Anyone else experienced an oil change ordeal?

[Bristecom]

I've known so many mechanics like that. They're so lazy and try to take the easy way out of everything. Especially when it comes to warranty work. I will definitely be changing my own oil/filter. Even though it's free, I refuse to give the opportunity for some lazy mechanic to screw something up. The only time I will go into the dealer is 5 years after owning the car to get the spark plugs and serpentine belt changed. And I'll be going to a Subaru dealer that is familiar with boxers instead of a Scion dealer.

BTW, doesn't the manual even say to change it the first time at 3500 miles?

[whaap]

Mine says 7500 miles gets me a free oil change. The owners manual doesn't say I can't change the oil when ever I want so long as I'm willing to pay for it. I will do that right around 1,000 miles. I already checked with my local dealer and they have the oil filters in stock.

[jeebus]

Wow. That's some terrible service.

1. Personally, I think doing the first oil change early is a good idea. I did mine at 2000 miles. Some do it as early as 500.

2. This is the EASIEST car you can do an oil change on. The oil filter is right there, you can remove it by hand. The drain plug isn't covered up by anything, it's easy to get to.

3. Never take it to them again.

[JoeBoxer]

I wish i could sell my free oil changes to someone else i wonder if they knew so many of would be changing ourselves? That is a lot of money they built in to the price of the cars that they will never have to pay out.

[chipz91]

Originally Posted by terrypm

I went back to my Scion dealer yesterday to get my first oil change. When the technician did the pre delivery inspection they put the oil change reminder sticker in the upper corner of the windshield for 3 months or 3500 miles. I had 3420 miles on my car so it was time for a oil change.

I drive up and request a oil change and the service writer asking how many miles are on the car so I tell him. He informs me it has synthetic oil in it and it does not need an oil change until it has 10,000 miles and for me to come back later. I then show him the oil change sticker and he restates it does not need an oil change until 10,000 miles. I tell him I believe the PDI technician probability has some training with the Subaru boxer engine and I wanted to follow his advice for the first oil change. The service writer then tells me he has been doing this job for 12 years and he knows about synthetic oil changes. I told it I still wanted a oil change and to stop being so difficult. He finally agreed.

They pull my car into the oil change booth with me standing outside keeping my car in plain view. He then comes over to me and says sorry but you will have to come back later because we do not have any oil filters down in the pit to fit the FR-S. I tell him I was afraid I would hear that but I had called the parts department yesterday and they verified to me they have 4 FR-S filters in stock. He walks over there to get one.

He brings a oil filter back and another technician is in tow. He tells me this is the first FR-S they have changed oil in and they have to take my car around back to do it. I did not want my car out of sight so I ask him why. He tells me it takes a special tool to remove the oil filter. I ask him what that special tool is because I to will change my own oil in the future. He claims he does not know. I tell him the oil filter location and we walk over to my car and I point it out to him. I ask him a second time about the special tool and reach over and remove the filter with my bare hand and hand it to him. He then tells the technician to just change the mans oil right here.

After they finish and the service writer gives me my oil change receipt he tells me the Scion Boost program only has 2 oil changes....one a 10,000 miles and the other at 20,000 miles and I now only have one free oil change left. After he had beat me down so I did not even respond.

Sorry for the rant but no one should go through this ordeal for a simple oil change.

Whoever did the PDI on your car was surely not trained. Reason being, I work at a Toyota Dealership as a Tech. Although it uses Synthetic oil, the oil change service intervals are not every 10K miles. Its every 7500 miles. Why? I don't know, thats just what a paper that we have says. Every Toyota has 5 FREE services, up to 25K miles, but we only have 3, again every 75k miles. If your going to take your car in to service, its a good idea to call the dealership and ask if they have the filters IN STOCK! I had to order mines. I did my oil change and there is no special tool required... The service writer did not know what he was talking about. I just wanted to let you know, so next time you wont have trouble with dealerships. I hope this Helped man.

[siXXtoes]

Horrible!!!! If you can, just change it yourself. 10min max plus the satisfaction of knowing it is down right is so worth it!

The only time ill let the dealership touch my will be the BIG schedule maintenance!

[QFry]

...and this is why i bought 5 filters from subaru (4.50$ cheaper than the Toyota dealers) and will be doing all my own oil changes...fumoto valve for the win! Sorry OP that you had such a runaround, it appears though that you canoe it was going to happen so props to being prepped!

[Jimbo]

Sheesh. What a special tool!

-J

[*KID*]

almost the same thing happend to me, they still did it, but for some reason I feel like they didnt do it, and I didnt mark my filter when I should of done it.

[terrypm]

This is a copy of a letter that Scion sent me on scheduled maintenance. Notice it says every 5,000 miles or 6 months and lists 4 different services. Didn't everyone receive this schedule?

We get 5 free oil changes under the Service Boost at 5,000, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 and 25,000 miles.

[terrypm]

Originally Posted by kwood9000

Looks like you get at least 3 services, not 2.

According to my letter from Scion we all get 5 unless I am special because I have a special oil filter removal tool.

Originally Posted by kwood9000

Or take it out of your sight, bring it back, and pretend they did an oil change.

That was my thought also.

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

This is why you should always discreetly mark your oil filter if you let someone else change it. Though on our cars it's so easy to change the filter they can spin a new one on and leave out the expensive oil.

I did that also.

Originally Posted by NeedsmoreCowbell

What's up on the Toyota care? So is it every 5000 or 7500 miles? They told me the later... Just like you I had a sticker that said one mileage while the service tech said another...

I posted a pic of my letter from Scion. Oil changes every 5,000 miles or 6 months whichever comes first.

Originally Posted by chipz91

Whoever did the PDI on your car was surely not trained. Reason being, I work at a Toyota Dealership as a Tech. Although it uses Synthetic oil, the oil change service intervals are not every 10K miles. Its every 7500 miles. Why? I don't know, thats just what a paper that we have says. Every Toyota has 5 FREE services, up to 25K miles, but we only have 3, again every 75k miles..

Scion put it in writing to me that it is every 5,000 miles or 6 months. Very confusing if they tell some people one thing and others another...... Is my car special because it is a First86? Is the climate in my state unique?


I posted here about a problem I am still having with my dealer on title issues. Poor bookkeeping and now service issues. Two strikes against them.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17307

[Synack]

Terry I'm glad you acted the way you did, you could've walked out of there with some bad stuff in your oil, and plenty of other things could've happened as well.

Kudos for checking for the filter with their parts dept and the "special tool" hahahaha. I'd report him to corporate in a heart beat.

[BillyStrato]

I bought my FR-S back in June. Sometime in July I was contacted by SCION to schedule an oil change for 5,000 at my dealership [estimated to be in Sept]. Monday I called the service department to schedule an oil change. They said I could bring it in Tuesday. I get there Tuesday and the service guy says they don't even have an oil filter for the car and that I only get oil changes every 7,500 miles. You'd think that if they sold the car, they'd have an oil filter for it.

[jarviz]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

This is why you should always discreetly mark your oil filter if you let someone else change it. Though on our cars it's so easy to change the filter they can spin a new one on and leave out the expensive oil.

Or install a 3rd party filter like a K&N, then bring it into scion dealership for their oil change to have them tell you they did an oil change.
Me: "so is everything (oil change, fluids replenished, tire rotation) done?"
scion: "yup"

Me: *check my tires to see if its rotated, didn't look like it since only the back tires had these red sticker thingys on them and they were still there....pop open my hood to see oil coolant was still rather low, and my original K&N filter was still there......"so you guys use K&N filters now???"...

Scion: "oh um, we didn't change it yet because you're not at the 7500 mile-interval yet."

I had a long a morning so I didn't wanna bother them and just said ok, but all I can remember thinking was 'these guys called me and said all the work was DONE and my car is ready for PICKUP', when in reality, they meant NOTHING was done and car is ready to be picked up.

so they couldn't just tell me that car wasn't due for its scheduled maintenance yet, but blatantly lie to my face that it was done... sigh*