$160 oil change?

[toddjb122]

Due to bad experiences with non dealer shops (not doing it right, not keeping it clean, etc) I don't mind paying extra for dealer service. Heck, I just took it in and had more work than I thought covered under the extended warranty, which was good. They give me a loaner upgrade, friendly service and good coffee. But I still hate having to pay ridiculous high fees for basic service.

My 52500 service is an oil change, according to the service manual. The SA called it a "gloridifed oil change" and all he could call out was that they change oil/filter, top off fluids and reset the service reminder. $160 ? How much does your minor service run at the dealership?

My next service @ 60K will be one of the big 30,000 mile checkups and he said that runs about $1000. They change most fluids except for transmission service. And I think filters and plugs. Again, I'd rather have the dealer do it, but is $1000 over the top ridiculous for what they're doing? (I didn't check the service manual yet to see what is called out for that service).

I don't do much of this work myself due time time and space constraints...and lack of tools and skill, let's be honest here. But, if it is really just plugs, filters, and a coolant flush...a non LR shop would probably do that for a 1/3 the price.

Just curious what you pay and where you get it done?

-todd

 

[Houm_WA]

I have an extended warranty, so the first order of business for me is to determine whether or not having work done outside of the Dealer Service Dept would be a violation of the terms of this agreement.

If so, I'm obviously gonna take the bad medicine. If not, however, I would most likely find a good place to get the service done.

 

[richpike]

I do oil changes every 3750 so I'm basically paying for every other one while still inside the free service time. Our dealer charges $90 for the oil change - I think that is very reasonable considering it has to hold 6 quarts of oil (@ $2-$3 per quart), plus a filter ($10), plus disposing of the old oil, plus topping off all the fluids, plus checking out the car, etc. I think they are off by about $70.

-Rich

 

[JThiessen]

So, it has appeared to me that most people on this site are what I call "check writers" - they pay someone else to do the work. I dont intend to offend anyone, and I certainly realize that there are manyhere that do their own service work.

That being said - for basic oil changes, either figure out how and where to do it yourself. Second option would be to take it to a local service shop (I personally would never use a Jiffy Lube). Most places will likely charge about 60 to 70 bucks. If you have a front skid plate, remember that they will have to remove it to do the service - so they may try to charge you a little more for it.

 

[Patriot]

I'm not getting why the $160 bill was not picked up by LR as part of their 'free maintenance.'

Patriot

 

[Houm_WA]

52,500 miles....that's why it wasn't free

 

[Patriot]

52,500 miles....that's why it wasn't free

Duh! My bad.

Patriot

 

[trm2]

I just had the same 52,500 mile checkup. North of $200 including the fluids that needed to be added and the local fluid disposal fees. I take it to the dealer because I believe that they are less likely than a local shop to screw it up in some colossal way. And, even though I am somewhat of a car guy (a few years back I built a ground-up HEV with some friends), I still can't justify spending the time to do the service work myself, nor could I possibly explain to my wife what I had done to "her car" if I goofed something up.

 

[roverman]

I've taken past rovers to local shops, still under warranty with the LR3 so haven't needed to yet. Make sure you're familiar with the place and that they are good or it will cost you. I took my old RR to a new local shop one time.....told them to make sure they greased all four fittings on the drive shaft. Well, you almost always have to roll the truck forward or back to get to all four fittings, and he didn't have me move the truck. Got home, crawled under it and NOPE, he didn't touch any of em. So...if you're a Scottish penny pincher like myself, beware that the dude working on your car doesn't give a crap if you paid $50k+ for your ride...he's probably still drunk or high and can't wait to leave.
Usually, i just do it myself if I have time.

 

[gtc]

I'm a DIY type of guy for simple things (fluids/plugs/brakes), but my father-in-law who is actually a mechanical engineer would often take his cars in to get his oil changed - he'd always mark the side of his oil filters with a black marker; he figured about 1 out 5 oil changes he'd find that the filter hadn't been changed, even though it was obviously part of the service! He went through untold numbers of "Jiffy Lube" and other fast oil change shops... That being said, I used to use a small quick shop for an old honda (the filter was awkward and I couldn't be bothered to save 10 doing it myself) and they actually would let me under the car if I wanted to see something... obviously YMMV with these places...