Did dealer use valvoline Maxlife? Check photo

I ask this because I come from Nissan / infi and have heard some dealers using maxlife vs OE fluid and was wondering if this is a standard practice in Toyota also? Check photo

 

Would seem that way - which do you prefer? :^))

 

Confirmed. Dealer said they used maxlife. They said I should have asked to use original Toyota fluid. Sterling McCall in houston texas.

 

Not so much mad at the maxlife. From bob is the oil guy, it’s much better than Toyota OE. WS but the fact a dealer would be using anything else besides original and then state to me that I should have specified to them to use original WS.

 

Not all dealerships use the manufacturers oil, its not the same as using OEM parts when doing repair. Some dealers have contracts and agreements with other oil companies, sometimes better quality at better prices than the manufacturer offers also. That goes for all manufacturers, not just Toyota.

 

They charged me $10 a quart I could have gotten got $18 for 5 quarts. Just a bit upset they didn’t disclose. I’m certain if my car needed service and was under warranty they would have stuck to using WS.

 

what do you mean by "I could have gotten got $18 for 5 quarts"?

 

That's the price at Wal-Mart.

 

Maxlife is good and I use it in 2 cars ... but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's better than Toyota WS.

 

Im not at all saying it as good as Toyota WS, what I was saying is that when it comes to lubricants the dealers sometimes have contracts with other companies. SOMETIMES better quality at a better price...by saying sometimes that also means that sometimes it will be lesser quality and possibly a higher price. If you like a certain brand over another you can also bring your own with you and have them use it instead, especially if you can get it at a better price then you just pay them the cost of labor. The price they charged you VS what you can get it for at Walmart is quite a difference but I will say and NOT JUST TRYING TO JUSTIFY the dealerships cost....but the dealership gets theirs from one source based only on what that source charges them for it which could in fact be higher than what you and I can buy it for at Walmart. Thats one problem with having a contract with one source, they set the price and youre locked in until your contract expires or you decide to break it and go elsewhere.

I know most people love to bash a dealership, and I KNOW FOR A FACT some dealerships do their fair share of earning that bashing but I will say knowing the inside and out of a dealership like I do its not always as you think it is. Some parts and services have a sizable markup and there are several that youd be surprised how low the actual markup is, even when the price seems much higher than you can get elsewhere.

 

From doing research on BOTOG WS isn’t full synthetic and folks doing analysis on both oils the consensus is maxlife is better than WS. Just from my research

 

idk, my friend who own a shop told me that, toyota ran out of oil, at lease the dealer he get his parts from

 

@mike220022

My comment regarding maxlife not necessarily being better than Toyota WS was in regards to op's post about Bob is the oil guy and "it's a much better" ATF than WS ... Lots of loonies over there

 

@TTund16 Understand completely lol

 

"Full Synthetic" definition and it's superiority is a subject open to major debate and we don't want to get into syn vs. blend discussion here ...

Based on your research, you got the "better" ATF ... and that's all it matters. However, I agree that the dealer should have told you what they are using because my expectation would have also been Toyota WS.

For example, if I take my truck to the dealer for an engine oil change and they charge me $10-12 / qt. I would expect TGMO 0W-20 with high amounts of moly! Not that the oil they are using (assuming it meets the recommended spec) would hurt the engine ... but I expect TGMO 0W-20 with good chunk of moly because it makes me feel better or my engine sound smoother with moly and that's what I was expecting ...

Maybe best is to ask before they work on the car!

 

Yeah I will be asking going forward. Such a shame to ask the dealer this question

 

No it’s not.
Yes, you overpaid. But it’s not $18 for 5qts anymore.