Warranty vs self oil changes.

[19Walt93]

I write the date and mileage in the maintenance log in the back of the owners manual. If you're changing it at least twice a year and using brand name oil and filters, there won't be any sludge and there won't be any question.

 

[dvdswan]

I don't understand why people forget that a dealership is like any other business. They are there to make money, period. All gimmicks and gismos are to get people in the door to buy their product.

There are a couple of dealerships in the Seattle area that offer lifetime warranties on vehicles (aside from wear and tear items: brake pads, alignments, etc.) to the original owner that buys it from them. They don't tell you that in order to have the lifetime warranty you have to do every scheduled service with them and maintenance.

 

[John97]

On a other forum I'm on, a guy just got denied warranty coverage for a known engine issue because he was doing his own oil changes and didn't do much in terms of keeping records.

My stepson has a Durango with one of those dealer lifetime warranties. It's largely BS, only covers components that are bathed in oil or another fluid. And you must let the dealer do any and all maintenance.

 

[Curious Hound]

There could be several different issues at play. There may be "dealer warranties " with one set of rules and "manufacturer warranties" with a very different set of rules. If that is true, make sure you know which one you're talking about.

 

[RonD]

Ford did that with the 4.0l SOHC engines in the late 1990's when the long timing chains were breaking the guides
Trying to back out of warranty replacements because of non-Ford servicing

And I imagine a few people had to pay for the repair, because Ford said it was an "old" oil issue, lack of changing it
Ended up being the Ford Tensioners that were the issue, but Ford only looked at that when enough dealer serviced engines had the same issue, lol

So if its a new model engine, you could end up paying for a repair because of "lack of service records" when its an underlying issue that is just not known yet

Doing your own servicing has a few benefits, you do it at your convenience, it costs less and you know its done right
Ford service is done at THEIR convenience, cost more and could be done(usually is) by an apprentice learning the trade

 

[rubydist]

Federal law specifies that a manufacturer cannot void your warranty simply because you did not have the dealership or "authorized service center" do the maintenance, as long as you can document the maintenance has been done. Similarly it specifies that the manufacturer cannot void your warranty just because you did not use the manufacturer brand parts, as long as the parts you used meet factory specifications. So, you need to be sure that the oil you love actually meets the Ford specs. As long as you can document the work being done and the parts meeting spec, you cannot be denied warranty coverage. That does not mean you won't have to fight a bit to get it covered, but in the end it will be covered.

I too was a skeptic about how much better oil is nowadays compared to when I was a kid, but a number of samples being sent off to Blackstone, etc. and some research on how refining has changed has convinced me. I have no issues with running a full synthetic 10k miles and I have sample analysis to support that scientifically. You can change every 3k miles if you want, but you are literally pouring money down the drain.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I go 5k but my junk runs in a dirty environment with wild temperature swings and not overly long commutes. '150 tows/hauls whatever needs towed/hauled too.

See the severe use disclaimer of your manual, that is me.

Wife's car has 265k, my F-150 has 192k... I can't complain.

 

[cbxer55]

I don't have any vehicles with a warranty. I change the oil on all five myself because the stupid oil change places insist on putting in colored water 5W-20, even in my 98 Ranger, which the oil cap says 10W-30. They try and tell me it's a 5W-20 vehicle. I show them the damn oil cap, they just shrug and say it's wrong. I flip them the single-digit-salute, and tell then I'll do it myself. I run 20W-50 in my 3.0 Ranger, have for 21 years. Run 10W-40 in my 04 Lightning and 07 Mustang. Run 20W-50 in both bikes. Never had one single issue.

They can all go fook themselves.

 

[Dirtman]

You have a lightning?!

 

[cbxer55]

You have a lightning?!

You asked for it, you got it! Toyota.

Do you?

 

[racsan]

I go for about 4-5 K on oil changes with the escape & the hhr, 3K on the ranger. But its more about “time” than miles, esp with the ranger, I only put 3,000 miles on it in the past year. The escape gets driven the most being her dd and my choice if a trailer needs pulled. Ive put catch cans on all 3 but havent had enough miles on any of the 3 yet to see what kind of blow-by im getting.

 

[Roert42]

You asked for it, you got it! Toyota.

Do you?

Your clear coolant hose is cool looking.

 

[Roert42]

I’m fairly loose on the mileage. Usually aim for 3k, but some times it is ends up being closer to 5k. I run whatever brand of 5w-30 is on sale, with a free filter.

I did run 10w-40 in my 4.9 before it was totaled.

I do not go easy on my vehicles, I run them to their limits regularly and this is why I try and keep with the 3k.

 

[19Walt93]

Ford did that with the 4.0l SOHC engines in the late 1990's when the long timing chains were breaking the guides
Trying to back out of warranty replacements because of non-Ford servicing

And I imagine a few people had to pay for the repair, because Ford said it was an "old" oil issue, lack of changing it
Ended up being the Ford Tensioners that were the issue, but Ford only looked at that when enough dealer serviced engines had the same issue, lol

So if its a new model engine, you could end up paying for a repair because of "lack of service records" when its an underlying issue that is just not known yet

Doing your own servicing has a few benefits, you do it at your convenience, it costs less and you know its done right
Ford service is done at THEIR convenience, cost more and could be done(usually is) by an apprentice learning the trade

I was there, it was never a Ford policy to deny repairs on 4.0 sohcs. There was a problem around then with 3 valve V8s for lifter noise caused by pieces of the drain back valve in cheap oil filters breaking off and plugging oil passages in the heads.
Our oil change with Motorcraft oil and filter, done by a line tech- I never had a "lube tech" or so called "C" tech- was $1.50 less than Jiffy Lube charged for one done with Pennzoil and a bargain basement filter done by a lube gibroni. We used to get a lot of work straightening out cars they'd "serviced". The current service manager told me yesterday that they're still cheaper than Jiffy lube.

 

[19Walt93]

Federal law specifies that a manufacturer cannot void your warranty simply because you did not have the dealership or "authorized service center" do the maintenance, as long as you can document the maintenance has been done. Similarly it specifies that the manufacturer cannot void your warranty just because you did not use the manufacturer brand parts, as long as the parts you used meet factory specifications. So, you need to be sure that the oil you love actually meets the Ford specs. As long as you can document the work being done and the parts meeting spec, you cannot be denied warranty coverage. That does not mean you won't have to fight a bit to get it covered, but in the end it will be covered.

I too was a skeptic about how much better oil is nowadays compared to when I was a kid, but a number of samples being sent off to Blackstone, etc. and some research on how refining has changed has convinced me. I have no issues with running a full synthetic 10k miles and I have sample analysis to support that scientifically. You can change every 3k miles if you want, but you are literally pouring money down the drain.

If there's no sludge there won't be an issue. I would run the recommended viscosity and personally don't like Quaker State, Oilzum, or Pennzoil brand oil or Fram filters. Motorcraft, Wix (includes Napa and Carquest), AC, and Purolator are some good ones that come to mind. If the filter isn't heavier than the box it's junk.