osuadi

my c5 is telling me that it has only 5% oil life remaining. is it a bad idea to have a quick lube place like valvoline or something change the oil for me? or do i NEED to have the dealer do it? thanks!

BiggieBoy

I recently had my oil changed at Jiffy Lube. No problem whatsoever. And no...you most certainly do not have to go to the dealer for an oil change. Just be certain you use Mobil 1 or any other GM approved synthetic oil (can't remember the GM approval No.). Good luck...

rcs128

It's not too difficult to do it yourself, but if you don't have the time, resources or aptitude to do it, I'd say you're better off going to a dealer than a quick lube place. By the time the quick-lube guys add in the synthetic oil your car needs (and any other little charges they seem to invent) you're going to pay them about the same as the dealer would charge. And at least if you go to the dealer you're going to have better trained, more accountable people doing the work.

Tigershark3

For my DD I've found the "quick lube" places quality to be spotty at best. Once they drained the oil but forgot to put the fresh oil in my DD. Pulled out with the oil light on but stopped right away. No way I'd take my Baby to any of these places unless I got down in the pit and did it myself or at least supervised. My $.02

davee01

If you don't do it yourself, you have to watch like a hawk. The Wife took her Murano to a Nissan Dealer to have the oil changed.. (Afraid I would make a mess in the driveway ). After driving about 40-50 miles we parked it in the garage overnight. next morning I had about a quart of oil on the floor and the drain plug was backed out to only a couple threads left.

I now have my proof that I can screw things up in the driveway just as well as the dealers.

That said, If you don't have the time to do it yourself, anyplace can do it. Just spend the time chatting with the grease monkeys while keeping a close eye on them.

Rogue Wave

Regardless of where you take it (dealership or elsewhere) you are prone to have problems. Silly humans working on cars are everywhere.

Just keep an eye on what they are doing.

When my cars are under the manufacturer's warranty I always take it to the dealership (so that they have all the records). Once the warranty expires... I go to a qualified shop closer to home.

bozo4onion

Here in KY I go to Exhaust-Pro. Take your own oil and filter and they will charge only $10 to change your oil for you. Watch them, don't stay in the car as they suggest. My store even lets me go into the pit to check out the underside. Time IS money and I can think of lots better ways to spend mine. NXT, Twisties, Guiness etc.

OrangeVegaGT

I use a Valvoline place, but I bring my own oil and filter. Here they get $20.00 for the labor and I can watch them do the work. Try not to go on a weekend of at lunch hour if you want them to take their time.

rhoge

I certainly have the aptitude but don't have the space nor the hardware to do it my own oil change.

I have taken mine to the local Shell Quick Lube for two years now. As mentioned earlier, talk with the workers/manager. My Shell shop does the change for $20 if I bring the Mobil 1 and the filter. And I also watch them closely. They even allow me to go into the pit.

Mad_Maxxx

What ever you choice is, be sure to let them drain the oil for about 20-30 minutes becauce the C5's oil pan has baffles in it that may hold old oil in it if not left to drain for an extended time. Also, don't forget to reset your oil life indicator. Turn key to ignition(car not started) and press the accelerator three times, turn key off.....good to go!

wit2pz

Bring your own filter. My mechanic discovered that Jiffy Lube uses trashy, off-brand filters. I did use 'em once or twice, but that was before I found out about the filter...

jrose7004

It gives you time to bond with the car when you change oil yourself!

blacksedan87

Get yourself a couple of cases of Mobil 1 5W-30 (not the extended life oil - it doesn't meet GM4718)
http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/Mo...l_1_5W-30.aspx

a couple of UPF-44 filters from Fitchner


http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c5/ken...rtspage8.shtml

and watch them like a hawk!

DjCritterus

The stealership is tooooo expensive.

I wouldn't trust any of the "techs" at a quick lube place to sit down on a toilet the right way... much less give my C5 the care and attention it needs.

Changing oil is easy enough by yourself. The hardest part is getting the car high enough the crawl under.

Buy your Mobil one in the 5qt container at walmart and a 2 single quarts. It'll be cheaper than what any lube or mechanic shop will charge you.

And you get the added bonus of knowing you weren't cheated and the job was done right.

vettesmith02

And I take it to my dealership; the guys let me watch and at this dealership the Vette mechanic only changes the oil. We talk about what should be changed and how the Vette is holding up. BTW, it's doing great.

Vetteman Jack

As long as the quick lube place uses the right oil, or you can bring in your own supplies and all they do is change the stuff out, you'll be fine. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they do the change right.

MY1STPEWTER

And it's easy to do.

Cart99

Not sure what Jiffy Lube or Valvoline cost, but sometimes the dealer is very competitive on price. My local Chevy dealer, for instance, changes my oil for $58, and one of the Corvette mechanics does the work. Check around, you may be surprised.

Allzwell

I have gone to quick lubes in the past ... I have always brought my Mobil1 and filter and they do a decent job.

Don't put too much worry into it

jman1

i always bring mine to the quick lube.....