What Happens When You Change Your Own Oil?
 

I change my own oil once a year with Mobil 1, but do not keep receipts for oil and filter. What happens if there is a power train warranty problem and I don't have proof of oil changes? With all the horror stories of over filling and not using proper oil, I refuse to let some Doofus around my car.

I suspect deep down you know the answer already.

I have a good dealership (fairly small that has a Corvette guy) that I will use for the remaining free oil change for my Z06 but after that I will do my own changes as I do for my other vehicles. I do keep the receipts and each vehicle has a spreadsheet associated with it where I keep track of maintenance.

If you don't want to keep your receipts at least take a photo of them with your phone and save those in a file.

That combination should be sufficient if there is a question about documenting maintenance.

Did you use a credit card to pay for the oil and filter? Maybe go back through your statements, or contact the auto parts store to get copies, if you really need them. Everything is backed up these days, I bet they're could do it if you ask nicely...

I buy oil when it's on sale and sometimes it's over a year old when I use it.
What good does a receipt do in these types of situations?

In the OP's scenario, it will help to reset the Oil Life monitor as well as be ready to send a sample of your oil at the time of failure to Blackstone labs. They specialize in oil analysis and can state, roughly, how old oil is. Of course, this only speaks to the last oil change and not any prior to that.

Keep receipts and a log of any DIY maintenance because more doc only helps to keep them from discrediting any claims you make.

I also buy it sometimes 9 months in advance because of rebates. What proof do I have that the oil and filter were used on the proper vehicle. I'm sure that if they can have an oil monitoring system in the vehicle that the oil can be tested and show that it was not in the engine too long.

Posted at the same time as above response.

You could create a paper or digital log noting date and millage and attach receipts reflecting oil/filter charge.

I often have oil for months at a time before using. I keep a file of receipts and a log of the date, type of oil, mileage for the changes. The test is usually what is reasonable, at least in the court system. I suspect this would be enough for GM. Not much more you could do.

Years ago I had a complete engine change on a mini-van, nobody asked for anything, no proof of oil changes at all was asked for, never even mentioned.

Really receipts for oil and filter do not prove that was the car that was serviced. I use the same oil in all my cars, and believe it or not my Stingray and our 4 cylinder Malibu use the same filter.

There are provisions in the warranty to allow you to prove you had the car serviced properly if asked. For the most part that only happens when somebody is suspicious of a particular Customer. The PIAs will definitely get asked.

Bill

I also buy oil and filters in quantity so for me it isn't a just in time purchase. My Cadillac and ATS both get Mobil 1 5W30 and my GMC Sierra and John Deere tractor get Delo 400 15W40 and I buy the oil in cases about once a year.

I am pretty confident that my receipts showing sufficient oil and filters for what I own along with the service records I create will be sufficient for GM and of course I do reset the OLM system when I change the oil and since I have OnStar it also keeps those reports.

I suppose you could videotape your entire oil change using a current newspaper for the day to catch any splashed oil and make sure that it is also in the video. Then seal the digital media and the newspaper in an envelope along with the boxtop from your oil filter and caps from the oil containers, wax seal across the envelope flap, and have your signature across the seal notarized. But that seems just a tad overkill to me :)

Yea, unless there was something to indicate that a lack of oil changes caused the issue I doubt they would even ask.

Has anyone ever heard of someone having their warranty denied because they didn't change their oil frequently enough, when in fact they did? Ever?

I haven't. IMHO, we are likely hand wringing over nothing...

On the MyChevrolet site,you can create a service record under the service history tab.

\db2

No, but you don't hear many accounts of modern engine failures either. That coupled with the fact that most people on car forums tend to be pretty OCD means you're not likely to hear such accounts on a car forum.

I'm quite sure anyone suffering from engine failure would have a hard time getting warranty approval for a new one if there was no record of oil changes in GMVIS and if the customer could not supply any records.

I have talked to many service advisors over the years who have said they have seen many warranty denials because there are no records of routine maintenance.

Maybe, but I suspect they are going to look at a lot of things before they deny warranty replacement. If a guy shows up with a blown motor with 20K on it, and the oil is obviously sludge, he's gonna have a problem if he can't verify oil changes on that car. Just showing up with a stack of receipts from Pep Boys for oil, probably won't change GM's mind.

Another guy shows up with 20K on the odometer, and the oil looks (or tests fine, if it gets sent to Blackstone) I bet the dealer isn't going to demand verified oil changes before they submit a warranty claim.

GM knows a lot of folks change their own oil, or go to Jiffy Lube. I'm sure they also know people don't keep all their receipts. The only point I'm making is before GM would deny a warranty specifically for not changing the oil is if they had a firm leg to stand on...

This is one of the fairly rare cases where the Magnuson Moss warranty act is actually applicable since one of the major reasons for the act was to prevent manufacturers and their captive dealer network from forcing customers to use only them and their parts departments for service. As long as you have reasonable documentation you have a solid standing. I would keep purchase receipts EVEN if you aren't using the product immediately and also a good record of when and exactly what service was performed and of course the mileage at which it was done.

M-M was never designed to force warranty protection for modified equipment which is how must would like to apply it. But it was very much designed to allow both customers and independent service shops to provide standard maintenance services without warranty fear as long as service intervals are followed and proper materials are used. If you take your car to an independent shop for its oil changes and other maintenance it won't be in the GM data system but that does NOT give GM any room to void the warranty as long as proper materials and service intervals were used/observed.

Of course this doesn't mean you can safely be an absolute dumbass and say I am sure I bought the right oil and filter and changed it several times but I have no records of any type to substantiate it. That isn't going to fly.

There is a reason GM and other manufacturers provide a manual with a maintenance schedule along with required materials, intervals, and procedures. They know that they cannot either legally or practically expect that customers are going to be fully reliant upon their dealership network for all maintenance and service work.

Dan,

Yeah, but it's not the dealer who will be doing the demanding, it will be the manufacturer, who has to authorize a dealer to do a repair. Otherwise, the dealer doesn't get reimbursed.

It's not just about powertrain stuff either, manufacturers want to see records of routine inspections that usually happen in conjunction w/ oil changes. At least if you go to Jiffy Lube, or independent shop you can obtain records from them, and as NSC5 said, that should be sufficient, as well as keeping receipts and a log w/ dates and mileage. No records puts you on very thin ice.

I hear ya, and I think we are basically in agreement. GM corporate would probably be your friend if a dealer tried to deny it. All I'm suggesting is I don't think the OP is ever going to have a problem if his motor implodes, and he can't find his oil change receipts. We're all gear heads here, and know what oil, and the resulting engine damage would look like if the oil never got changed. Any tech is going to see that too, so that guy is gonna have a bad day. IMHO, the OP never will, as long as he really has been changing his oil...