Engine Oil Change Cost

[linchat]

When I bring my slideout in on my Legacy, it is kind of hopping up and down a little. Is this normal?

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by linchat

When I bring my slideout in on my Legacy, it is kind of hopping up and down a little. Is this normal?

What does that have to do with oil changes and vehicle maintenance....nothing

[linchat]

lol your right!!!! That was supposed to be a new thread. But you could be a little more friendly about it and assumed it was an accidental post.

[FFred]

On newer diesels the lube OIL is frequently very specific to the engine.

50 years ago oil was just oil, but today with thousands in cat converters and other items , the "right" oil is mandatory.

Simply check Da Book (engine maint manual) or go on line for the latest approved oil.

[W4JJ]

Originally Posted by W4JJ

$380 is not bad if they are hitting all the lube fittings too. I paid my dealer for a fuel filter change in Spring of 2016 along with the oil, oil filter, and lube only to find out a year later they DID NOT change the fuel filter. Cost was $400. I will be having a talk with the dealer in Manassas, VA pretty soon about charging me for the omission. It took two mechanics over an hour to remove the "original" fuel filter that had seized up and had to be destroyed to be removed. My dealer is ill equipped and dishonest. In addition, my newly selected Cummins Diesel expert discovered grease fittings that had the appearance of having never been greased. You really must check behind some shops.

Update: Reines RV in Manassas, VA made an apology of their mistake of not replacing my fuel filter, but it appeared to be 100% fake. Since they are going out of business, there is absolutely no care regarding their past mistakes.

Therefore, the moral of the story and to the benefit of conversation with this thread is to check behind your dealer or whatever maintenance shop you choose. I finally found a good shop in Lorton, VA - D & K Heavy Truck Repair. They are professionals and experts in Cummins Diesels. Good luck to all.

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by W4JJ

Update: Reines RV in Manassas, VA made an apology of their mistake of not replacing my fuel filter, but it appeared to be 100% fake. Since they are going out of business, there is absolutely no care regarding their past mistakes.

Therefore, the moral of the story and to the benefit of conversation with this thread is to check behind your dealer or whatever maintenance shop you choose. I finally found a good shop in Lorton, VA - D & K Heavy Truck Repair. They are professionals and experts in Cummins Diesels. Good luck to all.

IOW, talk (lip sevice) is cheap.....

[325BH]

I do not envy the day I can no longer do my own maintenance... whether due to age/mobility or lack of facilities/tools.

With four vehicles, two tractors, five generators and various other small engine powered things... oil changes are what I seem to do most. Although $$$ savings isn't always there, knowing they are done right is what I find most valuable.

Oil changes are not big money makers and are usually assigned to the low man on the totem pole (until you get into big stuff I guess). Although relatively inexpensive, oil changes are critical and if done incorrectly can be a total loss of your engine.

[SidecarFlip]

I do a ton of oil changes as well. Farm tractors, automobiles, trucks etc., At least I have a good use for used motor oil. It heats the farm shop in the winter. Never seem to have enough to keep the shop at a comfortable temperature in the dead of winter...

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by 325BH

I do not envy the day I can no longer do my own maintenance... whether due to age/mobility or lack of facilities/tools.

With four vehicles, two tractors, five generators and various other small engine powered things... oil changes are what I seem to do most. Although $$$ savings isn't always there, knowing they are done right is what I find most valuable.

Oil changes are not big money makers and are usually assigned to the low man on the totem pole (until you get into big stuff I guess). Although relatively inexpensive, oil changes are critical and if done incorrectly can be a total loss of your engine.

My wife had been taking her Hummer H3 to a quick change place. Last time she took it, she called me at work and told me that they'd told her the drain plug threads were bad and that the bung needed to be replaced.

I had an interesting conversation with the shop manager who was trying to tell me that drain plugs just "wear out" over time. He was trying to charge me for the work to fix it.

Yeah right, buddy! It "wore out" because one of your wrench turners cross threaded it and then powered it on with an impact wrench!

Luckily I had the records to prove who'd done the last oil change (them)

So I started doing the oil changes myself. Found other cross threaded bolts too, on the skid plate. Lesson learned. Whatever time and money we saved on oil changes was wiped out by the time and money it took me to replace the pan.

Another time, same truck - took it to the dealer for diagnostics due to an intermittent failure to start. They hooked it up to their computer and told me the fuel pump was bad. They wanted ~700 to replace the fuel pump.
I ordered the pump from amazon and did the fuel pump replacement myself for about 200 bucks and an afternoon's worth of time.

Didn't fix the problem.

Troubleshooting on my own I found that the fuel pump relay was bad. A 7 dollar part.
Lesson learned.

[fritzg2]

Getting lots of good info BUT what I looking for is if anyone with a Class C Gas MH uses Synthetic Oil or conventional and why

[SidecarFlip]

Originally Posted by m35a2

My wife had been taking her Hummer H3 to a quick change place. Last time she took it, she called me at work and told me that they'd told her the drain plug threads were bad and that the bung needed to be replaced.

I had an interesting conversation with the shop manager who was trying to tell me that drain plugs just "wear out" over time. He was trying to charge me for the work to fix it.

Yeah right, buddy! It "wore out" because one of your wrench turners cross threaded it and then powered it on with an impact wrench!

Luckily I had the records to prove who'd done the last oil change (them)

So I started doing the oil changes myself. Found other cross threaded bolts too, on the skid plate. Lesson learned. Whatever time and money we saved on oil changes was wiped out by the time and money it took me to replace the pan.

Another time, same truck - took it to the dealer for diagnostics due to an intermittent failure to start. They hooked it up to their computer and told me the fuel pump was bad. They wanted ~700 to replace the fuel pump.
I ordered the pump from amazon and did the fuel pump replacement myself for about 200 bucks and an afternoon's worth of time.

Didn't fix the problem.

Troubleshooting on my own I found that the fuel pump relay was bad. A 7 dollar part.
Lesson learned.

I have to ask, truck make and model with the intermittent start issue?

[SidecarFlip]

Never been to a quickee oil change place. Not going either. Idiots work there as a rule. It's a sock it to the Soccer Mom place.

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

I have to ask, truck make and model with the intermittent start issue?

It was a 2007 Hummer H3.
It had the Vortex inline 5 cylinder that's in a lot of GM vehicles.