First Oil Change/Dealer Experience

"Tripper" (tripe46) 09/24/2019 at 11:35 • Filed to: None

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I did two things that I almost never do this morning. Had my oil changed at a dealer, and I waited for it.

I had two separate service advisers tell me that I did not need an oil change. However my owners manual and screen on my car tell me that its every 1 year or 10,000 miles. The dealer got the car in January, I bought it in early August so my guess is that it has been a year since the first oil was added. On top of that the car popped up with a message saying that it was due for an oil change so....

Finally I change the oil in every piece of equipment that requires it after the break in period is over.

So $80 and 40/minutes later I got my car back.

My dealer service experience gauge is a 5 point scale where 1 (the lowest score) is Subaru and 5 is Audi. I’ll put this particular VW dealer at a 4. They were quick and efficient. They had decent coffee and a nice enough waiting area. There was some fiddling around with paperwork and payment, but it went mostly smooth.

They only reason they can’t get a 5 is because Audi dealers are amazing. You’re in and out with a cup of coffee and your loaner in 2 minutes.

Hoping to satisfy my internal struggle, I asked the tech about what he thought of the wheel spacers and if he thought the tires were wearing unevenly. He said the tires look fine and that lots of cars that come in are running spacers. He said that the only time he minds them are when they fuse to the hub usually on poorly maintained older cars. Then I told him I only installed them to see what I would need to get out of an aftermarket set to get flush with the arches. He said “oh yea definitely a proper set of wheels over the spacers.”

It’s like spacers are these things that no one really trusts, but no one can really say why. Just about everyone I have ever talked to about spacers (tech, enthusiast, or other) says the same sort of things about them “I don’t like using them, but there is nothing wrong with them...Which is exactly how I feel. I was almost hoping he would be like, “hey yea that looks good, but you should take those off.”

Anyway

Dealers that Tripper has visited ranked:

1. Audi
2. Porsche
3. VW
4. Ford
5. Any trash used car lot
6 . BMW
7 . Subaru

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:49

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5. Any trash used car lot
6. BMW
7. Subaru

Interesting.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:51

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It’s going to be interesting when I take the Corolla in for its first service in a month or 2. First service at 5k is supposed to be a tire rotation and a fluid check but taking the factory oil to 10k miles is all kinds of wrong to me so I’m going to make them change it.

I’m debating if I have them look at the brakes or not. On one hand I can get the pedal to the floor with the car on but on the other hand it stops fine, the pedal is solid with the car off, and there is an autocross in the cars datalogs so maybe I’ll just deal. I want the firmer  pedal but I don’t want them to look at the request for a brake check at less than 5k, check the logs to find an autocross, and then void my entire warranty.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:51

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I...I like my Subaru dealer...

I fully recognize that my dealer is an anomaly though, I haven’t heard great things about most other Subaru dealers.  

DutchieDC2R > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:52

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Funny how you put BMW at the bottom and praise Audi so much. The only things Audi dealerships, and yes, I said dealerships with an s, are known for here are the prices and those aren’t things to write home about. I do understand the 4 with VW, I mean, they’re basically budget Audi dealerships, slightly worse coffee and no loaner. 

Ash78, voting early and often > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:53

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I think everyone’s problem with spacers is that they add distance between the wheel forces and the suspension. I’m no engineer, but in a perfect world you want to minimize that distance* in order to reduce the unsprung weight AND the amount of parts acting as “levers” in the process. Not that a spacer would bend, but I could see it adding force to your lug nuts (or bolts; does VW still use lug bolts in the newer models?)

*Except in cases where packaging or specialty usage is an issue, such as having remote shocks for offroading or those horizonally-mounted struts in certain open-wheel race cars.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 11:58

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Our subaru dealer is really nice, they have good coffee and even have loaner bicycles if you want to ride around town. Meanwhile our VW dealer is in evergreen, where all the drugs are sold. You wouldn’t want to wand er around evergreen unless you are wearing torn jeans and a MAGA hat.

FSI > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 12:00

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I definitely recommend 1 year oil change intervals with modern gasoline VAG engines. 5W30 Long Life oil combined with two or more year intervals is poison for timing chains.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 09/24/2019 at 12:02

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Subaru dealers seem to either be great or awful. The dealer my parents have been going to since 2014 has been beyond amazing. They go above and beyond every time we visit. The dealer closer to their house is beyond incompetent. “Fail to reinstall the intercooler piping  after changing a clutch in a Legacy 2.5GT” incompetent.

facw > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 12:02

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While there are definitely some brands that push for a better dealer experience, and some that have neglected that badly, I’d imagine there’s tons of variation in brands. Certainly I felt the Volvo dealer I used to go to dropped off badly when it changed ownership.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 09/24/2019 at 12:08

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Wow thats pretty bad, but I 100% believe it.

Same story with me , I go to one further from me because the closest one has such a bad rep within the local S ubaru community.

Tripper > DutchieDC2R 09/24/2019 at 12:10

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I paid the “prices” with the car when I bought the S3 so I didn’t have to feel that sting every time.

My euro inde s aren’t cheap either.  S o it’s more of the fuckery that I mind from dealers than their obnoxious prices.

Tripper > facw 09/24/2019 at 12:12

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Totally agree. With Subaru I have just exhausted the local network. With BMW I have been as far north as Vermont and as far south as Sterling, VA cough cough. One dealer wouldn’t even sell me a tire...

Tripper > FSI 09/24/2019 at 12:14

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Yea I’m a twice/year every 5k guy with all of the cars. Cept the 02. I’ll swap it every 1500  because it’s easy and I love that car and working on it .

412GTI > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 12:18

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Nice. I feel like VW dealers are either good or they’re not. Luckily the one closest to me has been fine. Nice service advisors, fancy coffee machine, and under $60 (with coupon) for a synthetic oil change is definitely worth it over doing so at home. They could be a little faster and maybe have donuts but ohs wells. 

Tripper > Ash78, voting early and often 09/24/2019 at 12:21

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Yes bolts

Urambo Tauro > Ash78, voting early and often 09/24/2019 at 12:22

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You might be right about there being an effect on the suspension. The most common concern I hear about is the wheel bearings, though. Because by pushing the wheel further away, the wheel has extra leverage over the bearings, so they wear out faster.

But the part that I have trouble wrapping my head around, is whether or not spacers are still problematic when they are used to correct a backspacing issue, like when fitting aftermarket wheels. Does the hub-to-wheel interface really matter, or does it all come down to the final geometry between the bearings and the tire’s contact patch? (I suspect it’s the latter, but I too am no engineer)

Tripper > 412GTI 09/24/2019 at 12:23

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Yea $80 is steep. I haven’t done it on this car yet and wanted to get it out of the way. But yah, for that price I’ll DIY next time.

punkgoose17 > Ash78, voting early and often 09/24/2019 at 12:37

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^ I am an engineer. I agree.

One could also get the wheel out of concentrically with the wheel bearing; also the farther distance from the wheel bearing will cause it to wear faster too., because “ levers” you are increasing the forces on the bearing not in the direction it rotates.

You want the center of mass of the wheel to be at the center of the wheel bearing, to minimize forces and wear .

You also want the center of the tire contact patch to be inline with the top of the strut tower, and for the front also inline with the axis of rotation for the steering.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 12:44

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Having spacers on stock wheels will affect offset and will put more load on your bearings so thats bad. With aftermarket wheels, if the spacers get the right offset then it shouldn’t be an issue.

Another potential concern is that with a spacer and stock wheels the portion of engaged thread for the wheels bolts decreases, assuming you are using stock bolts . So you if torqued to the factory spec, you’ll have more tension in the bolt than there should be. You could yeild the underhead of the bolt, yield the threads or in an extreme case, shear the bolt all together. Haven’t heard this happening tho so its t heoretical.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 13:09

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1500! That’s crazy (unless that’s once a year, of course).

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 09/24/2019 at 13:10

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I did the same with my Tacoma. Changed at 5k, then at 15k.

Tripper > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/24/2019 at 13:21

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I had it done when I got it serviced, then I did it myself after 1500. I will probably stretch it longer the more I drive it. Since it’s old I’ll change oil in the spring and fall and at least once in between . I think I’ll put about 4k on that this year. It will probably be more like every 3k.

I used to have my inde swap the oil anytime I had it in until I noticed that the oil has been changed 5 times over the past 3500 miles!

E90M3 > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 13:24

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BMW is super hit or miss. It seems the dealers that serve smaller markets usually tend to be filled with enthusiasts .

Nick Has an Exocet > Tripper 09/24/2019 at 14:16

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Spacers put additional load on your wheel bearings. That can lead to premature failure. If you have any sense of car enthusiasm, you'll usually know when a bearing is going out. However, there are plenty of people who don't but still stick spacers on then are shocked when they are suddenly riding on three wheels.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/24/2019 at 14:35

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I’m probably going to end up just doing it every 5k.

Tripper > Nick Has an Exocet 09/24/2019 at 15:46

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They definitely do and I get all of the physics and geometry. I just hate the stock look now haha. Luckily they will only be on until I decide on a set of wheels (so spring most likely).

A close friend bought the same car a few weeks after me (Grey VW Alltrack SE 6sp manual. He parked next to me when we met up one night... His looks like a mom mobile, and mine looks like a wagon all because of a little tint and wheel spacers.