Hey I have an LX and I'm approaching 1000 miles, is that when you do your first oil change or at 3000? The dealer where I bought my car from has these prices on thier site...does anyone think they are expensive?

http://www.tomchevy.com/service/index.cfm?...FTOKEN=37667302


Thanks

That's a little high, but not suprising for a dealer. You can probably do it yourself for half that. Oh, and by the way, I've never seen an Asian car whose chasis you can lube. So, if indeed you're getting charged for that they're ripping you off. You should be able to get the transmission serviced for less than $80, and the Air Filter service seems a little high.

Got the Mobil-1 5W20 put in today. Had an 8:30 appointment at the dealer...

Went to Wal-Mart to get the oil last night, and they had EVERYTHING but Mobil-1 5W20 (it had all been picked through). Every kind of oil known to man, every weight, except 5W20. Great. To top it all off, we parked the Yukon (the Sonata doesn't go to Wal-Mart) at the very tip top of a long hill, strong wind blowing back toward the store, and some inconsiderate bottom-feeder went through the trouble of shoving their blasted shopping cart into the leeward side of the truck, and leaving it there!!! Wal-Mart is its own ring of Hades, and none of you can convince me otherwise...

I busted my butt to get to PepBoys at 8 AM when they opened, picked up a case of 6 qt Mobil-1 5W20 for $36 (tax included). No, there will be no quiz at the end of this post, but there's a reason I'm telling you all of this, be patient!!!

So my appointment at the dealership to get the oil change was at 8:30 (in case you forgot by now). Dropped it off at 8:20 and they told me to pick it up at 10:30. I thought that was a bit long for an oil change, but didn't want to rush them, since a hasty job is rarely done well.

Went back at 11 to get it (gave them a little extra time just in case), and they were JUST pulling my car into the service bay when I walked into the building!!! ACK! So I asked the acting service manager/shift supervisor what was going on and he said that they were overbooked for the day and everything was running behind. I told him I understood that but I did have an appointment for 8:30, and was promised it would be completed by 10:30. He's a nice guy and he comped the charge on the filter and gasket change, gave me a free wash and all (I get free washes anyway). Still couldn't bring myself to give them a 5 on "punctuality" when I filled out the survey at the end, though, and he understood.

Car felt great when I drove it home from the dealership, but I haven't taken it out very far yet because we had plans the entire rest of the day - some of which were buggered from having to wait so long for the car to get done. Getting ready to have some thunderstorms, large hail, etc. - not Sonata weather (if I can help it!).

That's all for now, I'm sure you've had enough.
:whistling:

This post has been edited by mc229: Apr 15 2006, 09:37 PM

So, you bought/brought your own oil to the dealer for the oil change?
What does that cost versus them furnishing the oil?

What oil would they have put in?

Suzanna

They would've put in some cheap 10w30 petroleum-based oil. The Sonata manual first recommends that you use 5w20 (not the 10w30 that they put in - you can use it, but it's not the first recommended oil) and synthetics (like Mobil-1) are better than regular petroleum oils.

I wanted to go with 5w20 because that's what they specifically recommend in the manual, but after having read a few places that 5w20 in regular petroleum-based oils can actually not be the best for your car because it breaks down and is consumed quickly, I decided that a synthetic would be better.

Buying a synthetic is going to get you better protection over a longer time frame, so you don't have to change your oil every 3000 miles. You probably wouldn't need to change it at 3000 even with regular oils, but using a full synthetic gives you added peace of mind. It just doesn't get consumed nearly as fast. It will help improve your mileage, too, although to what degree remains to be seen (I'll be doing plenty of testing!). All that, and it will help keep your engine going strong after 100,000 miles are past the odometer and your warranty is up.

I'm by no means an oil expert, and I don't think Mobil-1 is the only oil anyone should ever use for their car. From what I've read, Amsoil would be good too, and Red Line is good if you want to go racing. I just thought that for the money, availability, and long-term reputation of good quality of synthetic oil, Mobil-1 would be the best for me.

It cost me $36 (counting tax) for 6 quarts of Mobil-1 at PepBoys, and would've probably cost about $15-20 for getting it changed at the dealership (would've been about $40 if I hadn't brought my own oil). To me, the benefits of extended engine life and performance and better fuel economy over the long run easily outweigh any initial cost difference in the oil. I'm probably looking at putting at least 200k miles on this car, if not more, because I drive 5000 miles a month and can't see myself getting tired of the car. I intend to keep it a long time and baby it as such. :thumbsup: