First Oil Change

[86geek]

I have my first oil change scheduled for April. I asked if I had to bring it in even if it hasn't reached 7500 miles. They told me which ever comes first because my tires need to be rotated at first service. I trust my dealership because they did some warranty work on my other Scion car. They went out of their way to make sure the issue was taken care of. In fact I got my car back in a few hours. So far they haven't done anything shady to me just yet. I go to one of their service centers in my area.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by tekFRS234

I'm about to cross 1k break-in and I'm planning to do my own oil changes. At what mileage did you do your very first oil change?

I had my first oil change done at 3500. It probably wasn't necessary, but whenever I break in a new engine, I like to get that high concentration of engine material out of there fairly soon. I had my second change done at 7500, and then I've been following the maintenance schedule since then.

Originally Posted by tekFRS234

What oil and filter do you prefer? I've always used basic Fram filters and Casterol synth blend.

No no no no no no. Fram filters are garbage. In some applications the filter media has been known to collapse and starve an engine of oil. The only way I would put that shit on a vehicle is if I hated it and wanted it to die.

Use the Subaru oil and filters.

Originally Posted by tekFRS234

I'm also planning to save my first few used oil filters. A buddy said if you had engine problems you or a shop/dealership could inspect the oil filter for evidence of problems. Any thoughts?

You can cut open an oil filter and see what it has caught, but a better test is to send an oil sample off for analysis by a lab like Blackstone. It costs $25, and they'll send you the collection kit for free. The report they send back gives you all sorts of information about what metals, fuel, coolant and other contaminants are in your oil, which can tell you a lot about how your engine is wearing.

Originally Posted by tennisfreak

Best way to fix a bad service center is to give them bad feedback (I know this first hand). They live and die on those surveys we fill out. If you give them a terrible survey they will move heaven and earth to make you happy.

This is definitely the truth with Subaru. I had a mediocre (not bad) experience with my dealer, and I said so. Suddenly they were calling and leaving messages offering me free services to make it right. Ended up getting the throttle body cleaned for free.

Originally Posted by dentalprodigy

OP i think the first service is 7500 miles.

OP might want to check that. For the BRZ, it was 7500 for 2013 and 2014, but I believe they changed it to 6000 for 2015. I'm not sure why. I had a TBN done on the Subaru 0W20 with my regular oil analysis, and Blackstone estimated it was good for at least 11,000 miles. I think Subaru just wants to sell more oil and filters.

Originally Posted by dentalprodigy

what surveys is everyone talking about? the one you get from the dealership to your email?

I don't know how Scion does it, but with Subaru, I usually get an automated follow-up email from the service manager, followed by a survey request from Subaru. In my case I didn't even have to give them a bad survey, because I responded to the service manager's email first, and they jumped to. The service rep actually told me their compensation is affected by those surveys.

[Elkton86er]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

OP might want to check that. For the BRZ, it was 7500 for 2013 and 2014, but I believe they changed it to 6000 for 2015. I'm not sure why.

You are correct they changed it to 6000 for 2015. I also changed mine at 3750 and then again at 7500 - thinking I'd get the break-in stuff out early. Since the recommendation changed I decided I'm doing mine every 5000, so I did it at 11000+ and will be doing it again at 15000. Then I'll stick with 5000 intervals from then on.

I'm thinking Subaru learned something with the first 2 years production of FA20s and had a technical (e.g. warranty) reason for shortening the interval. I'd rather change it early just to be sure...

[billwot]

Originally Posted by pushrod

Use factory Subaru filters, and a good synthetic 0w20 oil. Follow the intervals in the manual. Mine says: @8000km, @16000, @32000, and +16 from then on out.

Make sure you get the quantity right. The dipstick doesn't lie. If you overfill it, you're gonna have to drain it.

Also, there is a non-reusable crush washer on the drain plug. Buy a bunch from the dealer.

Don't use other grades.

[Racer-X]

Originally Posted by pushrod

Also, there is a non-reusable crush washer on the drain plug. Buy a bunch from the dealer..

Buy a Fumoto valve instead and make your life easier.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Elkton86er

You are correct they changed it to 6000 for 2015. I also changed mine at 3750 and then again at 7500 - thinking I'd get the break-in stuff out early. Since the recommendation changed I decided I'm doing mine every 5000, so I did it at 11000+ and will be doing it again at 15000. Then I'll stick with 5000 intervals from then on.

I seriously doubt that's necessary. As I said above, I had a TBN run on my oil when I sent it off to Blackstone for analysis. A TBN (total base number) test measures the amount of base additive remaining in the oil at the time of the test, and it's used to determine how well the oil is holding up. I had a TBN on a sample that had been run for 7500 miles, and Blackstone estimated that it could go 11,000.

Meanwhile, on 7500 mile intervals, my engine is not seeing any abnormal wear at 32K miles. My 30K oil analysis didn't give any indication that the filter is failing. If actual testing shows that the oil is holding up and the filter is holding up, I can't think of any reason for Subaru to change the service interval other than to make more money for the dealer service departments.

Originally Posted by Elkton86er

I'm thinking Subaru learned something with the first 2 years production of FA20s and had a technical (e.g. warranty) reason for shortening the interval.

Yeah, they learned that they could make more money off their customers by having them come in for more oil changes. Think about it: If there were a legitimate technical reason to change the interval on the 2015 BRZ, why wouldn't they recommend it for the 2013 and 2014 as well? It's the same car.

If I had a 2015, I would do it every 6000 miles to maintain the warranty. But if Subaru says to change the oil every 6000 miles, doing it every 5000 miles is a waste of money unless you're really beating the shit out of your car.

[Racer-X]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Think about it: If there were a legitimate technical reason to change the interval on the 2015 BRZ, why wouldn't they recommend it for the 2013 and 2014 as well? It's the same car.

You'd think they would change it on the FR-S as well, but it's still 7,500 miles for the 2015.

[Teseo]

Originally Posted by Racer-X

You'd think they would change it on the FR-S as well, but it's still 7,500 miles for the 2015.

Cheap Toyota is the answer

[pushrod]

Originally Posted by Racer-X

Buy a Fumoto valve instead and make your life easier.

Wouldn't pay for itself until after 25 oil changes. Not worth it.

[Racer-X]

Originally Posted by pushrod

Wouldn't pay for itself until after 25 oil changes. Not worth it.

You have a low value of convenience.

[pushrod]

Pretty much.

[M12Power]

I'm past the break-in period now (over 1,200 miles). I believe Scion Service Boost doesn’t cover oil change right after break-in (first scheduled maintenance is still at 7,500 miles), so I plan to do it on my own soon (with Castrol EDGE full synthetic 0W-20 and Royal Purple 10-2808 filter).

[M12Power]

Originally Posted by stugray

Then then cannot try the (automatic) response when something breaks and needs warranty repair "Well we cant verify the routine service was done correctly". The shady dealers will try this every time a customer has been doing their own maintenance and needs warranty work.

I believe that’s actually against the law in the US (the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act). Toyota cannot refuse warranty work just because you take your car elsewhere for service. I believe it is also mentioned in the owners manual.

More info:
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles...ne-maintenance

[strat61caster]

+1 on OEM filter and crush washer, ~$8 or at most $9.

+1 on first oil change at 7,500 miles (6.5k if the manual was changed). The factory fill has some anti-wear ingredients, theory is that those can 'treat' the surfaces of interest in the engine for longer life. I'm also a proponent of following factory instructions on break in (under 4k rpm first 1k miles, no constant speed). There are literally thousands of people who will vehemently oppose this paragraph, do whatever gives you warm fuzzies.