I called around before my first oil change to see who charged what. I figure I can do it myself for between $20-$25. My Jiffy Lube around the corner wanted $73 for synthetic blend, ~$95 for full synthetic. On a lark I called my dealer, $96 including tax for a package of three oil changes with tire rotations, inspections, etc. For $32 they can do it while I read a book.
Exactly! A lot of times for maintenance the dealer will have the best price, should have techs that know the vehicle, and can perform warranty repairs if a problem is found. I see it all the time where people pay more for repair or service at an independent or aftermarket shop because said shop doesn’t have the knowledge, familiarity, or tools for the vehicle. I recommend people all the time to go the the dealer over other shops. Are there bad apples out there, of course, there are in every bunch. Are there good techs not at dealers, yep. Truth is as far as maintenance techs, a lot of times the ones at the lube places usually can’t get jobs at a dealer. This is all from personal knowledge and experience in the field for over 25yrs. The other thing is if something does go wrong at a dealer, the customer has a lot of power, and there is a lot more backing at the dealer to take care of an issue. If I wasn’t a tech myself and have the tools and a lift to do it, I’d be at a dealer getting it done.
As far as oil and filter, personal preference. As long as it meets manufacturers requirements. I personally use Mobil-1 5w30 and Motorcraft 500s filter on my 3.5 EB. Wix, NAPA, Puralator, and Mobil-1 filters good also. Personally I stay away from Fram due to failures and construction. Only reason I run full synthetic is because it’s turbo and cheap at WalMart. Everything else I have gets conventional, even 700+hp methanol race engine.
Just my .02 cents.......