Comments on: Scheduled Service at Car Dealership – Long Rant http://mihai.ibanescu.net/scheduled-service-at-car-dealership-long-rant Mihai's few cents Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:50:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Jesus M. Rodriguez http://mihai.ibanescu.net/scheduled-service-at-car-dealership-long-rant/comment-page-1#comment-539 Jesus M. Rodriguez Sat, 02 May 2009 12:09:10 +0000 http://mihai.ibanescu.net/?p=82#comment-539 Glad you've been doing your own oil changes. I HATE dealing with dealers and mechanics. When i had the Trans Am I started taking it to Carolina Automasters in Durham. They're more of a performance shop but they KNOW GM cars. So I trusted them for major work. I still do my own oil changes, I find it relaxing and feel if I can save money by doing the little things myself, it will be easier to handle the $300 job I can't do myself. Glad you’ve been doing your own oil changes. I HATE dealing with dealers and mechanics. When i had the Trans Am I started taking it to Carolina Automasters in Durham. They’re more of a performance shop but they KNOW GM cars. So I trusted them for major work. I still do my own oil changes, I find it relaxing and feel if I can save money by doing the little things myself, it will be easier to handle the $300 job I can’t do myself.

]]> By: Alex http://mihai.ibanescu.net/scheduled-service-at-car-dealership-long-rant/comment-page-1#comment-195 Alex Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:44:49 +0000 http://mihai.ibanescu.net/?p=82#comment-195 I do like to tinker with my cars, but fluid changes is the one thing I always let the <a href="http://www.sportsandcompacts.com/" rel="nofollow">local shop</a> do for me. Just yesterday, I had them do motor oil, tranny, clutch, and diff fluid change for me, and I am glad I did not have to deal with this mess myself! Having the car up on the lift overhead makes this work easier, especially when dealing with aggressive fluids like clutch/brake. They did mark up the parts to almost retail level, but being the end customer, you kinda have to get used to that. Mazda has a great program for people who race their cars, offering parts at prices even under what the dealers pay for them. Honda doesn't, quite to my chagrin. Labor is where I paid most: at $85 an hour, this was a 1.5h job. What is funny though, when I just go to get the oil done, with the same labor charges and parts priced near retail, it still only costs me $45 or so for the Miata. It's a 30 minute job at most, if you let the oil drain out for 15 minutes. Makes me wonder what took your dealer the remaining 45 minutes. Triple wax after the car wash? I do like to tinker with my cars, but fluid changes is the one thing I always let the local shop do for me. Just yesterday, I had them do motor oil, tranny, clutch, and diff fluid change for me, and I am glad I did not have to deal with this mess myself! Having the car up on the lift overhead makes this work easier, especially when dealing with aggressive fluids like clutch/brake.

They did mark up the parts to almost retail level, but being the end customer, you kinda have to get used to that. Mazda has a great program for people who race their cars, offering parts at prices even under what the dealers pay for them. Honda doesn’t, quite to my chagrin.

Labor is where I paid most: at $85 an hour, this was a 1.5h job.

What is funny though, when I just go to get the oil done, with the same labor charges and parts priced near retail, it still only costs me $45 or so for the Miata. It’s a 30 minute job at most, if you let the oil drain out for 15 minutes. Makes me wonder what took your dealer the remaining 45 minutes. Triple wax after the car wash?

]]> By: misa http://mihai.ibanescu.net/scheduled-service-at-car-dealership-long-rant/comment-page-1#comment-196 misa Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:09:30 +0000 http://mihai.ibanescu.net/?p=82#comment-196 Advanced Auto Parts and other auto stores will accept it for recycling for free. It's a bit messy to carry the oil pan around, but after a while you learn how to do it in a way that doesn't mess everything up in the process. Advanced Auto Parts and other auto stores will accept it for recycling for free. It’s a bit messy to carry the oil pan around, but after a while you learn how to do it in a way that doesn’t mess everything up in the process.

]]> By: Cornel Ghiban http://mihai.ibanescu.net/scheduled-service-at-car-dealership-long-rant/comment-page-1#comment-197 Cornel Ghiban Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:01:57 +0000 http://mihai.ibanescu.net/?p=82#comment-197 So, what are you doing with the old oil? How do you get rid of it? Just curios :) So, what are you doing with the old oil? How do you get rid of it?
Just curios :)

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