I tried searching but didn't find anything so apologies if this is a duplicate question.

I stopped by the local Chevy dealer and talked to the service manager and he introduced me to their Corvette tech. I didn't feel real comfortable with them. They were pushing non Mobil 1 oil and wouldn't commit to the Corvette tech actually doing any work on the car. He would only check what others did.

Dealer I bought it from sells a lot more Vettes but they're 75 miles away. I'm pretty handy and can do the maintenance stuff myself.

My question is that if I do it myself how does that impact the warranty? I would of course keep all the receipts but GM could obviously say that doesn't prove anything.

Or should I just drive to the better dealer? At a dealer they would know about recalls / flash updates / etc. so that's a big factor.

Thoughts?

 

There is a Fed law that makes it so car manufacturers cannot deny warranty claims if you do your own maintenance. Key is to keep receipts.

I would do my own oil changes but we paid for 4 oil changes and the tech I frequent is good so I let them do it. Maybe find another GM dealer you have more confidence in?

 

Yeah, I'll probably just drive the 75 miles to get it done right. Just disappointed in the local dealer. Not slamming GM but they need to be more in touch with what their dealers are doing out there. I know the dealers aren't owned by GM but they do represent them and the dealer is who we interact with.

 

If you want it done right, do it yourself.

 

be happy they were (sort of) honest and didn't just stroke you and say yeah, the corvette tech will do whatever you want, blah blah blah. By them beating around the bush and not committing to what you wanted they did you a big favor to say bye bye.... some dealers would have lied to you...

 

Have been doing my own maintenance, oil, and clutch fluid change etc with all 4 Vettes. Even for my C7 Z51 that has 4 free fills (I bought mine in October 2013 so no free 5th until they decided a year later there was a "possible" reason to change at 500 miles as they note in their bulletin:
"Some 2014/2015 Z51 and Z06 Corvettes may experience a condition that leads to oil leaking out from the air cleaner assembly. This condition may be caused by running the engine continuously at a high engine speed with the first factory fill oil, resulting in silicone sealants in the engine’s gaskets degrading the oil’s anti-foaming agents."
I quote their bulletin since 1) I had no problems, 2) I believe a lot of the "oil leaks" we have seen reported in the forum were caused by the dealer's mechanics helper not following the detailed fill requirements of a dry sump and overfilling Z51's! They just did not want to mention dealer incompetence, IMO!
To reinforce your decision to change your own oil (Walmart sells Mobil 1 in 5 quart jugs for ~$25) I'll relay the first and last time I had a dealer change my oil! That was with my first new car, a 1967 Corvair! GM had just increased the drive train warranty but said you had to have the dealer changed oil and filter. My uncle was the service manager at a large Chevy dealer where I bought the car. I brought it in for it's first oil change and was in my uncles office chatting. It had a large window overlooking the service areas. I watched as this young mechanics helper was looking all over under the car. I walked out and asked what he was looking for. As expected he said the filter! In a Corvair it is not accessible from under the car you have to raise the rear hatch when the car is on the ground!
This was my 3rd Corvair and I was very concerned about a mechanics helper doing anything with the car. Even a trained mechanic at that time was not familiar with aluminum heads and block, changing plugs deep in the engine and being very careful not to cross thread etc!
Walked into uncles office and said, "I'm going to do my own oil changes and maintenance!" This was the same uncle that helped when I stuffed an Olds engine in my '41 Ford Opera Coupe so he knew I was capable. He said, "keep receipts!" Soon after GM backed down and said just keep receipts. As I understand the current law they must prove what you did or didn't caused the problem -I only keep a detailed log but although I don't bother to keep all receipts, suggest since you're concerned you might as well.

 

When you say that though, it assumes I have the tools, other equipment, and skills to do the job. Lets just say that you would probably not want to ride in a car that I worked on.

Also, if a Chevy dealer screws something up, there is some recourse. When I screw it up (notice there is no if in that statement) who do I sue?

 

Doesn't take a great deal of skill, but understand if you don't want to invest in a jack, some jack stands and a few simple wrenches. Many of us do it for the satisfaction. However if you have a dry sump, i.e. Z51 or Z06 then bring in the GM Bulletin that says they must use Mobil 1 and ask them to leave it a quart low and give you a quart, or buy one if they are pumping from a 55 gallon drum. Then when you get the car home check the oil per the manual, assuming it's past 175 F, wait 5 minutes after shutting the car off and check the level. But don't wait more than 10 minutes since oil will drain back to the pan. Then fill to 1/2 way in the hatched area, 1/2 quart low.

 

Its kind of a strange (very strange really) contrast to when I bought my C5 new back in the fall of 2000. Back then the oil cap said Mobil 1 Only. There were lots of people on the forum back then P.O.'d along the lines of "they can't make me use Mobil 1" and "I'll change it myself before I let them put that crap in there" and people arguing about weather or not using some other oil invalidated the warranty Now everyone P.O.'d if they don't get Mobil 1. But yea, I will ask for Mobil 1

 

I will never be taking my car to the dealership for an oil change.





Only takes about 20 minutes to do it yourself. And, you can recycle the oil at WalMart while you're picking up your new oil as well.

 

Actually it may take you 20 minutes to do it yourself. But that's not what it would take me.

You also have to have ramps I see, and everyone keeps saying how on the Z51 it has to be level, which I don't actually have a way to do. Just saying = best for one != best for all.

 

I will likely do some oil changes as I have a friend with a lift. Yes, Mobil 1 is a decent oil but there are others that are as good or better. As long as it's dexos certified, it is fine with GM. Personally, I like Castrol products and they have several oils that are dexos certified. Not sure I understand all the hoopla about using Mobil 1 other than I think folks feel they are getting ripped off by the dealers who are not using it and instead are using the cheaper generic dexos oil. Does anyone know whose dexos oil GM is buying?
When I do use a dealer I will likely drive the 65 miles to Criswell as I know they have a team of certified Corvette techs who service lots of cars.

 

Funny, can understand the issue! Just before 2000 Mobil brought a false advertising action against Castrol who was labeling their oil "synthetic " what some called a "more highly refined dino oil (coming from old dinosaurs, plants etc.)" Mobil and others had been using, a true synthetic molecule that had no impurities etc. They lost their case and Mobil and all others switched to what Castrol was doing since according to a good article in Car & Driver (Fun read, he equates the word "synthetic," with the Monica Wolinski/Clinton tryst at the time: http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/...mantics-column) the more refined "dino" oil cost only half as much to produce! Since I have been using Mobil 1 since 1974 I'll continue, but it like all others now available in the US is just more higly refined "dino oil."
Frankly now I'm not sure how much better, if any, it is than other quality oils! However it is probably better than the lowest cost dexos "certified" oil a dealer bought in a 55 gallon drum and pumps to his oil change bay, IMO! There are over 100 brands that pay the GM tribute and put meets "dexos" on their product (and meet the GM test specs.) Some have names I never heard of!

 

Based on my past bad experiences with dealership service (I have owned over 85 vehicles in my lifetime --- so far) I will, without question, be doing the routine maintenance on my Corvette. Although there are some great oils out there (Specifically Penzoil Platinum Ultra -- which is Dexos approved and I use in my 2014 Ram) I will be using Mobil 1. I will be going with Mobil 1 Extended Performance, not because it offers 15,000 mile protection, but because it offers better high temperature protection than the base Mobil 1 oil. I will change out the factory fill at 1,000 miles and then every 6 months or 3,000 miles whichever comes first. Since it is a fair weather toy, I suspect I will be changing the oil every 6 months.

 

Here's what I do. Photo the materials and mileage, staple the receipts to it and into the file it goes. After the hassle my sister went thru to get a new motor from VW this proof will hold up in any court.

My three year old DD just went off extended warranty at 126,000 miles or 21 "documented" oil changes at home.

 

If you do the maintenance yourself and have all the receipts (and did it properly), there should be no reason for them to question the warranty coverage.

 

I do my own....and after my first trip to a GM dealer to do my 1st "paid" oil change (first two I did myself) .....I will forgo the other 3 and continue to do my own.

 

I have not done an oil change myself in 30 years...and never had one single problem...just saying.

 

I believe in trickle down economics.I can afford it.So yes I give some of my money to other people to do car,house and any other maintenance that I have.If I was tight on funds I
Would think alltogether different.You get 4 free oil changes.My philosophy is.If it's free it's for me.Really we paid for these oil changes when we bought the car.

 

I am not short on funds. The last time I used a "free" oil change was for a new 2010 Ford Fusion I bought my wife. I swore I would never let a dealer touch a car for routine service but thought, what the heck, how hard can it be? Well when I got home and checked the oil, it DID NOT EVEN REGISTER ON THE DIPSTICK. The "tech" shorted the car by over 2 quarts of oil. I was very lucky the engine was not damaged.


Take a good look a who changes the oil on cars at MOST dealers. Read about some of the bad experiences people on this forum and others have had. This is not a matter of money.