Am I crazy for not using my complimentary oil changes ?

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I have had the 2 years of free oil changes on last 2 Tacomas (2011 & 2012) and would never let a dealer do an oil change.

I have bigger (warranty) things done at dealerships but have not had good luck with "dealership oil change guys".

Had one dealer who "double filled" (did not drain old oil) a Subaru once ... and a Toyota dealer who left oil change about 3 quarts low ... another Toyota dealer who got caught NOT changing the filter TWICE. ...

The higher trained techs I trust a lot more than the "oil change guys".
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Most of the time I won't even take a car in for a flat repair even if they gave me the "road hazzard" warranty on some tires, unless it is something major. Too much time and hassle involved, plus they usually want to argue you did this, hit that, didn't rotate every 25 miles, ad nauseum.

I can plug most tire leaks in the driveway, in 30 minutes or less. Changing oil on a Tacoma, is only 10 minutes of my time.

 

So you can't trust the shop to pull the plug and pour in fluids, BUT you CAN trust them for major warranty repairs......UH, OK. Way more chance of vehicle damage from big repairs than some guy dropping the plug and then dumping in a bottle of oil vs. leaning over the fender or whatever else getting scratches or dents or anything else. Sounds like some of you need to find better dealers and service departments. Stuff can happen anywhere, but if it is a pattern, that is just negligence and incompetence. Time to get a new shop.

Nothing wrong with DIY mechanical work. Just saying oil changes are pretty harmless. Do guys leave the plug loose or overfill or underfill? Possibly. But I have the record they did the change, so if something goes wrong, I have a receipt.

 

and the headache that goes along with it.

keep in mind...
the guy who does oil changes at most dealerships is at the botton of the laddder...and could very well been washing dishes at Applebee's the week prior. he also may never have seen a torque wrench, or know how to use one.

whereas, if you have major mechanical failure...the dealership will most likely have a tech with certs and at least a few years under his belt at his trade to handle the warranty work.

 

^^^^^^^

That's what HE said!

I am with you buddy!

Take the truck for big major stuff. If the dealer messes it up, then you can cut their balls. Dealers suck. Dealers are set up to make money. Most of their work is done fast in order to make the profit.

 

Really? That is horrible. I can't believe they want to make a profit.

 

I just had my last free oil change done , and plan to take it back when ever I need the oil changed , they also rotate your tires as part of the Toyota care service , not sure if they rotate the tire after your free changes are done , and I prefer a original oil filter .

 

I cant believe how many WOMEN on here dont change their own oil! whats the matter with you guys? MAN-UP!

 

Couldn't agree more kinda reminds me of the guys who have 40 dollars worth of junk piled in the garage and a couple of $30,000 dollar vehicles in the driveway.

That said my dealer never give me a problem with oil changes or warranty work. Just had two headlight replaced because the daytime running lights were burning lenses. I think part of the reason they help me so much is because I get all my work done there and since my truck is not modified there's nothing they can throw back at me.

 

You bought a 35k truck much like me they are willing to give you free oil changes and have certified mechanics working on the vehicles why because as you said a oil change is peanuts not big job they can easily do it while trouble shooting other issues on other vehicles. And the warranty since if they screw up your rig they are fixing it. at 80$ a pop non synthetic ill take my 640$ worth of free oil changes with a smile and a free coffee or 3

 

If you care about your vehicle, do as much of the maintenance yourself as possible. Nobody cares about your vehicle as much as you do. I don't trust other people working on my car/truck. Free service or not, I service my vehicles myself if I feel I can do so. It does not matter if it came with lifetime free complimentary service.

I bought my truck brand new and after 10 years and 200K miles later every oil change/tune-up was done on it by me. I go straight by the book and use only OEM parts and the highest quality lubes. It still runs hard and strong. When I drive my new car/truck off the lot the Stealership will never see it again unless it is something I cannot easily fix. With do-it-yourself-maintenance you will know that the vehicle was serviced and that the service was done right. Peace of mind.

 

My free oil change book is just here collecting dust...I always do my own oil changes. Ive traded in previous Tacoma's that were only serviced at the dealer and it didint make one bit of difference. They didnt care and it didnt influence the trade-in value.

RJM

 

I have seen them do careless work numerous times at the dealership.They won't be touching my new one unless for warranty work...

 

I have $4.99 oil changes for life. Every 5000 miles my Tacoma is visiting the dealer. Drop it off before work, pick it up after. Tacoma has been there 10 times, and next week will be 11. Never had a problem.

 

Do they give you a loaner for the day ?
how do you get to work if you drop off your truck ?

 

mine is 4 months old, changed it myself within the first month, that way i am checking all nut, bolts, for leaks, etc while i am under truck, also undercoated it myself. now do you think the dealership would tell you if they forgot to put oil in it, caught there mistake put oil in it, started it up and the engine ran quiet? they would take the truck for a drive, if it still had good oil pressure and it was quiet, they would threw you the keys and you have a nice day.

 

Closest Toy dealer for me is 26 miles down a stop light ridden road. No thanks on the free dinosaur-oil change. I want synthetic in the truck and won't pay their up-charge.

 

Never again will I do an oil change with the dealer, and the only reason they did mine was because it was free for 2 years. I only had them change it twice, first time I put a chalk line numbered on my tires and a mark on the filter to see if they rotated/changed it and they didnt. When I confronted them they argued saying, it wasn't true. And the second time I only drained out 4 quarts of oil out of my truck, when I did it myself, F-the dealer! Scumbags!

 

... ^^^ ... Grasshopper ... you have the wisdom of a 1000 scholars ...
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^ exactly. this is the most common experience by anyone using the dealorship for service. they try to "get away" with anything they can on every car.