Versa Oil Change at a Toyota Dealership?

[matt_a]

I'm thinking about having the oil changes for our Versa done at my local Toyota dealership. The only reason I won't go to my local Nissan dealrship to have it done is because their service department is NOT open on weekends! My wife and I both work full-time, so we literally would have to take time off of work to get an oil change there. That's not going to happen.I currently own a Scion xA and we have had other Toyotas in the past. My local Toyota dealership has an awesome service department. They don't require an appointment (for oil changes) and they use Castrol Synthetic Blend. I called them and they said it would not be a problem as long as I called a day ahead so they could be sure to have the filter. Anyone know of a reason why I shouldn't go there with the Versa? - thanks.

[Ever Victorious]

For simple oul changes, there's no reason you can't use another brand's service department. I take all of my cars to a GM Goodwrench service center that's pretty top-notch, and close to my work.

Also, said GM Goodwrench center stocks filters for all brands. They always have the filters in stock for both my Hyundai and Subaru.

[matt_a]

That's good to know...thanks. Yeah, the Toyota dealership is opened on Saturdays and they have good coffee.

[Ever Victorious]

Hehe... coffee freak.

My Goodwrench center has a full quick lube center to keep cars moving through quickly. You also get a free hand car wash and 20 oz soda with your lube service.

[PB]

I cant see why not,Since you had service or purchased from them before you show them you still love toy cars as well,If they treat you right and do a good job on your other cars they will do equal work with the others.But if they break some thing thats an other story,Its better if they made a mistake at the nissan dealer,This way they can cover your warranty if they do something wrong,Like strip the oil pan bolt by over tightning.I have seen this many times at qik lube centers.

[achr]

I have ALL my vehicles serviced at my local Chrysler dealership. #1 REASON? They're open when "I NEED THEM" not for THEIR convenience. 7:00 a.m. to midnight Mon. - Fri. and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. I'm in and gone through their lube shop within 15 minutes since I generally pop in around the supper hour. As a bonus, I get a free carwash. Their lube shop has filters for ALL major brands these days. This dealership's service shop ALWAYS has brands other than Chrysler going through their bays. It is interesting to note that they also sell nearly 500 new and used vehicles per month which is pretty much unheard of for a Chrysler dealership these days. Perhaps it has something to do with "Attitude" and "Customer's First" that is generally so lacking within the industry these days, especially at the Ford/GM/Chrysler.

[GiLLT]

none of you guys get free oil changes from your local nissan dealers? mine give me free ones.

[TrustME]

Jeeze. I swear I need to move. Everyone has great service wherever they go. I just started changing my oil myself to avoid everyone else's service. =( Haha.

[Ever Victorious]

Free oil changes aren't actually that common. Around here, there is one automotive group that offers it at some of their dealerships. Alas, they do NOT offer them at their Nissan dealership.

None of the nissan dealers around here offer that. I believe the one I just bought from does at least give loaner cars.

[hdtom1]

just do it yourself..it's not hard and i personally have never let anyone change the oil in my car,30 yrs now, i'll tell you why..you cant trust them.....it's not there car and they could care less...good luck

[Ever Victorious]

Actually, they COULD care less, and there's a good financial reason why.

It's called liability insurance.

When you go to any place that offers repair services, they are liable for the work they perform. Some places purchase insurance, and if they screw up, insurance pays for the problem. Some might say "well, the employee doesn't care, the insurance is there to back them up".

ERK! Wrong. When an insurance company pays out a claim, they get annoyed and raise the premiums, so the business gets charged more. Managers tend not to like that, and remove problem employees.

Other shops don't have said insurance, so they pay any repairs they are forced to incur directly out of their pockets. These tend to be the smaller mechanics, which is why your mom-and-pop shops exercise far more caution than dealerships or chains.

That being said... yeah, it's doubtful that any mechanic or lube employee cares as much about YOUR car as YOU do... but they're not going to be stupid or reckless unless they just simply don't care about being employed.

DIY isn't as cheap as it used to be, either. I stopped doing it myself when I owned my Spectra (and my wife had an I4 Optima). The filters for the cars were $8.50 each (at the cheapest! Some places charged more...) and the oil would total $10. On the Spectra, the oil filter was below the intake runner. On the I4 Optima, it was inside the right wheel well (hence you had to take off the wheel to change the oil). I just got to realizing that the $3 extra I paid to have someone do it was worth it for me not to have to deal with the frustration of it all.

[matt_a]

Exactly. I did the math too. But the time I'd buy 4 quarts of synthetic blend (that's what the dealership uses also), a filter, and a crush washer, I'm only about $10 away from what the dealership charges. For $10, I don't have to do the work or dispose of old oil.

[guinnaveer]

I got free oil changes for 3 years when dealership owner got involved in the sales pitch, and we were leaving" to think about it". 1)increased trade-in on'02 sentra 2) 1 year oil changes 3) 3 year oil changes. They did include the 3 year service in the sale, but corrected the next day back to free. This guy is the only minority owner of a new car dealership in the area( Lake Charles,La. L.C. Nissan), & I guess tryihg to build up his rep.

[jace]

I paid $499 for free oil-change (including filter + labour) + car-wash for life as long as I own my V. I hope that is a good deal...which I got from my Nissan dealership. Should I ask what kind of oil they use? And you guys think they will tell me the truth?

Cheers,

[Ever Victorious]

dealers will use whatever you want, but will charge more for synthetic. your oil change package likely covers conventional oil.

the package you got is a good deal as long as you log at least 20 oil changes, so if you keep the car at least 60k miles.

[KimberKenobi]

the Camel routinely goes to the Toyota dealership in town... (of course, they're both owned by the same guy... but I like the guy who works the service department at Toyota... Jessie is awesome!!)

[dmessent]

I'm going to bump this ancient thread to ask E. V. the name/address of his garage, and ask if they're open on Saturdays...

[nissantech06]

just do it yourself..it's not hard and i personally have never let anyone change the oil in my car,30 yrs now, i'll tell you why..you cant trust them.....it's not there car and they could care less...good luck

I totally disagree with you. I take better care of customer's cars than my own (I baby my car, so you do the math). I can't stand when people think mechanics don't take care of customer cars. Ever hear of floor mat covers and seat covers? I use both. I love the business, I love working on cars, and I won't stop caring about everyone else's cars.

[Clipsed]

I totally disagree with you. I take better care of customer's cars than my own (I baby my car, so you do the math). I can't stand when people think mechanics don't take care of customer cars. Ever hear of floor mat covers and seat covers? I use both. I love the business, I love working on cars, and I won't stop caring about everyone else's cars.

Not every mechanic is the same, so I disagree with you. Do you trust any mechanic to work on your car? I bet you don't answer that with a simple "yes." You obviously have not heard about CodeRed's recent problem with mechanics and his Versa.

[Ever Victorious]

I'm going to bump this ancient thread to ask E. V. the name/address of his garage, and ask if they're open on Saturdays...

For oil changes I go to Lee Johnson Chevrolet/Mazda in Kirkland. Take the 85th st exit off of 405 (either direction) and go east 1 block.

Their quick lube is open daily till like 7 or something, and on Saturdays from 8 to 4.

They use Mobil1 Synthetic if you choose to go the synthetic route, and they will wash your car for you. You also get a free 20 oz soda from the refrigerator in their waiting room while you wait.

[BunnyBunnutty]

uh... you know.. if you're pressed for time, you could always get an oil pan, a filter, and some oil, and ... you know.. do it yourself? boys who can't change their own oil in their car make me giggle ^_^

[Clipsed]

uh... you know.. if you're pressed for time, you could always get an oil pan, a filter, and some oil, and ... you know.. do it yourself? boys who can't change their own oil in their car make me giggle ^_^

lmfao!

[srellim234]

Ditto everyone who says it's ok to take it elsewhere for the service. Just make sure you keep records/receipts in case a warranty issue comes up later at Nissan.

We've been taking our cars for years to Penske Honda in Ontario becouse of the quality of the service. Those cars include a Honda Civic, a Geo Metro, a Nissan Altima and our current second car, a Buick Rendezvous. All they asked was that we make an appointment so they could order parts like filters they might not normally have in inventory.

Fotunately WCN has a good service department that opens early on Saturdays, too, so we can get the Versa taken care of at the Nissan dealer.

[Ever Victorious]

uh... you know.. if you're pressed for time, you could always get an oil pan, a filter, and some oil, and ... you know.. do it yourself? boys who can't change their own oil in their car make me giggle ^_^

You know... I (the moderator) am a boy who doesn't change his own oil. I have a sense of humor about myself, though, so no biggie.

But I stopped changing my oil after I bought a car where you had to jack up the car and remove the right front wheel to get to the filter. This is after I had owned a car where the oil filter was mounted to the back of the engine block below the intake manifold, next to the firewall.

Modern manufacturers are just getting insane and stupid with their placement of stuff, and the Versa has more crap rammed in the engine bay than any other car I've ever owned.

So not only is changing my own oil NOT faster, it's also dirtier, not significantly less expensive, and kind of problematic warranty-wise if anything ever goes wrong.

Too much other stuff I could be doing with that time. And when I can get paid to have my oil changed on the clock (perfectly legit w/ my company, since I'm a field repairman), it's a no-brainer.

To each their own.

[fastlyfe]

ONE OF THE REASONS I BROUGHT THE VERSA WAS SO I CAN DO THE MAINTENANCE ON IT (most cars require dealer tools or secret instructions). it took me 20mins only because the book says to wait 10mins to let the oil drain. the filter and drain plug can be reached with out removing the catch plate. it takes me longer to cut my grass. so it is not difficult but like VICTORIOUS says to each is own.

two more cents: you pay for synthetic, but you dont watch them put it in.

I like to have a relationship with my car, if it dirty i wash. needs gas i fill it up, needs oil i give it the good stuff. if it breaks down i get a new one.

[imac]

I use 4q Mobil1 full Synthetic $20 and filter $5, Total $25. Change the filter every 5,000 and oil 10,000 miles. So $30 every year for oil change. Never have engin problem on all my cars. Mobil1 Synthetic is good for 15,000 miles.

[imac]

Why I don't let dealers do it? Many time they over fill and don't use the dip stick to check. They go by what's in the book.

[nissantech06]

I use 4q Mobil1 full Synthetic $20 and filter $5, Total $25. Change the filter every 5,000 and oil 10,000 miles. So $30 every year for oil change. Never have engin problem on all my cars. Mobil1 Synthetic is good for 15,000 miles.

Your Versa uses 4.25 qts...I looked in the Nissan Service Manual when the car first came out because I thought it'd be odd that is uses more oil than the Sentra 2.0.

And to the person above who has the Rendezvous...I have worked on at least 50 of those things in the past year (we used to sell Buick before the owner sold it off to the guys next door) just beware of all the issues you will have with the car. Things I've done but not limited to: lower intake gasket sets, head gaskets, ignition lock cylinders, rear differentials (AWD models) wheel bearing/hub assemblies (all four) just to name a few.

[Rockhound]

two more cents: you pay for synthetic, but you dont watch them put it in.

Yup - that's my hangup with letting other folks do this task in a nutshell.

Most oil change places around here charge exorbitant amounts for a synthetic oil change. The price difference between the oil types does not justify that much of a price hike.

I use Mobil 1 and I pick up two 4-quart containers for around $20 ea. (something like $23 for 5 quart container @ Walmart - but I hate that place and Autozone is just around the corner). My G and the Versa use the same oil filter, too, ~$4 a pop for the Purolator filter. The G takes 3 5/8 quarts, the Versa needs 4 1/8 quarts.

Your Versa uses 4.25 qts...I looked in the Nissan Service Manual

Check your numbers Nissantech...I know another 1/8 of a quart isn't a big deal, but still, that's incorrect.

So I get my oil changed on each car for around $25...many places charge in excess of $50-$60 for a synthetic change, and I'm sorry, but I just don't trust them. Why should it be so much more? I would bet that many of them pocket the $30 extra they're charging and just put in conventional oil.

[Clipsed]

Check your numbers Nissantech...I know another 1/8 of a quart isn't a big deal, but still, that's incorrect.

HAHA! That is why he owns a Sentra, and not a Versa. Shows what a tech he is . . . . . . . . .