06-08-2015, 09:24 PM | #23 | |
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Or as you say, just DIY. After July 28 this year, my car is unlikely to darken the dealer's door ever again. I don't like their cappuccino enough to pay their rates, and with four cars I don't need a loaner. Quicker and easier to just do it myself. And much, much cheaper.
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'11 328! Touring - Tasman on Chestnut, 6spd manual, factory upside-down "i" option '11 128i Convertible - Space Gray on Savannah Beige, 6spd manual, also '14 Mercedes-Benz E350 wagon, '95 Land Rover Discovery, '74 Triumph Spitfire |
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06-08-2015, 09:31 PM | #24 | |
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06-08-2015, 10:07 PM | #25 | |
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06-09-2015, 04:00 AM | #26 |
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There are a couple of related issues.
Was the tech who worked on your car in a rush and not let the dirty oil fully drain? Techs at dealerships tend to get paid by the job, not by the hour, so unfortunately it's an incentive for them to rush and they are always looking for shortcuts. In my book a 5 to 8 minute drain is not enough (admittedly its much better than no change at all). Best to get as much of the dirty oil out as you can. When I do my own oil changes I let the crankcase drain overnight whenever practical. You might be surprised how much dirty oil comes out after the initial 15 minutes. Of course this is not strictly a dealership issue. How many times have you seen a fast oil change place re-install your drain plug in just 5 minutes? And of course you are going to find few establishments interested in letting your oil drain overnight, and it may not be feasible for you to do your own oil changes. But I will say I've had several engines last 250k+ miles. The other issue is that your engine should be at full operating temperature before the drain plug is pulled. Hot oil is thinner and will flow more freely out the drain, carrying more impurities with it, and in an engine at full operating temperature those impurities (such as sludge, for example) will more likely be liquified and carried out of the drain by the oil. Too many times I've seen customers who dropped off their vehicle for oil service early in the morning, and the car sits for many hours before being pulled into the garage. At that point the engine is barely warmed up and certainly no where near full operating temperature. I tend to plan my oil changes so that the vehicle has been driven at least 10 to 15 miles immediately before the plug is pulled. Overkill? Perhaps, but again I've had several engines over 250,000 miles. |
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06-09-2015, 08:47 AM | #27 |
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At the end of the day if you are concerned about all of these things (which if you want to own the car for 200k is totally OK by me) then just do the oil change yourself.
I've been through 8 cars (plus 4 on my wife's side) and for the most part I've never had any issues with oil change places. My sister claimed a place failed to change her oil once but that was because she took it to another mechanic afterwards (who may have just been lying to her to gain her business - again, shady NYC corner mechanics are mostly all crooks). I do almost every repair that I can myself, but when it involves dumping all the coolant or oil I take it to a shop simply so I don't have to deal with disposing of it afterwards.
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06-09-2015, 09:04 AM | #28 |
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I don't mind doing it myself (and completely understand that others don't have the time, place, or inclination), and there happens to be a Pep Boys down the street from my office. They will take your drain oil at no charge if you happen to have one near you. Unfortunately we have some of the crooked mechanics and garages here in Jersey too, but there are some top notch ones, although it would not be reasonable for me to expect any of them to take the steps I do with oil changes.
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06-09-2015, 09:24 AM | #29 | |
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06-09-2015, 09:47 AM | #30 |
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A good mechanic goes a long way. Finding some place you can trust is key. Dealerships make that harder when they have massive service departments with 50 different techs and rotating service managers and CAs.
With that in mind both my BMW's have been leases - specifically because I don't care what they do or don't do when they service the car. It will be their car when they are done and I hope they have their best interests in mind.
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06-09-2015, 11:06 AM | #31 |
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I don't think it's paranoia at all. If you were more familiar with what actually goes on in a dealer's service department you might feel otherwise. There is a huge incentive for techs to cut corners and rush given that they are most often paid by the job and not by the hour. I've had cars returned to me that had too little oil, too much oil, tools left under the hood, missing bolts and screws, wheel lug nuts incorrectly tightened, check engine lights that were on after a repair, and in one case the oil was not changed at all when it was supposed to be. I don't think the dealer was trying to cheat me out of oil and a filter, i think the tech was just rushing and simply forgot. If you plan to keep the car beyond the warranty period you might want to consider the possibility that a missed oil change could certainly be the cause of significant engine work much later on (on your dime). There are some terrific techs out there and there are some really sloppy ones, and sometimes they are working side by side in the same dealership. BMW and Mercedes dealers are not immune to this. If you have the knowledge and ability to double check to make sure the work on your car was done correctly, it can't hurt.
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06-09-2015, 01:24 PM | #32 | |
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06-10-2015, 02:23 PM | #34 | |
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Prost!
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