[LT1ornothing]

Originally Posted by ember1205

The change was because of the lawyers.

0W-40 dexos2 has always been the oil for track use while 5W-30 dexos1 has always been fine for street use. GM changed their guidance on oil from "Use 5W-30 and switch to 0W-40 for the track" to "Use 0W-40 but 5W-30 is fine for street use." The guidance for matching each oil to its use is the same, but defaulting to the 'track oil' reduces claims for damage due to track use with street oil (because the owner didn't change as was required because no one reads manuals).

Thank you for the information and clarification, was not aware of the legal issue. Much more comprehensive on the switches and price variances.

Forgive the thread highjack and hope that the information will help others who were also unaware.

[Invertalon]

If you are unable or don't want to do it yourself (best option, but not for everyone), I would vote a dealer any day of the week. If they screw something up, the are best equipped/ready to fix and support/backup to contact GM if need be to correct any problems with said dealer (like if they won't fix their mistake). It's well worth the upcharge, IMO, over something like Walmart or Jiffy Lube or ...

That being said, Dad used to use a quick lube place long ago on a car he had. They stripped the aluminum pan due to over-torque and they paid the hefty repair bill at the dealer to replace. Surprisingly, they fully supported what they had damaged and owned up to it, I was a bit surprised. So as long as the place is reputable, perhaps it doesn't really matter...

Oil change isn't rocket science... Just check the work afterward and make sure the appropriate grade/quantity was used. If the guy at Walmart was really into Camaros and you could trust him, just ask for that specific tech to work on your car each time. Tip the guy a bit for taking care of your car (hopefully) and be on your way. Doesn't matter where you get it done if you trust the guys working on the car for you. I've seen pictures of Walmart techs actually using torque wrenches on oil plugs and wheels... So that's a good sign if you have a good one.

[CamaroSSStlfan]

Originally Posted by Invertalon

If you are unable or don't want to do it yourself (best option, but not for everyone), I would vote a dealer any day of the week. If they screw something up, the are best equipped/ready to fix and support/backup to contact GM if need be to correct any problems with said dealer (like if they won't fix their mistake). It's well worth the upcharge, IMO, over something like Walmart or Jiffy Lube or ...



That being said, Dad used to use a quick lube place long ago on a car he had. They stripped the aluminum pan due to over-torque and they paid the hefty repair bill at the dealer to replace. Surprisingly, they fully supported what they had damaged and owned up to it, I was a bit surprised. So as long as the place is reputable, perhaps it doesn't really matter...


Oil change isn't rocket science... Just check the work afterward and make sure the appropriate grade/quantity was used.

I'm at 37 percent oil life so I'm going to just take it to the dealer next week.

[Heat Magnet]

My dad has always done the oil changes for the vehicles I've driven and that won't change with my Camaro. In fact, he might actually get me under the car to do it myself (under his supervision of course). As for other type of maintenance and repairs, my dad, my brother, and I have gone to a local tire shop for tire rotations and installs and they've done a pretty good job so far (and they seem to follow my dad's request to not touch the TPMS sensors). As for dealership stuff, I've gone to the dealership for recall stuff but my dad has been screwed over when he tried to get his 1980 Corvette fixed (it had a whole slew of issues for the 40 years he's owned it).

[CamaroSSStlfan]

The dealer by my house has nothing open for the next 3 weeks lol.


I bought my car used from a Honda, VW dealer. Should I just take it there for my oil change?

[Aragorn]

Don’t do it. My bro n law is a certified Ford tech and has some horror stories of customers coming to him after issues with jiffy wm etc.

[Trochoidal]

Are you opposed to changing oil yourself? I ask because there are things that I found to be true and wouldn’t be so sure a technician would catch.

For example, the oil pan bolts not being torqued correctly. On two separate occasions I found two different oil pan bolts with the slightest hint of a drop of oil on the head of the bolt. The car wasn’t losing oil between oil changes that was noticed on the dipstick. (Yeah, I check fluids every week or two) After the second bolt having a drop of oil on it, checked the torque on all of the oil pan bolts.

With that being said, it’s always good to put eyes on any area that you can to check for unrelated signs of leaks.

If you’re against doing your oil changes, check for a local Chevrolet/GM dealer in your area. Mayb hop on Yelp and read some reviews. I wouldn’t use Honda/VW dealer. They may have techs that worked at garages who repaired everything. A couple of close friends have been techs at a BMW and Ford. They are good at BMW/Ford vehicles specifically and are like a fish out of water working on other manufacturers vehicles.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by CamaroSSStlfan

The dealer by my house has nothing open for the next 3 weeks lol.


I bought my car used from a Honda, VW dealer. Should I just take it there for my oil change?

Absolutely not. They are unlikely to be familiar with the car and may well damage it by trying to lift it incorrectly. Additionally, they may not have the correct oil and will either charge you a king's ransom for the correct stuff or just "use whatever" (they might do that no matter).

In all seriousness... Buy a big drain pain, a funnel, and a channel lock / vice grip style filter wrench at a box store. Get yourself 5W-30 dexos1 oil (ten quarts) and a Mobil 1 or ACDelco filter. Your total investment, including the tools, will be less than what it will cost you anywhere. It takes 45 minutes assuming you have no clue what you're doing. Future oil changes will take you 30 minutes and you'll always know the job was done right.

[MR's 2SS]

I just bought oil and filters from Rock Auto. The 0w40 was around $6.50/qt. And the Delco filters were in the $2.50 range but I bought a box of 12 inadvertently....shipping was 15 bucks for 24 Qts of oil and 12 filters plus one Wix filter.
I agree above. Changing your own gives you the opportunity to know your vehicle and look around underneath. But as some indicated that a bad shop can damage things on the lift. You can also damage things jacking improperly. Plenty Youtube vids on the topic. I bought the hockey puck rubber lifting blocks and I have 2 floor jacks so I can lift one side or front and back. I also just got some Race Ramps but have yet to use them. Maybe Saturday.
I am weirded out by Walmart. I have one close to the house that I go in when I have no choice. I dont know where those people come from. But going there for an oil change in your Camaro is like going to a quickie mart for some prime rib...

[Petrol Head]

Let us know how the race ramps work. I have a jack and floor stands but after hearing of a couple accidents where people died under jack stands in my area in the last couple of months I’m gun shy now. Won’t use them ever again no matter how much common sense I have nor how careful I am.

And there’s a reason the web is full of “WalMart Customers” pictures that you can’t unsee once you see.

[dpevans]

If you really can't do oil changes yourself I would feel better taking it somewhere they don't lift but use a pit. I would also bring my oil filter and oil and see what they charge for labor only.

[Rock-It Man]

Never.

[CamaroSSStlfan]

Forgot to mention this too about the same chevy dealer, but last year I told my mom she needed new tires on her Equinox because the tread was getting very worn and poor traction. She said She'd see what the dealer says lol. I kept trying to tell her she needed tires being rainy season but wouldn't listen to me.


So when she got her oil change at the Chevy dealer they said the tires were fine! Was like wtf. I knew she needed tires bad and took it to walmart and even the lady who works the counter who doesn't know much about cars said it looked bad.


Found it hard to believe dealers which are money hungry would say that, when in fact the tires were at the end of their life. I'm even wondering if they rotated her tires as well.


The VW dealer serviced the car before it hit their lot. Oil life was 98 percent when I bought it and levels were fine.

[95 imp]

I took my truck to Wal-mart for an oil change and got my high end radio and subwoofer removed for free.

The way it was played I think someone in the shop called their buddy and told them what was in there and where they'd park it because the shop stalled me for a while.

The Wal-mart had it on tape, wouldn't cooperate, and point blank told me to call my insurance. They weren't doing squat about it even though they knew there was a problem with radio theft there.