Oil changes/warranty work

[Soundguy]

Both of mine were dry as a bone and did not smoke any. My college roomate is a die hard GM guy and he currently has a 2011 Silverado and a 2010 Tahoe. both with the 5.3. The truck uses no oil but the Tahoe uses 2 qts between oil changes. He hates that they take this "its acceptable practice".

It just seems to be hit or miss. Funny thing is the GM engines that use oil seem to be dead reliable.

Chris

yep.. that's the downside all that top cyl lube makes em last so you have to put up with them longer.

the wifes youkon that drink a quart every 1km, starts easy, and no engine noises at 165Km It does like 89 octane minimum.. book says 87, but with 87 it can rattle sometimes. at 89 almost NEVER rattles. at 92 never rattles... thus unless pulling a horse trailer it gets 89. I had already switched her to 10w30 vs the book 5w30.. that slowed the oil consumption down to the 1qt/k-m for a lil more than that...

because of the oil consumption on that vehicle, I let my wife take it to the quick change station ( texaco ) that is in the plaze on the turn off road to our property.. I normally do all my own servicingf and oil changes.. but for that one.. they can do it.. plus.. they top off fluids between changes.. so they can eat the 2 qts oil it eats for that 17.99$ 'tuesday / women's oil change special they run ).. which actually turns into 19.99 because it takes an extra qt. of oil vs what their special covers ( most cars ).. etc.

for 20$ and they do the filter and the oil and top off... on that one.. I'm ok with it.. my others though.. just me servicing them. as a side benefit.. that yukon has a hard to get to oil filter.. at elast on a creeper. from a 'pit' it's ain't bad.. but laying under it.. not so easy.. especially the 4wd model as it takes a different fitler and has a support member in the way..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

I admit to always doing my own tractor maintenance and i keep all records of filters , oil, etc in a file in my office.

However for the trucks, i have always used a local quick lube place in town. They do great work and you can watch them do the job. I have never had an issue with their work, the price is very reasonable. They grease all Zerk's and check all fluid levels. I have a computer printout of all maint done that will satisfy all warranty claims.

I used to do my own autos/trucks, but as my work got busier, i found less and less time available to do the scheduled maintenance, and the time between changes kept getting longer. Now i get it done on time and on mileage without issues. The dodge has 280,000 miles with no engine issues, The ford 54,000 no issues and the Chevy van 138,000 with NO engine issues. cant ask for more.

is the dodge a gasser or diesel?

our local quick change place won't do diesels. ( i do my own anyway.. ) but still.

soundguy

 

[grsthegreat]

is the dodge a gasser or diesel?

our local quick change place won't do diesels. ( i do my own anyway.. ) but still.

soundguy

dodge and ford are diesel, chevy is gas. Our places do diesel (cept for radiator drain and refil on diesels which they wont do)

 

[Soundguy]

i'm guessing our local place is just geared for lil 4-6qt passanger vehicles.. the thought of a 15qt change probably scares them..

not to mention the air filter many diesels take is 2-3 times the size of a gasser's

probably no money in it for them for what they would have to charge on a diesel service...

soundguy

 

[grsthegreat]

i'm guessing our local place is just geared for lil 4-6qt passanger vehicles.. the thought of a 15qt change probably scares them..

not to mention the air filter many diesels take is 2-3 times the size of a gasser's

probably no money in it for them for what they would have to charge on a diesel service...

soundguy

I really dont know how the place i use can do it. They use top brand fluids and i watch them, so i know there actually changing it all. If i did it myself i wouldnt save much $$ thats for sure. And they have pit to make it easier to check rear and front axles, Plus lube everything

 

[Diamondpilot]

Our local GM dealer does oil changes for what it cost me to buy the stuff. They use Valvoline filter and oil. They will service any brand, not just GM. They have a ladies day special and also do pickups from certain business on certain days. I am like many of you and do not see how they do it. I guess its just simply a volume thing and a loss leader for them. They make a killing on the other services.

Chris

 

[grsthegreat]

Our local GM dealer does oil changes for what it cost me to buy the stuff. They use Valvoline filter and oil. They will service any brand, not just GM. They have a ladies day special and also do pickups from certain business on certain days. I am like many of you and do not see how they do it. I guess its just simply a volume thing and a loss leader for them. They make a killing on the other services.

Chris

Yup, and with the dealers, they always throw in free 20-40 point inspections...hoping to find something wrong that they can fix...hehe

 

[Soundguy]

my local mechanic, the only person i let touch my ford trucks.. that's what he tells me. he said he does oil changes at pretty much cost, plus the inspection, and he says that unless you run a VERY-well maintained vehicle thru, you can almost always find -something- that needs attention.. and he says that's where he makes alot of his money. that, and regular service related stuff from returning customers.

kinda like the impulse buy items at the checkout register of a store...

soundguy

 

[Peacock]

All engines burn oil. All of them.

It all depends on whether the oil is replaced by gas or other byproducts of the combustion process as the whether or not they will read low.

GM engines do tend to use more oil than other manufacturers, but I would put GM truck engines up against Ford or Dodge truck engines for reliablity. They build a very reliable truck engine. Only the Hemi is there with them in my experience.

 

[hawkeye08]

As others have said, just make sure to document your purchases, buy the approved parts, do it right and on schedule.

If you don't want to keep records, then have the dealer do it. Some dealers break/even on oil changes to keep folks coming in for service, others make a healthy profit on oil changes. If you are lucky enough to get reasonable prices and it is convenient for you, then the dealer is not a bad choice, of course they need to be competent.