Oil changes. Dealer or self?

Just did first oil change on my 21. I have free oul changes at dealer but opted to just do it myself as i get mobil1 oil for dirt cheap where i work. Wasnt too bad other than time consuming and a bit of a mess. Someone mentioned its best to let dealer do oil changes cuz of warranty. Would it be wise to just let the dealer handle my oil changes while its free? Ive just had issues in the past with other vehicles and dealer lying about this or that and ive read some dealers are bad about over tightenening or stripping stuff so im hesitant to use the dealer

 

I do it myself and keep records of it in case any warranty issues arise.

Also, get a Fumoto or Valvomax to make oil drain easier and less messy. Some of the MotivX tools are very helpful as well.

This thread is helpful https://www.tundras.com/threads/oil-drain-plug-question.84813/

 

I use to do my own oil changes but for an extra 15 bucks I let the dealership change it.

No it will not void the warranty just keep good records.

I remove the skid plate before I go just to be safe…

And the other big factor is if you have a reliable dealership to go to which is what I have.

 

Dealerships are not a good idea! Lots of horror stories in threads here including my own. Short on time now, but feel free to read on.

 

Yeah ive searched a little bit and read some crazy stuff. If i had let dealer do it id stress for days that they didnt do something right. After the ridiculousness ive experienced at an acura dealer in the past itd be hard to get me to use dealer again for anything.

 

do it myself. it's a meditation for me.

taught my son.

he does it now too.

 

Brought it to the dealer for the first of a few free oil changes. They never dropped the skid plate to change the filter, never went back. Do it yourself and you know it will be done right.

 

In dealer they let them rookies do basic things, like tire rotation, oil change etc…don’t expect a master mechanic to do the oil change for u.

 

If the military taught me anything its to trust no one. I do them myself.

 

Do it yourself and no worry about warranty. Dealer did my first one, didn’t put the oil cap back on and sprayed oil all over my hood liner and everywhere. Luckily I noticed after only a couple days. Will never go back to a dealer again.

Plus, I just like to do it myself and don’t have time to sit at a dealer and wait for 3 hours.

 

The time you take at the dealer can be spent doing it yourself. Plus you'll have peace of mind that you did it, correctly hopefully.

Plus, you won't have to hear the dealership coming up with fake problems for you to shell out more dough.

 

I’ve done it both ways. The dealer nearest to me has always been very good, but more often than not I do it myself rather than make the hour drive for them to do it.

 

I've been changing the oil in my vehicles for the past 30+years. 4 years of high school auto shop and 5 years as a helicopter crew chief taught me meticulous maintenance practices. I have never had an issue with warranties or trading in a vehicle. The few times I was not able to do my own servicing, I have had better luck at the quick lube shops than the dealership. The last time a dealer touched my car, they put the wrong viscosity oil, overfilled the crankcase by a quart and smoked the lugs nuts on so tight that I had to use a 4 foot breaker bar to remove the lugs. No thanks!

 

My dealer is in a smaller town and I've had good luck with their service. I do however always check the oil level, that the dipstick and oil fill cap are where they should be and also check for any oil leaks from the filter area.

I also never ever let them wash my truck.

 

Self

But do yourself a favor and get these components:
- RCI skid plate, or TRD skid plate. These have a little hatch for filter access
- Motiv oil filter housing wrench
- Motiv oil filter drain pipe (If nothing else get this)
- Venza aluminum oil filter housing (optional but nice)
- Fumoto oil valve (also must have IMO)

Then you'll be doing oil changes in 20 minutes with no drops spilled. Boom!!

 

This ^^^. The pile of dealer horror stories is taller than The Empire State Building.

Continue to DO IT YOURSELF.

 

Self. Always.

 

I've always changed oil myself. It's too easy for a shop novice to strip out the plug threads, add the wrong type/amount of oil, not install the new filter o-ring, (not actually replace the oil filter..How would you know?), etc. Also, its good one-on-one time for routine maintenance: Inspect around under truck for any issues, check/top-off all fluids, check air filter, check wiper condition, add Lucas oil F.I. cleaner to the tank, check tire pressures, etc.

 

Ive always done it myself personally. Its just more convenient to spend an hour in my garage when I have free time verse sitting in a waiting room during business hours or having to coordinate a drop off and pickup later. I have only really had experience with having work done by a dealer a couple of times and every time I left shaking my head in disgust.

 

Changing your automobile oil is basic dude stuff.

 

which fumoto valve is the best it looks like they have different ones on the site

 

Just to be clear, transparent and in full disclosure. I've done all of my own oil changes, including wives, children and girl friends (in between wives) since 1985. Something in the neighborhood of 250 of them. That <<< is A LOT of peace of mind.

 

Yep local dealer didn’t drop skid plate for my free oil change. Also broke (cut) my windshield washer hose when doing the turn signal recall.

One trip they left a snap on flathead screw driver under the hood. It’s in my junk drawer now. I still have random thoughts about what they could be using a flat head for in our engine bays but I digress. I no longer use the dealership for anything. If I could get warranty work approved somewhere else I’d do that too.

 

A local dealer has 3 oil change and 3 tire rotation for $125 deal. Too good to pass up. I do a walk around inside and outside my truck everytime I take it in before I leave the dealership to make sure nothing is wrong.

 

I do it myself, no way i would trust some kid to do it at the dealer or worse yet, some Jiffy Lube dude making 12 bucks an hour and charge you 100 bucks. No thanks.

 

Same with management at the post office.

 

That certainly isnt a bad deal. I gotta do a rotation and Im not looking forward to it.

 

How many of the members here are master mechanics?
I have had the rookies at the dealership do my services for 30 years and never had issues. Only issues at dealerships have been with service advisors trying to upsell work that is not required. My current go-to advisor is awesome though and always give me great advice, often telling me not to do services yet when I ask about it.

 

There’s something therapeutic about doing minor maintenance stuff myself.

That said - I have enough other things to do, I’ll let the dealer do my freebies.

Yes, they don’t have the higest level tech doing oil changes regularly - because it’s not needed. A good dealer doesn’t employ careless employees and for all the “horror stories” - reality is your getting an error rate of a fraction of 1%. Greater chance of your car getting hit on the drive to the dealer than of a quality service team messing it up - regardless of how tenured the person doing the work is.

Remember - “kids” working in service these days have probably been doing this type of stuff for 6-8 years. Very few just set out looking for a job and relying on the dealer to train them on the basics.