Why aren't you changing your own oil?

[s197richie]

Most ppl in this thread have a lot more faith in the dealership service department than I ever could; then again I worked there. Saw drain plugs finger tight and forgotten to wrench down, oil filters unchanged due to pita to get to (Cavalier w/ OD trans was great for that one), debut of Hemi engines getting five quarts instead of the required seven and nobody bothering to look up the spec, etc.

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[Dxm]

why aren't you doing your own teeth cleaning (every 6 months)?

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Most ppl in this thread have a lot more faith in the dealership service department than I ever could; then again I worked there. Saw drain plugs finger tight and forgotten to wrench down, oil filters unchanged due to pita to get to (Cavalier w/ OD trans was great for that one), debut of Hemi engines getting five quarts instead of the required seven and nobody bothering to look up the spec, etc.

I have zero faith in dealer service departments. But at least with the mobile service I can watch them do they work instead of sitting in a waiting room and crossing my fingers.

 

[MAT1955]

Like anything in life you will get as good a service as you deserve. If anyone you are dealing with senses that you have done your homework, pay attention and are engaged you will get good service. My dealer knows I am very interested in my vehicle and check. I discuss what is going to be done and what I expect.

 

[eldnov]

i do it just for the service history, after all eventually everyone will sell their cars... i already bought it pretty low don't want it to go below 2023 s550 price because it has a bad service record. only thing i hate about the place where i get my oil change at is that they don't hesitate to charge you a crazy amount for something dumb.

the place i get my service at is technically owned by my local ford dealer but they still run under their own name. got my car serviced and asked for them to check out my tire pressures since only one monitor was giving me a warning and clearly all my tires were below the correct pressure. they didn't bother filling up my tires and decided to quote me $170 for a new tpm when my car is under warranty... filled up my tire pressures at my local discount tire for free and it went away.

what kind of service place, especially one that is under a dealership not think to do the simplest thing to see if that fixes the issue...

 

[LouG]

1 reason: service history
Having well documented instances of service history from the dealer makes your car's value better when selling (worked with my Alfa).
I sure wouldn't buy a used car without docs, so why be that person?
Could I work on my car? Absolutely. But my craftsmanship isn't worth anything when selling the car.

I keep receipts for oil and filter, I get the dealer to record that too. And, if they want, I can produce my 47 year old mechanics trade certification

 

[LouG]

why aren't you doing your own teeth cleaning (every 6 months)?

Every 6 months! Eeewwww, I do them twice a day. Three times on holidays.

 

[s197richie]

why aren't you doing your own teeth cleaning (every 6 months)?

I floss so I don't need to go; they never find any plaque. Also dentists and hygienists have undergone a lot of training whereas lube techs as a general rule have not.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Yep. Flossing definitely means you don't have to get your teeth cleaned.

 

[s197richie]

Yep. Flossing definitely means you don't have to get your teeth cleaned.

They never find any plaque and tbh it's a racket; same as dropping your out-of-warranty vehicle off and saying "I think it's broke" or "check around for any maint and repair needs." They're always trying to get me for white filling swaps or a whitening.

 

[Alex381]

I negotiated for 7 free full synthetic oil changes when I bought mine. So I should be good for about 40k miles before I would even consider doing it myself. They seem to a very good job with it so I don’t mind. I’ve definitely been to dealerships that I would never trust with my car. But there are about 5 Ford dealers within 20 miles of my home, so I am not left wanting for a good option.

 

[135Hoser]

Because ford removed the easy access door on the dork horse, and I don't feel like dealing with 12+ fasteners to get the undertray off.

Plus there's usually a bunch of other shit that ford needs to fix at the same time anyway, so whatevs.

 

[LouG]

I'm still uncomfortable with strangers working on my car. But creaky bones makes crawling under cars less fun now.
I miss the days when I could get on a garage creeper, drop a gearbox on my gut, and crawl out from under the car again.

 

[2026FX]

Because I am a dufus when it comes to fixing things. Not from a lack of trying, but I snapped a gear oil bolt on my scooter trying to change the oil. I cracked a saddle bag support trying to adjust the suspension on my Triumph. I spent a solid 48 hours installing a ceiling fan, to have it work for about 2 weeks until it became a decoration.



Everything I touch, I break. I have a high-income job, I simply will over pay for service at the dealer. I positively break everything I try to work on and I always end up spending more money to have someone fix my mistakes.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Because I am a dufus when it comes to fixing things. Not from a lack of trying, but I snapped a gear oil bolt on my scooter trying to change the oil. I cracked a saddle bag support trying to adjust the suspension on my Triumph. I spent a solid 48 hours installing a ceiling fan, to have it work for about 2 weeks until it became a decoration.



Everything I touch, I break. I have a high-income job, I simply will over pay for service at the dealer. I positively break everything I try to work on and I always end up spending more money to have someone fix my mistakes.

You sound perfect to be an oil technician at a dealership.

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