Dealer $401.00 fluid change

[Deleted member 995608]

I think the dealer charges are excessive. I do however. have the dealer service the engine oil and filter; Simply because they dispose of the oil/filter. When I change the fuel filter, it adds another $60 to the bill. And the first and LAST time I had em' change the rear end fluid, my dealer charged $125,... ... Just for the rear. And that didn't include a new seal. I watched them do it sitting from the lovely stained waiting room chair. The charges are crazy but if ya don't have the place or tools to change your own, it's easier to bend over and have the dealer lube up your truck for ya. :-laf

 

[DPKetchum]

How many shops out there are as well equiped as that dealers? Wonder what the overhead on that shop is?

 

[AKaiser]

I am at 5K on my truck right now, doing the 2nd oil change today, and using their recommended fluids and filter. That is 2 more oil changes than they recommend according to their warranty requirements. I will always change my oil at the 2500 mile mark even if the oil is a little more costly in the overall. The big repair bills as compared to the little oil change bills are my impetus.

That's wasting natural resources. Standard service on an 05 is 15,000 miles, with NON-synthetic oil, and 7,500 for severe. I'm assuming (yeah, I know A--, You, Me) 06 service is the same. Those pans with a can are 3 GALLONS of oil at a pop. Unless you just don't drive very much, and can justify it on time (TBN breakdown), you're throwing alot of money away, even on severe service "B" schedules.



As for me, I'm going with the Amsoil 15W-40 (TBN of 12) which allows a 25K service interval. I used 0W-30 Series 3000 in my old gasser, and ran oil analysis tests every 10K. Never came up bad. Sold 'er at 175K miles, still running like a scared monkey. If I changed my oil as much as you, I'd be under it every 6 weeks, as much as I usually drive.



Nothing personal, just business.

 

[DPKetchum]

Engine will out last the truck on their light duty service on dino. I use to think like that. A little prozac,deep beathing,yoga and I now change oil in both my trucks at one year intervals which is less then 10k on eaither truck running Amsoil fliuds. Oh yeah if you have insurance most health plans pay for theripist. Now I'm ok and lost the urge to always be pouring fresh oil in something bi weekly. Hard addiction to quit.

 

[jelag]

I run my trucks hard..... we don't do the recommended changes before the suggestions in the manual... . you can find a service manual on line and down load it... . and its the factory service manual... . don't remember the web sight I found it on... .



In the NV56 be careful... the wrong oil here will damage the transmission... I have not found a specification that meets it and we sell schaeffers products... .



Hope this helps. .

 

[steved]

Thanks guys I did buy the cheapy manuel and checked it out. But it seems the price is in the ball park, SOOOOOO I'll let the dodge boys do it :-laf Hea thanks for all the good responses. jackson out

Why do ALL of you 3rd gen owners buy a cheap manual when you can download the Factory Service Manual from www.hemitruckclub.com ... on the left side of the page 03 through 06 last I checked...



The download is free.



steved

 

[steved]

I run my trucks hard..... we don't do the recommended changes before the suggestions in the manual... . you can find a service manual on line and down load it... . and its the factory service manual... . don't remember the web sight I found it on... .



In the NV56 be careful... the wrong oil here will damage the transmission... I have not found a specification that meets it and we sell schaeffers products... .



Hope this helps. .

Did you mean NV5600 or G56?????



Amsoil and Pennzoil both offer synchromesh "approved" fluids for the NV5600.



steved

 

[Jeremiah]

Wrong trannie fluid = huge problems

I've mentioned this before: I asked my local hotshot race shop to change the fluid in my 6-speed trannie. These guys are tops in their field and have won the Pikes Peak Hill Climb many times. They know engines, transmissions, and oil. However, my manual transmission would barely shift from one gear to the other without grinding gears, especially when it was cold, when they got through. I took my truck to the Dodge dealer and had the fluid changed again. Guess what? It shifts perfectly. I consider myself lucky I didn't ruin something. We cuss dealers a lot on this forum but you have to give 'em credit in some areas -- using correct oil is one of 'em.

 

[EBottema]

400 bucks sounds just right or a little cheap. Remember they are using higher priced fluid and they are making about $65+ an hour (depending on the labor rate in your area... . )

 

[TheBigSgt]

Well, here we are talking about this stuff and being a bunch of tight *****es LOL! OK, first you should have the oli change package on the truck and it then cost about 500 bucks and you get 28 oil changes to use in 7 years. When mine is up, I hope Dodge still has it and I will buy it again.



OK, now you don't want to sit around and wait for the truck. Cool! If you have the bumper to bumper warrenty, you get a rental when ever you take the truck in for maintance, oil and or fiuld changes, you get a free rental! I drop my truck off at night before they close and return it the following day! Job done and no waiting, nothing out of my pocket but the fuild change.



OK, the price, well shop around to other dealerships and get a price over the phone. I know some of you don't have that option, but for those who do, let your fingures do the walking.



OK, I'm still a cheap SOB, so I will be buying the fuild and my local Big O will do the labor, but the owner is a friend, again not everybody can do this.



I like the idea of getting the new biger covers, there are some really nice good looking stuff out there! If your really doing heavy towing, GET THEM!



Now a little horror story I've told before on here. When my truck hit 3000 miles, I was on a trip to St. Louis because of a death in my family. I had a little time on my hands between family things, so I decided to get the oil changed. I called around and most dealers said 50 bucks. So I go to the closest one, Marty something, but I hadn't called them. I get there and tell them I just want the basic oil change and the guy tells me 100 bucks! After I put my bruised jaw back in place and tell him I thin it's a little high, he tells me it's because he's a union shop. OK, I know shop labor is around 125 in St. Louis, but I know they don't put their best tech changing oil. So I ask him if I call my home dealership in Utah, if he would take a copy of the reciept for the oil change package and he says sure. I then say " Or I can just pay you the 38 buck Dodge pays you for the LOF". He says that is bellow his cost and he can't do it. But he says he'll take the contract copy. I try one more time to try to get him to take the cash, but it's below his cost. Now that is what Dodge repays the dealerships for this service, but seeing he was really up on what is going on, I called my boos at the dealership, oh yeah, I worked for a dealership full time back then, and they put it on my account and faxed me the copy at the other dealership! They gave me the first bill for 100 bucks. I didn't tell them I wanted it to show people what a bunch of crooks I though they where. The same guy owns the Jeep Chrysler dealership down the street, they said they would do it for 50 bucks



Now for who I am, so you know where I'm coming from.

I'm The Big Sarge, the announcer for UROC.

I have been a fleet Manager and busniess manager for Layton Hills Dodge out here in Ut.

I've worked for Good Year in Hawaii and David Early tires here in Utah.

Served in the Army with my local Dodge FActory Service Tech! LOL

I'm the current President of the Big Horn 4x4 Club in Ogden UT and VP of the Utah 4Wheel Drive Assocation.

 

[GECCO]

had mine done at j-lube for $25 for each . didn't have transmission oil [6-speed] so total was $75... front, rear diff and transfer case... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

In case you aren't aware, the Dodges come from the factory with synthetic fluids in all the boxes. As a former Jiffy Lube employee I can tell you that they do not use synthetics, so you have probably just downgraded your fluids.



Along the same lines, after working at four different Jiffy Lubes in two different cities and seeing what goes on and who gets hired..... I wouldn't send my worst enemy to one.....

 

[Huskerman]

Along the same lines, after working at four different Jiffy Lubes in two different cities and seeing what goes on and who gets hired..... I wouldn't send my worst enemy to one.....

That's sad to hear. The good thing about Jiffy Lube however is that you can watch them work if you so desire.



I am not a Jiffy Lube employee, nor do I own one. I did recently begin taking my vehicles there and so far I have been impressed.



Ask yourself this question. How much is YOUR time worth?? I tried Jiffy Lube for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was literally in and out in 15 minutes. That included whatever things that could be lubed AND air filter. I know how to change my own oil but I KNOW I am not good enough, nor do I have the tools to do it in 15 minutes. Not to mention when all was said and done, I didn’t have any waste products to deal with. Now, I realize that some folks just dump the oil in the backyard but I don’t think you need to be a tree-hugging wacko to know that is the wrong thing to do.

So, let’s add it up:



Jiffy Lube: $59. 00

Time spent: 15 minutes



Do it myself: 12x2. 79 (qt. of Delo) = 33. 48

Oil filter from Cummins: $15

Total: $48. 88

Time it takes me: 1 hour (I am slow and I including clean up time IE dispensing of oil)



So, by doing it myself I save $11. 51. So I have spent at LEAST 45 minutes longer than if I had taken it to my local Jiffy Lube. Using those numbers, that equates to about $15. 35 an hour. I can tell you that personally, my time is worth SIGNIFICANTLY more than $15. 35 per hour.





Huskerman

 

[TheBigSgt]

That's sad to hear. The good thing about Jiffy Lube however is that you can watch them work if you so desire.



I am not a Jiffy Lube employee, nor do I own one. I did recently begin taking my vehicles there and so far I have been impressed.



Ask yourself this question. How much is YOUR time worth?? I tried Jiffy Lube for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was literally in and out in 15 minutes. That included whatever things that could be lubed AND air filter. I know how to change my own oil but I KNOW I am not good enough, nor do I have the tools to do it in 15 minutes. Not to mention when all was said and done, I didn’t have any waste products to deal with. Now, I realize that some folks just dump the oil in the backyard but I don’t think you need to be a tree-hugging wacko to know that is the wrong thing to do.

So, let’s add it up:



Jiffy Lube: $59. 00

Time spent: 15 minutes



Do it myself: 12x2. 79 (qt. of Delo) = 33. 48

Oil filter from Cummins: $15

Total: $48. 88

Time it takes me: 1 hour (I am slow and I including clean up time IE dispensing of oil)



So, by doing it myself I save $11. 51. So I have spent at LEAST 45 minutes longer than if I had taken it to my local Jiffy Lube. Using those numbers, that equates to about $15. 35 an hour. I can tell you that personally, my time is worth SIGNIFICANTLY more than $15. 35 per hour.





Huskerman

Again, shop around, the dealership down here will do it for under 50. Techs train on that truck! If they see any other problems they will tell you about them. Most Now there are good and bad dealerships, as we've all seen, But at least at teh one I work with they have to have more than a pulse to work there. I've had friends at Jiffy Lube here and they won't have them do there vehicals! LOL

 

[TheBigSgt]

Just to see what dealerships charge I called Around.

Layton Hills Dodge UT 334 plus tax. Talked to Richard

Hickley Dodge SLC UT 457 PLUS tax Talked to BOB

Dodge World Marty Cancila's 398 plus tax talked to Kay I think, it took 10 mins to get a price!

 

[Huskerman]

Again, shop around, the dealership down here will do it for under 50.

BigSgt,



I sure wish the dealerships in Boise were like that!! They all want $65+ AND you better be willing to wait at least an hour.



Huskerman

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I guess the only thing worse than buying a $40K truck, then *****ing about $400 service, is buying a $40K truck, then paying $400 for some pimply-faced high school dropout to scratch yer paint and dribble lube all over everything in sight... :-laf :-laf



(Been there, done that - and still have the scratches on my wife's car to prove it... )

 

[Axion]

I did the whole dealer service thing for a while. After four oil changes at different dealers (I was travelling a lot at the time), I gave up. I got a different type of oil at each dealer and the third guy overfilled the engine. I was on the highway right after and all the excess was blown out all over the bottom of my truck. But I will give them credit, they paid to have the undercarriage cleaned at another dealer and I didn't even have to ask.



I'll be doing all the fluid changes from now on. It's been said here before, at least then I know its done right. I'll be switching to Amsoil as each fluid comes up as well. I signed up to be a preferred customer so the prices are better and the wharehouse is not far away.



I also agree that my time is valuable, but I consider time working on the truck as recreation, not billable time. Besides, if I weren't working on the truck I'm sure my wife would have something less interesting for me to do.

 

[ronstersv]

Thats about right. The fluid will cost at least $150 min for a few gallons of synthetic gear lube, and undoing all the bolts that hold the covers on can be time consuming. It whether or not you want to spend 1/2 a day doing the work yourself.

Does the dealer really remove the differential covers to drain the differential or do they just suck it out (suction pump) through the fill hole and then pump the new fluid in. Does the Factory Dodge service manual discuss this? When I inquired (pressed) my Dodge dealer years ago on trans fluid/filter/band adj. He admitted that the filter is usually fine and so are the bands so they just suck out and replace trans fluid using a machine. I just assumed they would do suck and pump method on differentials.

 

[DPKetchum]

I have no issues with the suck out method on the differantials. If it wa a import with a drain hole the cover dosen't get removed. I worked at a Datsun/Nissan dealer 14 years and diff. covers were never removed for a fliud change. They were a drain and fill.

 

[JMarketos]

Ditto here. I bought same set of fluids from the dealer at time I was installing aftermarket covers / pans and aftermarket trans cooler. As I recall, fluids cost me well over $200. Part of my justification is now I have receipt I can prove I used dealer supplied fluids if warranty ever becomes an issue.