Stupid Question

[Ilovemy3]

Would anyone recommend going to a dealer for an oil change or would a Mr. Lube be an ok option? Honestly going in to the dealer is such a pain and the service hours at the place near me suck!

[-RJ3-]

Theres several areas that do this work...

Where are you located?

APH is the shop I go to!

[Ilovemy3]

I'm up in Brampton at this point

[-RJ3-]

Just keep in mind that after you have your car's oil changed at a shop other than a dealership, and if you have an issue with your engine in the long run, The dealership will not warranty your car.... Unless you have the same parts they use, Some dealerships will not warranty work.

[Noisy Crow]

Just keep in mind that after you have your car's oil changed at a shop other than a dealership, and if you have an issue with your engine in the long run, The dealership will not warranty your car.... Unless you have the same parts they use, Some dealerships will not warranty work.

What are you basing this on?

As I understand it, as long as you get the work done by a qualified person and keep your receipts your warranty is intact. In fact you can even do your own oil changes -- just make sure you purcase the oil and filter right about when you do the oil change, and keep your receipts.

[m_bisson]

Ya... anywhere can do it, as long as it's done properly. What I hate most about the dealer is that you make an "appointment" and the oil change still takes an hour. I'd rather go to one of those drive through places and get the same thing done in 10 minutes.

[Noisy Crow]

Ya... anywhere can do it, as long as it's done properly. What I hate most about the dealer is that you make an "appointment" and the oil change still takes an hour. I'd rather go to one of those drive through places and get the same thing done in 10 minutes.

Until you realize they put the wrong oil in or cracked your oil filter housing.

[ovie8]

I believe it's recommended that if you purchased a brand new car...you should take it to the dealer for first oil change...after that outside is fine and won't affect your warranty as long as you keep your receipts : )

[stevenma188]

I do all my oil changes myself so I can't really comment on the service of each place, but IIRC Costco is the cheapest for an oil change.

If your car is still under warranty. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP ALL OF YOUR RECEIPTS

[inbini]

I would take it to the dealer if it is a new car. They will work on TSB's and other stuff that you didn't know about. I find the price difference marginal...

[Elusivellama]

Hmnm... well... a Mr. Lube or a quickie oil change shop *may* not use the best oil, or even the type of oil that your engine needs (ex. if it needs 5W-20, they can put 5W-30 in if that's all they have in bulk even though that doesn't hurt your engine since 5W-20 is mostly for CAFE requirements). As for filters, I'm not even sure the kind of filters they use. Personally speaking... I would be more inclined to think that a cheap oil change place has to make some compromise in the quality of oil and filters they offer (but I could be wrong). Unless someone knows FOR SURE what kind of oil and filter that the cheap oil change place is using, I would be a bit wary of the quality of their oil and filter.

As for price... the cheapest I've seen around is like $19.95 at Mr. Lube and Meineke. An oil change at a dealer is $39.95 - 10% TM3 discount, which is like $35.95. A difference of $16 and the dealer uses Mazda OEM oil, which is petro-canada semi-synthetic stuff and is supposed to be really good, plus the filter will be OEM too. *shrug* I'd pay the extra $16 and know the kind of oil and filter I'm getting, but that's just me... if you have any inside knowledge of what quality oil and filter that places like Mr. Lube and Meineke use, please let us know.

[Honva]

As long as you keep all your record and receipt, having oil changes outside the dealership is normally fine for the warranty. However, if the problem ended up caused by the type of oil they put in or caused by the aftermarket filter, you will be claiming the fix through where you do your oil change rather than Mazda warranty.

[Turok]

Ya... anywhere can do it, as long as it's done properly. What I hate most about the dealer is that you make an "appointment" and the oil change still takes an hour. I'd rather go to one of those drive through places and get the same thing done in 10 minutes.

+1

Ya I made my last one for 8am sharp.. the car didn't go in until 8:30ish.. and I didn't pick it up until 9:40ish

[m_bisson]

Hmnm... well... a Mr. Lube or a quickie oil change shop *may* not use the best oil, or even the type of oil that your engine needs (ex. if it needs 5W-20, they can put 5W-30 in if that's all they have in bulk even though that doesn't hurt your engine since 5W-20 is mostly for CAFE requirements). As for filters, I'm not even sure the kind of filters they use. Personally speaking... I would be more inclined to think that a cheap oil change place has to make some compromise in the quality of oil and filters they offer (but I could be wrong). Unless someone knows FOR SURE what kind of oil and filter that the cheap oil change place is using, I would be a bit wary of the quality of their oil and filter.

As for price... the cheapest I've seen around is like $19.95 at Mr. Lube and Meineke. An oil change at a dealer is $39.95 - 10% TM3 discount, which is like $35.95. A difference of $16 and the dealer uses Mazda OEM oil, which is petro-canada semi-synthetic stuff and is supposed to be really good, plus the filter will be OEM too. *shrug* I'd pay the extra $16 and know the kind of oil and filter I'm getting, but that's just me... if you have any inside knowledge of what quality oil and filter that places like Mr. Lube and Meineke use, please let us know.

The other places use real oil too... the "cheapest" option is not the ONLY option. Keep that in mind. And oil filters all work the same no matter the brand. Some claim to be better than others, but if you're throwing them out every 3-4 months then who really cares? Oil goes through filter>filter catches junk> the end.

[sarujo]

Of course you're going to get some cheap crap filter (ie FRAM etc) and some low-end bulk oil by going to some quickie oil change place vs the dealer.

BTW, which dealers are giving a 10% discount to TM3 members?


Hmnm... well... a Mr. Lube or a quickie oil change shop *may* not use the best oil, or even the type of oil that your engine needs (ex. if it needs 5W-20, they can put 5W-30 in if that's all they have in bulk even though that doesn't hurt your engine since 5W-20 is mostly for CAFE requirements). As for filters, I'm not even sure the kind of filters they use. Personally speaking... I would be more inclined to think that a cheap oil change place has to make some compromise in the quality of oil and filters they offer (but I could be wrong). Unless someone knows FOR SURE what kind of oil and filter that the cheap oil change place is using, I would be a bit wary of the quality of their oil and filter.

As for price... the cheapest I've seen around is like $19.95 at Mr. Lube and Meineke. An oil change at a dealer is $39.95 - 10% TM3 discount, which is like $35.95. A difference of $16 and the dealer uses Mazda OEM oil, which is petro-canada semi-synthetic stuff and is supposed to be really good, plus the filter will be OEM too. *shrug* I'd pay the extra $16 and know the kind of oil and filter I'm getting, but that's just me... if you have any inside knowledge of what quality oil and filter that places like Mr. Lube and Meineke use, please let us know.

[Roconne]

BTW, which dealers are giving a 10% discount to TM3 members?
MoT is one, and I think another one was as well (can't remember who though).

[S.F.W.]

BTW, which dealers are giving a 10% discount to TM3 members?

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?204-Affiliate-Dealerships

[sarujo]

Looks like MoT doesn't give the 10% discount on oil changes - boohoo!

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?22297-Dealership-Discounts

I wonder if some of these other dealers such as DaveWood, Westowne etc really do give the 10 or 17% for the oil change under 'maintenance discounts. Anyone care to share their experiences?



MoT is one, and I think another one was as well (can't remember who though).

[sarujo]

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. Filters are NOT made the same. Do some digging here and on the Net and you will see that a FRAM is NOT the same quality wise compared to one made by WIX or OEM.


The other places use real oil too... the "cheapest" option is not the ONLY option. Keep that in mind. And oil filters all work the same no matter the brand. Some claim to be better than others, but if you're throwing them out every 3-4 months then who really cares? Oil goes through filter>filter catches junk> the end.

[m_bisson]

either way... you can have your OWN filter and oil put in and it still takes 10 minutes.

[ovie8]

Sorry, but you are dead wrong. Filters are NOT made the same. Do some digging here and on the Net and you will see that a FRAM is NOT the same quality wise compared to one made by WIX or OEM.

I agree in that 9 times out of 10 you get what you pay for. There's gotta be some quality difference related to price.

Take the most common thing like household all purpose cleaners, I find a difference even in a product like that, between national and no name brands.

Now I am no car mechanic and it could be very likely that filters is the 1 out of 10.

[DeadB2000]

Here in Calgary the cheapest option IS the best option. Sunridge Mazda offers a key tag for $100 that is good for 5 oil changes. It can be transferred to any vehicle and you maintain your confidence level about your warranty. Now it does involve some booking ahead but as I have mentioned elsewhere in this forum, I spent about twice that money and way too much time doing it myself. Only problem,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it's in Calgary!

[Rob23]

MrLube is the biggest rip off.