I was at the dealer today for my first free 5,000 mile maintenance. They basically just rotate the tires and check fluids. I had them do an oil change after I asked how much they charged-80 bucks which is less than I was used to with my MINI (aka BMW-$). So, I'm thinking now, should I do 5,000 mile changes? I haven't done that for a while, having done 10,000 changes for my last several cars. I'd have the dealer do it. My first dealer service visit was a positive experience.
FWIW: I don't believe that's going to last, $80 oil changes. I believe those extended service plans for basic maintenance pencils out to around $125 per visit, every 5K miles. I believe your only going to get that price while your still in that 24 month free maintenance window; but I could be wrong. Just for kicks n giggles; did they use 0w8 or 0w16 in your car?????
Funny you should ask. I told the service writer, 0w8, right? He said, 'right'. The printout read 0w16. Needless to say I questioned him about it. We went over to the parts guy and he said he had indeed supplied the tech 0w8 but the tech wrote it up wrong. I was talking to the parts guy earlier. He seemed like a nice guy. I let it drop.
I don't know what the dealer's wholesale costs are, but Toyota's online MSRP for 0w8 is a lot more than its MSRP for 0w16. MSRP for 6 qts of 0w16 is $51.81 vs. $95.54 for the same amount of 0w8. Did you ask the service guy which grade they'd use before they quoted you $80?
Depends.... How long are you going to keep the car? How long did you keep the other cars? How often do you check fluids? If you replace cars every 4-5 years or at less than 150k (in freedom-units) you can probably stick with 10K OCIs, and let the dealer try to up-sell you every 5K. Just remember to familiarize yourself with the maintenance guide, so you will know what's 'maintenance' and what's not.
