Skip the dealer and do your own 15K maintenance for $55.87!
 

So for those who do not trust the dealer (like myself), or for whatever reason do not want to go to your dealer for any service, below is what I purchased for my 15K maintenance. 6 quarts of oil, oil filter, and air filter. I replace my air filters every 15k miles, I am not sure what the factory recommends, but it was cheap enough. I also have an Amazon Prime account so I had free 2 day shipping, but I think Amazon provides free shipping on all orders over $25.

Oil - Mag1 0W-20 6 Quarters - $29.94
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/MAG1-61794-pk6-Full-Synthetic-Motor/dp/B006P0WOVC"]MAG1 61794-pk6 Full Synthetic 0W20 SM Motor Oil - 32 oz., (Pack of 6) : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]

K & N Oil FIlter - $7.00
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/K-N-PS-1004-Oil-Filter/dp/B0067ECPS8/"]Amazon.com: K&N PS-1004 Oil Filter: Automotive[/ame]

WIX Air Filter - $14.37
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wix-46834-Air-Filter-Pack/dp/B000C9Y0W8/"]Wix 46834 Air Filter, Pack of 1 : Amazon.com : Automotive[/ame]

I still had a quart of oil left over.... She was full at 5QTs.
The air filter is slightly bigger than the stock filter, but still fits 100%. I did have to remove the 3 10MM bolts to take the front of the air box off but that wasn't really a problem. For anyone living in the city or driving under very hard conditions I would recommend changing the filter. My filter was very dirty.
The MAG1 oil seems to be a decent oil and meets all factory requirements. I do plan on doing a UOA after 5k miles.

I hope I was able to save some of you some money.

Cheers!

i was thinking of getting the same mag1/k&n combo from amazon. please post your results :)

Sure will!

please pour some more oil into your engine it needs it. i guarantee you it is not full at 5qt.

is the dipstick lying to me?

sure cus i love blowing up seals :thanks:

5.7qts should hit you on the Full mark of the dipstick.

It does seem odd that your car only took 5qts. Makes me wonder where the other 0.5. - 0.7 are/were hiding in your engine. mine has never been happy with just 5

what can I say... the oil on the dipstick is exactly between the high and low holes. i'll double check it tomorrow.

Different oil filter, different capacity?

Nah..I've run the k&n filter before. But do make sure to run the car for a minute or two before checking it...making sure the oil gets everywhere it needs to be with the right amount left.

Sent from the past.

doesent your warranty void if you service your car yourself?

No. Toyota (and scion) actually has an online service where you can record your own oil changes etc. so that its on record.

However, if your engine seizes due to low oil or the drain bolt gets stripped.... you can bet they will try to deny any liability for a warranty claim.

I have a supercharger and I know if the engine blows up they will try not to cover it (for good reason) however any other issues with the car NOT related to the modifications they will still cover.

Oil capacity is 5.7 quarts with filter. Usually less if you are not changing filter.

Always check oil levels after change and after you run engine up to normal operating temperature.

-alex

yup drove it 20 miles, let it cool down and the oil level according to the stick is perfect.

Wow, $30 for a pack of 6. that's a great deal. Thanks!

Does anybody know which cabin air filter fits our cars? I've been having a hard trying to find this

There's your problem. You should fill it to the top mark.

It's always best to use genuine filters for warranty and I assume you did all the other checks required for the service?
They could also void the warranty if you are not qualified to carry out the work on the basis that the service was invalid.

I don't ever hit mileage markers for my maintenance only by months. So every 3 months its an oil change for me and usually tire rotation.

I'm the opposite and prefer to go by the distance travelled. Out of warranty if it travelled 7,500km in 2 years that's when I would change the oil, unless it looked knackered.

I drive 2 miles to work 5 days a week. When I do my oil changes the oil is dark enough to have warranted the change.

I work for a Porsche dealership and we always recommend doing the oil change once a year if you don't hit the targeted miles.

the oil level is fine. I'm not losing any sleep.

oil and filter are both within factory specs. no need to worry if they will void the warranty.

QUALIFIED to perform an oil change? there is no such license / exam / certification for being qualified to do an oil change.

are people really that afraid about doing their own oil changes? keep the receipts, document what you've done and don't think twice about it.

I personally would avoid using non factory oil filters for this car. Not one aftermarket filter I've seen has the same bypass specs and flow rates as the factory filter for the FA20. I personally would love to, but nothing is available. They have a few discussions on the Subie flow rates over at bobistheoilguy.

Lot's of us do oil changes between the service intervals but your thread states,

Skip the dealer and do your own 15K maintenance for $55.87!

There's a lot more than an oil change at the 15k service, even though it's not changing anything else and if it's not signed or stamped by someone qualified to carry out the work you can kiss your warranty goodbye.

Ok... what else is required to be replaced at 15k besides a CABIN air filter? (which can also be done by anyone) Nothing.

http://www.driverside.com/service-sc...&mileage=15000

I don't have the maintenance list in front of me but don't they do a bunch of checks too? Not saying that the tech will actually DO the checks, but I could see a failure in something related to the checks leading to warranty questions.

Yes - just a bunch of checks for stuff that's supposed to last way longer than 36 months of driving. They do refill the wiper/coolant fluid. Not sure if they touch the steering or brake fluid though.

The only other actual 'labor' besides the oil change is the tire rotation. I've already used all 3 of my 'free checks' and they failed to rotate the tires on the second appointment even though they checked off that they did on the inspection receipt.

I highly doubt the dealerships would let us know if something was amiss during the inspection since that would just mean time/money/labor out of their own pocket.

I agree with you completely. The techs don't actually check that stuff, I can't even get them to fill my tires with air!

But... I was meaning that it is a question of transfer of liability. Something goes bad on one of those items that is supposed to be "checked" (not even sure what would, but hypothetically) there is a difference on whether they did the "check" and you claiming you did the "check". Obviously if they did the "check" (or lack of) then there is no question about warranty coverage.

Not saying that people shouldn't do their own maintenance. I would probably rather just take the risk than to put my car in the hands of those monkeys.

Just saying that getting the maintenance done at the dealer is more of a difference than just $55 and an hour of wrenching.

that's not a "high" hole that's a "full" hole.

Iif you dont have anything intelligent to say on this thread.Then please don't troll. :w00t:

http://www.wixfilters.com/Lookup/Par...spx?Part=57830

Hmm...very nice, thx for the link! Will investigate further. Unfortunately some independent efficiency tests didn't show Wix to be doing that great but not bad either. Should at least be better than the US subie filters!

Thanks again. :cheers:

There is nothing wrong with the Subaru filters, whether the Honeywell or the Tokyo Roki. There are plenty of uoa's that back this up. I put more faith in a uoa than someone that cuts open a filter and makes unsubstantiated claims. I'm well out of warranty, but continue to use OEM Honeywell filters only because people think they suck.
:cheers:
-Dennis

The distance between the full mark and the L mark is 1 quart. So if it's reading in the middle when the engine is cold then you are approximately a half quart low.

I have to politely disagree with many of you. From everyone I have spoken to and research I have done on the internet, anywhere between these 2 marks indicates a healthy oil level.

On the lower tick or below, I would agree that oil has to be added. And anything on or above the top tick would require a removal of some oil.

I am certainly not here to start a war about how much oil I believe should be in an engine, or what will or will not void my warranty. I simply wanted to make people aware of the pricing I found for supplies for those who just want an acceptable oil/filter at a good price.

Yeah I mean I guess if you want to run your engine a half quart low that is up to you, but it's fairly common knowledge what the markers on the dipstick mean. Hell, I bet there is even mention of it in the owner's manual.

Edit:

yeah because running your engine on low oil, let alone aftermarket supplies wont void a warranty claim lmao.

Yeahp, I put in 5.8 qts and blew the seal. Oil was leaking onto my header :bonk:

Technically, no. They get real iffy if you use aftermarket filters, but I think that's them being an ass.