usually). My sister did buy a 2012 Corolla brand new and it came with 2 years of free oil changes and tire rotations. I'd be down for that. It doesn't cost her a dime and she usually drops it off while she's in class and picks it up afterwards. If anything goes wrong, they're liable. After that runs out, I'll take over the maintenance again.
 
I do all my own service work, even on my wife's new Highlander. It uses 0-20w full synthetic too.
 
Never bought a new car so I really don't know, but if your car came with a warranty doesn't it need to be serviced at the dealership or a certified shop for the warranty to still be good?
 
for new car warranty, NO it does not need to be serviced at a dealership or shop, do a google search on the Magnusson-Moss act. Just save all receipts and make a note of the mileage when service was done. As for the filter, almost all spin-on oil filters, factory or replacement, have a relief valve built into them, use a quality filter and you should be good. Some of the cheaper filters out there have varying pressures where the relief opens, but that is for dirty filter bypass flow, by which time you should have changed the filter anyways. Dealerships have been using warranty scare tactics for years to try & keep the service dept. busy
 
I bought a corolla in 2013. 25k or 2 yrs of dealer oil changes included. I never opened the hood over that time. 30k service was last weekend so now I will do all the basic service myself. I bought genuine toyota air and oil filters off Amazon and mobile 1 0-w20 at wallyworld. Damn oil is $32 itself plus cartridge filter (nice design) @ $4 so about $35 when all was said and done.
 
Cherokeekid88 said:
Paid $

how much did you quote for your oil when you did it, granted Im sure the highlander takes more than 4.2 quarts
Click to expand...


The first oil change was at 10,000 miles. That was 5,000 miles ago. I don't recall how much the oil and filter were, but 0W-20 full synthetic isn't cheap.
 
The wife has a brand new Kia Optima SXL. I do the oil changes on it, and just use a Kia oil filter since they require that for the 100k warranty on the motor. I don't feel like going to the dealer, its quicker and cheaper to do myself.
 
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