5,000 vs. 3,000 mile oil change?

[zzzhuh]

My sister bought a new '03 PT Cruiser Limited, but lives on a very tight budget.

I did a bit of math and figured that she could save as much as $2,000 by taking it in for routine maintenance every 5,000 miles, instead of every 3,000 miles.

I told her that she could still change the oil any time she wanted, but the warranty wouldn't depend on it.

When she took it in to the dealer at 5,000 miles they moaned and groaned and said they would give her a reciept for a 3,000 mile maintenance, and that she needed to bring it in that often especially in "this area" (central Florida).

I advised her to go back and get the 5,000 mile reciept, but she back repeated what the dealer had told her, and said she understood she would have to find the extra money.

She really doesn't have it, and badly needs what she has.



What would you advise someone in her situation to do?

to follow the service schedule info, becuase if they void the warrenty because she didn't get proper oil changes, then something breaks she's really in financial trouble.

and did she not think of the cost of upkeep for the vehicle she bought?[:I]

[PTRON]

[8D]Gotta agree with insane1. Why take a chance on voiding the warranty? She could save money by getting service done at other mechanics if she wants as long as she keeps VERY GOOD records and saves EVERY receipt. I have an '03 and have all my service done at the dealer. I KNOW i'm paying more BUT if I ever have a problem - "well here it is boys - fix it (FREE)". One more thing; my dealer's service dept. is top notch which is just another reason I go there. OR- teach her to do her own oil changes and save even more $$.

[Jimbo]

The Cruiser is the easiest car I've erver
had to change oil in.It's a nobrainer, do it
yourself.I never take mine to the dealer to
change oil.Just feel better doing it myself.
I change mine every 1500 miles.Just keep records.

[quicksilverdon]

quote:Originally posted by zzzhuh



I did a bit of math and figured that she could save as much as $2,000 by taking it in for routine maintenance every 5,000 miles, instead of every 3,000 miles.

What would you advise someone in her situation to do?

How many miles did you figure and how much does dealer get for a change to come up to $2,000????

Anyway, I'd say find a jiffylube, or WalMart and do it at 3,000 miles and KEEP THE RECEIPTS. I do my own, keep receipts for oil & filters I buy and write the mileage in a book and on the tops of the filter boxes. You don't HAVE to have the dealer do it to maintain the warranty, and if you have an electrical problem, they can't say it's because you didn't change oil.
As far as 3,000 vs 5,000 - I change at 5,000 - I use synthetic oil, K&N oil filters, and do it myself for what I'd pay for "regular" oil. I do mostly highway driving.

[KingKole02]

You live in Central FL, then you need to change it every 3,000 miles if not sooner. With all the salt and dirt in the air in this area your engine cant run on dirty oil. Have you ever looked at the oil after 4,000 miles? Your lucky the stick is still silver underneath. I let my Nissan go 4000 miles I couldn't even read the stick without wipping it off first. Usually I can still read it some throught the oil at 3,000.

Plus the heat down here does a number of bad things to the engine, it runs hotter and takes longer to cool down. In mid day you could go to the movies and come out and the engine after start up will be just slightly below the normal running temp even after 2-1/2 hours of sitting.

[shlalk]

quote:Originally posted by zzzhuh


My sister bought a new '03 PT Cruiser Limited, but lives on a very tight budget.

I did a bit of math and figured that she could save as much as $2,000 by taking it in for routine maintenance every 5,000 miles, instead of every 3,000 miles.

I told her that she could still change the oil any time she wanted, but the warranty wouldn't depend on it.

When she took it in to the dealer at 5,000 miles they moaned and groaned and said they would give her a reciept for a 3,000 mile maintenance, and that she needed to bring it in that often especially in "this area" (central Florida).

I advised her to go back and get the 5,000 mile reciept, but she back repeated what the dealer had told her, and said she understood she would have to find the extra money.

She really doesn't have it, and badly needs what she has.

What would you advise someone in her situation to do?

How are you getting $2000 in annual savings? If you are strictly talking oil changes, seems awfully high. I put 250-300 miles on the car every week. So even at 3000 miles intervals (which I stick too) that's 4 or 5 oil changes a year. I do the oil changes myself.

[zzzhuh]

Thanks for all of your replies.


"as much as $2,000" as stated is high.

Over 70,000+ miles that would include about ten+ more visits.

While just an oil change doesn't cost that much, the whole "regularly scheduled maintenance" package is sometimes not cheap. I've seen them advertised as "30,000 mile maintenance $199.00". Different dealers offer different prices.

Anyway, the maintenance book gives you the choice between 3,000 & 5,000, but once you make that choice, you really need to stick to it for the rest of the cars life.

My concern was that if she had to choose between rent and an extra visit to "check the fluids" etc., that unless there was a problem, the extra 2,000 would be fine, and would still maintain the warranty.

[Basset Hound]

I have the oil changed on all our vehicles every 3000 miles. It's cheap insurance. Like the commercial says, Pay me now or pay me later."[8D]

[BlueBlurCruiser]

I work on cars everyday. I recommend changing it every 3,000 and using synthetic oil, Mobil 1. It helps the wear and tear of the engine and helps the engine performance.