G20 Scheduled Maintenance vs Dealer 'Check Up'

[sumo1869]

Howdy All.

I've got a 2000 base G20. I'm currently leasing it, and will probably buy it at the end. I know. It will cost more, but I don't mind. I really dig the ride.

Anyway. I have been going to the dealer to get my oil changed every 3750 miles as it is stated in the maintenance schedule.

The dealer wants me to spend $300 to get a 15K mile 'checkup'. Which includes: oil change, transmission fluid change, new air filter, and tire rotation. I've decided not to do this because 1. 300 seems expensive for that, and 2. it doesn't state in the manual that I need to have the transmission oil changed. I did get the tires rotated and oil changed. The air filter is clean so I'm not going to change that either.

Can y'all give me an idea of when I might need to change my transmission fluid or have the clutch adjusted? This is my first manual transmission. The maintenance schedule up to 90K just says to have the transmission fluid checked. Is that ok, or should I change it at 15K and 30K?

Thanks.

[dre]

I thought one of the advantages of leases was the scheduled maintenance is free. I've never leased before, so what do I know, but I had heard this before.

And, yeah $300 doees sound like a rip... Oil change can't be that hard, air filter is easy, tire rot can't be that much...But is there something wierd with the tranny fluid? Anyone else get their tranny flushed yet? How much?

I think for $300 should be for a major service:
Inspect/Rplace/topoff ALL fluids.
Inspect/Replace/Adjust clutch
I/R air conditionding system
tires rotated
I/R belts and hoses
wash car inside and out
I/R plugs and plug wires
and everything else I forgot
oh yeah...a free loaner car too

[sumo1869]

The lease that I have doesn't provide any free maintenance, but the dealership does. I was just surprised when I went to get my 4th oil change that they spring this 15K checkup that isn't mentioned in the maintenance manual at all.

[Mythos]

When i bought my G, my dealer gave me a paper with all the service intervals, according to it, at 15K you should have oil changed, rotate and blance tires, change the air filter, change the fuel filter, and change the wiper inserts. It's only at 30K that you should have the transmission serviced and coolant flushed.

[Koojo]

I dont go exactly by the book that they gave us when it comes to oil changes. It says change it about 3750mi or so, but I do it every 3000 because its better for the car.

[P10DET]

Originally posted by sumo1869
The dealer wants me to spend $300 to get a 15K mile 'checkup'. Which includes: oil change, transmission fluid change, new air filter, and tire rotation. I've decided not to do this because 1. 300 seems expensive for that, and 2. it doesn't state in the manual that I need to have the transmission oil changed. I did get the tires rotated and oil changed. The air filter is clean so I'm not going to change that either.

Can y'all give me an idea of when I might need to change my transmission fluid or have the clutch adjusted? This is my first manual transmission. The maintenance schedule up to 90K just says to have the transmission fluid checked. Is that ok, or should I change it at 15K and 30K?

Thanks.

Do you know why the dealers tell people about their little service specials?

BECAUSE THERE'S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE!

Good for you for thinking they are just trying to separate you from your money. They are.

Just go by the service interval in your owner's manual.

I don't even agree with 3,000 mile oil changes, but I'm in the minority and it's another rant. :jump:

Hell, the engine I just took out of my G has over 210,000 miles of daily redline and 7,500 mile oil changes. Still running strong and going back in my SE-R as soon as I can do it.

[Koojo]

Originally posted by P10DET

Hell, the engine I just took out of my G has over 210,000 miles of daily redline and 7,500 mile oil changes. Still running strong and going back in my SE-R as soon as I can do it.

That doesnt mean every engine is gonna last that long. 7500mi oil changes sounds crazy. I dunno how that engine is still running but it must have some serious problems. If i ran my oil for 7500mi, then it would be completely black, and my car probably wouldnt even start.

[kenchan]

you should go find a bank loan and change it to a car loan. it's usually much cheaper to buy with a loan than pay all the lease and then pay residual. only drawback is that you gotta pay sales tax twice. you're paying for it now in your lease, when your bank or credit union buys it for you, you gotta pay tax again.

about your maintenance plan. most-likely the dealer's just trying to rip you off. if I was you, I would only do oil change, my own 27or so point inspection with fluid check, brake line check, etc. and perhaps a tire rotation if needed. don't change the mission oil as original fluid is usually good to about 30-40k miles minimum. don't get your mission oil changed at those jiffy lube places either as those places uses cheap stuff that needs to be replaced more frequently. I only believe in doing the 30K mile inspections unless there is something definitly wrong with the car.
30K inspections are usually $300 and with the parts that needs to be replaced usually goes up to about $500-600 typically at the dealer.
:smoker:

[P10DET]

Originally posted by Koojo
That doesnt mean every engine is gonna last that long. 7500mi oil changes sounds crazy. I dunno how that engine is still running but it must have some serious problems. If i ran my oil for 7500mi, then it would be completely black, and my car probably wouldnt even start.

Baloney.

The manual calls for 7,500 mile oil changes. That's what it gets.

This engine has no problems. In fact, at the SE-R National Convention in May I drove it on the Summit Point Jefferson Circuit. At last year's SE-R National Convention I drove it at Motorsports Ranch in Ft. Worth.

[bashamrj]

I guess I have a question, if you pay the $300 for the 30k maintenance, shouldn't any parts needed be covered under warranty? That is the whole reason I chose the G20 over another VW due to the 60k mile warranty versus the crappy 24k mile warranty.

[Koojo]

p10det, i dunno, but I still dont agree with the 7500mi oil change. I wouldnt even dare to try it in my car.

[kenchan]

parts that are worn out are not covered by warranty...if the parts wear out prematurely, then yep.

[geoff200]

I think the mileage between oil changes depends also on what type of oil you are putting in. Here in the UK the Nissan main dealers add semi-synthetic oil to allow greater intervals between changes.

As enthusiasts who take pride in our cars I know we change oil sooner than we are required to by handbooks and warranties - the truth is though, that most cars in the UK are sold to fleet operators who only carry out whatever work they have to, and that means oils changes every 7K or so.

I have a question about oil - do you guys think that fully synthetic oil is a good idea? Lately I have heard the following arguements against using it:

1) It costs too much
2) It was made popular by rally car racing, and they rebuild engines regularly and so don't do whats best for engine life, only performance during a few races.
3) Synthetic oils don't not leave behind much lubrication in the cylinder head bore after it's burnt during combustion unlike mineral oil which does.
4) A better compromise is a mix of mineral and synthetic oil. This lasts longer but also lubricate better.

Feel free to shoot me down on this, because I have not formed an opinion yet and I would like to see what you all think.

Cheers!

[2000g20t]

I concur, synthetic blend is the best...I took my car in to the dealer for the first two oil change, then decided to just take it down to Jiffy Lube cuz it was cheaper, but somehow got suckered in to getting Mobil 1 fully sythetic which came out to the same price as the dealer...so anyways, my buddy was changing his own oil, so I just asked him to do it...under $20 for synthetic oil and oil filter...with synthetic it wasn't too noticeably smooth but I did get better mileage...like around atleast 360 compared to little over 300 or so with reg. oil (I use 92 octane fuel)...just last week I decided to try the Mobil 1 blend...man, its smooth. its thicker than full synthetic, but has the added slickness of synthetic to regular oil. Sythetic blend oil with oil filter came out to like $15...and another reason why I switched was my uncle (a mechanic) said the sythetic can actually damage your engine especially if its old, cuz it can loosen the internal parts inside because its so slick and thin...anyhow, blend is the smoothest for sure...oh, I get around 350 on a full tank.

[P10DET]

Originally posted by geoff200
I have a question about oil - do you guys think that fully synthetic oil is a good idea? Lately I have heard the following arguements against using it:

1) It costs too much
2) It was made popular by rally car racing, and they rebuild engines regularly and so don't do whats best for engine life, only performance during a few races.
3) Synthetic oils don't not leave behind much lubrication in the cylinder head bore after it's burnt during combustion unlike mineral oil which does.
4) A better compromise is a mix of mineral and synthetic oil. This lasts longer but also lubricate better.

Use Mobil 1 without worry. I sure as hell wouldn't change it every 3,000 miles (4,800 km). Mobil 1 is a better lubricant than any dino oil. Don't be suckered in by the thickness at room temperature. What really counts is at 220 deg F or more like in your engine. Mobil 1 is more stable. I don't have the hard data in front of me, but I have no doubts about it being better than any dino oil.

As for change intervals, I've had some discussions with Mike Kojima about them. He thinks I'm a monkey for changing at 7,500 miles. Maybe I am. But, I've done a lot of searching for information on change intervals and all I can find are marketing hype (oh, you just have to do this) or "common knowledge" information that may not be correct. What I'm looking for it scientific studies, not on oil breakdown, but rather on engine wear at various intervals. Anybody know of any that I can read (prefereably on the web)?

I believe change intervals are dependent upon the engine and driving conditions. I would change a race car's oil every 2 or 3 events. My car owner however went about 8-10 before changing. My fully built NA engine (same as Mike Kojima's Project SE-R in SCC) got oil changes every 3,000 miles. My DET will probably get Mobil 1 every 5,000.

OK, I'm rambling. Sorry. :jump: