Self oil change on a vehicle under warranty

Roughrider said:
I have a 2019 grandsport and would rather change my own oil and filter.
I was wondering how changing your own oil affects your warranty and is there a certain guideline or format that you have to follow?
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1) Your first 5 oil changes are free. Take advantage of that. Your Grand Sport takes about $100-$150 in oil. First oil change done at 800 km, then you have 2 years or 48,000km to use the last 4. I suggest right before you put it into storage and right after you take it out.

2) You can most certainly change your own oil and filter. Make sure you use 0W-40 dexos2 certified Mobil 1 oil - it's only available from your dealership and is only available in 1-litre bottles. You cannot find this stuff at any local store as it is not a product that is available to Canada. GM imports them to the dealerships just for Corvettes. You can use 5W-30 oil, as long as you do not track your car at all. It MUST be dexos1 certified or it will void your warranty.

3) Make sure you follow the procedure for an oil change properly. Refer to the owner's manual for how to do it. Your Grand Sport has a dry-sump system that is different from a standard wet sump.
 
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It was mentioned to me that all one should is just keep receipts for proof and
diarize your change dates with odometer reading. I asked this when
my Sierra engine went "kaboom" this past summer after only 4.5yrs and 55000km.
When I towed it to the nearest dealership, they had a printed report that documented
all my GM service dates. It was like Big Brother had always been watching.
The work was covered under the 5yr warranty but I still traded it in - gut feeling.
I saw my truck in a dealership waiting for more engine warranty work last month.
It was the fact that I noticed they could print up service records for warranty work that
has me answering this question of yours. Chances are you will never need to use
your diary ... but 1 in a million is still a chance. Changing your own should be of very
little issue when keeping records to support it (if ever needed).

I am considering to start servicing my own dry sump Corvettes after the initial
inclusive services. I am going to ask nicely in order to be able to first watch and
learn from a friend doing his. I have to right tools and attitude for saving on the
labour only and not necessarily on the supplies (unless found on sale).
 
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hemicat said:
I do my oil changes on cars under warranty. I just make sure to buy/use the recommended OEM oil filter from the dealer and use the oil recommended and then record the mileage on the receipt(s) when it was changed.
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I agree with all you have said hemicat. My first day of 2015 produced C7 has never seen a dealers dirty rag on it yet. Every oil change ever done on ithas been done by myself. I have even gone one step further and kept every old oil filter with mileage and date information written on them, just in case of any possible engine warranty issues down the road. Filters could always have oil analyzed and cut open to investigate. A small extra just incase that doesn't take up much room in a sealed plastic tote.
 
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So a little more info, I am a retired licensed technician and worked mostly on Volvo an Nissan cars. My whole point to this is that throughout the years I have seen a lot of lube techs and apprentices leave oil pan bolts and filters loose when they were called away from the oil change to perform a job for a service advisor or service manager only to forget tightening the filter or pan bolt completely and the vehicle come back on the hook for a engine job due to no oil in the pan. Also I don't believe that most techs doing the service would treat our vehicles as we would (not using fender covers that could scratch the car). So all that being said I don't care about the added cost of doing it myself as opposed to the car being done properly so I can sleep at night. Please forgive the rambling.
 
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Roughrider said:
So a little more info, I am a retired licensed technician and worked mostly on Volvo an Nissan cars. My whole point to this is that throughout the years I have seen a lot of lube techs and apprentices leave oil pan bolts and filters loose when they were called away from the oil change to perform a job for a service advisor or service manager only to forget tightening the filter or pan bolt completely and the vehicle come back on the hook for a engine job due to no oil in the pan. Also I don't believe that most techs doing the service would treat our vehicles as we would (not using fender covers that could scratch the car). So all that being said I don't care about the added cost of doing it myself as opposed to the car being done properly so I can sleep at night. Please forgive the rambling.
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In that case, yes, do them yourself. It will not void your warranty if you use the right oil and filter.
 
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Interesting idea keeping the old filters. I've never done that...….but also have never had a car that had warranty..... Should I get one new enough in the future, this is something I will have to do. Currently I keep a spreadsheet of oil/filter changes, air filter changes, tire rotations, when the summer/winter tires have been exchanged so if I need to check mileage on anything, I have the information.... (Edit, the summer/winter tire changes are not for the Corvette :D)
 
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I think the choice is up to the individual. I drive my car onto the ramp in the dealership, and either sit in it or get out and stand beside it and observe.
Its my car. I prefer to have the garage do the work, document it for warranty reasons and hopefully without flaws or incidents.
As I once was a teenage, working on cars in a garage (Sears)(yes this is going back some time)(yes it was the 60's) making some money to keep my car in driving shape, I remember my short attention span and possibly my lack of detail towards customers cars.
 
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Riley P said:
Interesting idea keeping the old filters. I've never done that...….but also have never had a car that had warranty..... Should I get one new enough in the future, this is something I will have to do. Currently I keep a spreadsheet of oil/filter changes, air filter changes, tire rotations, when the summer/winter tires have been exchanged so if I need to check mileage on anything, I have the information.... (Edit, the summer/winter tire changes are not for the Corvette :D)
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One other extra non essential thing I do while changing the oil in my vehicles is the wait for the oil to totally drain. usually over an hour to fully finish. The dealer or luber shops do not have the luxury of this time and put the plugs back in while still trickling. Then I dump another 1/2 liter of the same new oil through to flush the last of the old oil and contaminants out of the pan. I wait again a while for that to finish and start my undercarriage inspection while waiting. It's my car, my time and I enjoy doing the work. 😀
 
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EJChevy said:
1) Your first 5 oil changes are free. Take advantage of that. Your Grand Sport takes about $100-$150 in oil. First oil change done at 800 km, then you have 2 years or 48,000km to use the last 4. I suggest right before you put it into storage and right after you take it out.

2) You can most certainly change your own oil and filter. Make sure you use 0W-40 dexos2 certified Mobil 1 oil - it's only available from your dealership and is only available in 1-litre bottles. You cannot find this stuff at any local store as it is not a product that is available to Canada. GM imports them to the dealerships just for Corvettes. You can use 5W-30 oil, as long as you do not track your car at all. It MUST be dexos2 certified or it will void your warranty.

3) Make sure you follow the procedure for an oil change properly. Refer to the owner's manual for how to do it. Your Grand Sport has a dry-sump system that is different from a standard wet sump.
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Why use 5W-30 when it is not recommended for summer use in my Toyota 4Runner? I've been taught by my step dad who was the mechanic manager at a ford dealership, and I do this to all my vehicles, 10W-30 in the summer and 5W-30 in the winter (5 Celsius average outside temperature or less)
 
Tango said:
Why use 5W-30 when it is not recommended for summer use in my Toyota 4Runner? I've been taught by my step dad who was the mechanic manager at a ford dealership, and I do this to all my vehicles, 10W-30 in the summer and 5W-30 in the winter (5 Celsius average outside temperature or less)
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Directly from the owner's manual:

Screenshot (101).png


Just because it's not recommended for your Toyota doesn't mean it doesn't work in a different engine.

I will correct my previous post that the 5W-30 should be dexos1, not dexos2

I run 0W-40 in mine all year long.


Source: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/da...tte/2019-chevrolet-corvette-owners-manual.pdf
 
EJChevy said:
Directly from the owner's manual:



Just because it's not recommended for your Toyota doesn't mean it doesn't work in a different engine.

I will correct my previous post that the 5W-30 should be dexos1, not dexos2

I run 0W-40 in mine all year long.


Source: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/da...tte/2019-chevrolet-corvette-owners-manual.pdf
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There must be some additives in the 5W-30 dexos1 that makes it elligible for summer use. Can you buy this one at Canadian Tire? I've seen they started to sell a bunch of specific fluids for different car brands. No longer one fluid fits all. Strange.
 
I just saw at NAPA parts they selling it now on sale for 8.99 per litre regular 14.43 at some locations part number ESS 105514
Price displayed includes offer discount. Offer ends 12/31/2019. May not be combined with other offers, including 10% off Reserve Online specials. At participating stores only.
 
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If you're looking for 0W-40 dexos2, you can only buy it at a GM dealership. This is what you'd ask for:


IMG_20191221_092727.jpg


It's $26.39/bottle, only available in 1 litre bottles.


Yes, it's VERY expensive.
 
EJChevy said:
If you're looking for 0W-40 dexos2, you can only buy it at a GM dealership. This is what you'd ask for:


View attachment 34302

It's $26.39/bottle, only available in 1 litre bottles.


Yes, it's VERY expensive.
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Yes and so is your car!. Use the recommended oil and sleep well at night. Maybe santa will bring a case for Christmas!
 
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