Changing my own oil vs letting the dealer

[BLAZN BOSS]

WELL..........I'm setting myself up for bullets here.........there are NO ADDITIVES from the factory...none ....nada....ziltch!

your using sythetic oil..........not carbon based.........doesnt breakdown anywhere near what conventional oil does.

5000 miles on my car.........0 loss...........still clear......but i have to say never tracked.

heres the mustang manual:
Protecting your investment
Maintenance is an investment that will pay dividends in the form of
improved reliability, durability and resale value. To ensure the proper
performance of your vehicle and its emission control systems, it is
imperative that scheduled maintenance be completed at the designated
intervals.
For your convenience, your vehicle is equipped with a message center
which determines the proper oil change service interval. You should
perform the engine oil change as indicated by the message center. The
message center will display ENGINE OIL CHANGE SOON or OIL
CHANGE REQUIRED to indicate when an oil change is needed. The
engine oil change service needs to be completed within two weeks or
500 miles (800 km) after the OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message is
displayed. Your oil change service interval can be up to one year or
10,000 miles (16,000 km). Reset your Intelligent Oil Life Monitor™ after
each engine oil and filter change; refer to the Instrument Cluster
chapter.


From the Boss supplement 2nd printing:

ENGINE OIL RECOMMENDATION
Use Motorcraft SAE 5W-50 full synthetic or an equivalent SAE 5W-50
full synthetic oil meeting Ford specification WSS-M2C931-B.
Do not use supplemental engine oil additives, cleaners or other engine
treatments. They are unnecessary and could lead to engine damage that
is not covered by Ford warranty.
Change your engine oil and filter according to the appropriateschedule
listed in the scheduled maintenance information.

But there is this blurb for you racers:

• Ford recommends you change your oil and filter after your
vehicle is subjected to track and/or competition conditions.

Just before it though it has this :

Ford recommends that you change your axle lubricant and
friction modifier after the initial (first) hour of high-speed
operation or if the vehicle is subjected to track or competition
conditions; thereafter changing the axle lubricant and friction
modifier every 12 hours (under these conditions).

There is no additive on carbon fiber clutches. LOL

As you can see theres no mention of "huury up and get that new oil out"...........no every 3000 miles.........These people have to stand behind a warranty and you have in print what to do........the monitor takes in account how hard the engine is run by keeping track of engines speed, RPM, .........when my car says change the oil.......thats when Ill do it.....if your worried about break in metals ..dont.....thats what the filter is for...........its 2012...not 1912. trust the technology.

 

[Fat Boss]

I just hate giving others the opportunity to screw up my car. People over tighten or cross thread plugs, etc. For me it's worth not giving someone the chance to mess something up. Plus if you're under there you can look for other problems and not be at the mercy (again) of someone pointing things out to you. Just make sure you get a Form-A-Funnel. Worth it's weight in 5W-50.

 

[CaliMR]

I choose to change my own oil for many reasons.
Had them change the oil in my 96 Cobra and they slammed my fiberglass hood down causing the paint to crack across the front of it. told me it was like that when it came in....right
My friend gets his oil changed by dealer car has 3000 miles on it. they didnt tighten down the oil drain bolt. 30 miles later the plug comes out and his engine is garbage with in seconds. he ends up having to get a layer to sue the shop to get the engine replaced.
And checking the oil after they do the service isnt going to stop them from starting the car before they put oil in it and are like oh shiznit and shut it off and quickly put oil in it and you are none the wiser.

so yeah I dont trust any mechanic but myself cause crap happens and rather I be the one to forget something then I have no one to blame but myself. and doing it myself I dont have to worry....did they put the correct weight in....did they tighten the oil filter/bolt correctly? no I rather not have to worry about that.

Three thoughts come to mind while reading your post. I distinctly recall reading that the Boss PCM constantly monitors engine function on the Boss and will shut the engine down in the event of certain events predefined by Ford performance metrics. It will not allow the motor to "self-destruct". You got to assume that the Boss is continuously monitoring engine function for a low oil pressure condition. Yes, these PCM algorithms are quite advanced and I have read that the programming that goes into the modern automobile is 10 more complex than hat a typical passenger jet.

Also, typical recommended oil changes for synthetic oil is about 5000 mi as you indicated. However, this recommendation is typically for average driving conditions which probably does not factor in aggressive driving habits, not that anyone here would drive this fine automobile aggressively.

Also, I thought I read somewhere that Ford incorporated in the Mustang and/or Boss a system that monitors the condition of the oil and the need to change it. Do you recall seeing this anywhere?

MMD

People have had them really low on oil with no light and with the oil so low the rods were knocking, iirc Ford even said the low pressure light will not come on when the pressure is low, I don't remember the specifics. The dip stick is the only indicator on the car that is trustworthy, and even that tends to come out so slimy it is hard to tell sometimes.

Ford says 10k, not 5k. There is probably a severe duty schedule in there that says 5k, but that is for a lot of stop/go (think taxis) and running in sand, towing etc. Probably not what most people do all day in their Boss, but there are exceptions to every rule.

There is an oil life indicator, it was at like 92% at the beginning of my track day and 90% at the end. I doubt it is reliable, if it is like the ones BMW uses it goes by mileage and when you rev it high it just accelerates it a bit. I would bet dollars to donuts it does not have anything much more sophisticated than that, such as a viscosity tester that would actually be useful.


My car burned 3 quarts in 1800 miles iirc, but oddly enough the 100 miles or so I did on the track it didn't burn a drop. It seems to run better the harder I drive it, including oil consumption, shifting, suspension compliance, it even has less buzzes in the cabin at high rpm (dealer fixed those woohoo)

If you really want to know how often to change your oil for how you drive and your particular car, Blackstone I believe is the company you can send samples to for analysis. Do it every 1000 miles and change the oil as soon as it looks like it is starting to go off, then you know what your period is. Synthetic is so much harder to tell if it is good, I can read the dino juice in my racecar but synth looks burned as soon as you turn over the motor. Must be all the extra detergents picking stuff up.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I too enjoy working on my own equipment. I have heard all the horror stories about dealers, and have experienced a few. MGW install was easy and enjoyable. I made the car better.


The deciding point for me was cost. The dealer near me will change the oil and dispose of the mess, read recycle the oil for cash, and charge me about $5.00 more than the materials cost me. Is it worth The $5.00 dollars to have the dealer handle the mess as well as Document the services on the Ford Computer system??? So far.....Yes.

 

[Dvendet]

I too enjoy working on my own equipment. I have heard all the horror stories about dealers, and have experienced a few. MGW install was easy and enjoyable. I made the car better.


The deciding point for me was cost. The dealer near me will change the oil and dispose of the mess, read recycle the oil for cash, and charge me about $5.00 more than the materials cost me. Is it worth The $5.00 dollars to have the dealer handle the mess as well as Document the services on the Ford Computer system??? So far.....Yes.

Yea... but you will never know if that mechanic stripped the threads on your drain plug...or did he/she put the correct oil in...or did they put the oil in that you asked for. These are all legitimate questions as all of them have happened to me over the years. There is something to be said about performing your own maintenance. I say your $5.00 you think your saving is too great a price to pay for never really knowing if the job was done right.

 

[snowboss]

I take all my vehicles still under warranty to the dealer for oil changes. My dealer has a quick lube, so I can watch the car all the time, the first oil change is free, the rest are reasonable, no mess and finally they enter the oil change in the computer data base. Nothing has ever happened to my car at this dealership, they know how to treat their customers, that's priceless. This is a life saver down the road since any Ford dealer will have that info.
Check your Boss manual for sepecific intervals for tracking your car, way different than the schedule in the Mustang manual. I use Sanderson Ford in Glendale Arizona.

 

[PeteInCT]

It's hard for me to say that we should chnage our oil more often than every 5000 miles if we do not track the car. If the Boss is a car you see yourself keeping for many years to come I'd still recommend it.

That said, if you do track your car I submit that you have to change your oil more than every 5000 miles. It's true that fully synthetic oil does not break down like regular oil, but that also doesn't mean it doesn't change it's overall chemical properties based on the by products of combustion, including but not limited to carbon buildup. Once it starts to get dirty it doesn't have the same lubrication characteristics as when it's fresh from the can (bottle ? ;-). Also, I don't know about you guys but I still lose 1/4 to 1/2 a qt. of oil per track day. I end up topping off after a two day event no matter what, even if it's still almost clear on color.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I too enjoy working on my own equipment. I have heard all the horror stories about dealers, and have experienced a few. MGW install was easy and enjoyable. I made the car better.


The deciding point for me was cost. The dealer near me will change the oil and dispose of the mess, read recycle the oil for cash, and charge me about $5.00 more than the materials cost me. Is it worth The $5.00 dollars to have the dealer handle the mess as well as Document the services on the Ford Computer system??? So far.....Yes.

Yea... but you will never know if that mechanic stripped the threads on your drain plug...or did he/she put the correct oil in...or did they put the oil in that you asked for. These are all legitimate questions as all of them have happened to me over the years. There is something to be said about performing your own maintenance. I say your $5.00 you think your saving is too great a price to pay for never really knowing if the job was done right.

Curious if a dealer mechanic ran off with your ex-wife or ex-girl friend??? LOL.

It's a small Dealership. Same guy putting in Ford oil from the bottle with a Ford filter from the box. They do the work, they will stand behind it.

Like 5Dot0 mentioned earlier. Most Ford Shops are skilled in the removal and replacement of an oil drain plug. If they ain't...... I have the receipt from the shop showing they broke it!!

So was it an ex-wife or Girl friend??? LOL

 

[Dvendet]

I too enjoy working on my own equipment. I have heard all the horror stories about dealers, and have experienced a few. MGW install was easy and enjoyable. I made the car better.


The deciding point for me was cost. The dealer near me will change the oil and dispose of the mess, read recycle the oil for cash, and charge me about $5.00 more than the materials cost me. Is it worth The $5.00 dollars to have the dealer handle the mess as well as Document the services on the Ford Computer system??? So far.....Yes.

Yea... but you will never know if that mechanic stripped the threads on your drain plug...or did he/she put the correct oil in...or did they put the oil in that you asked for. These are all legitimate questions as all of them have happened to me over the years. There is something to be said about performing your own maintenance. I say your $5.00 you think your saving is too great a price to pay for never really knowing if the job was done right.

Curious if a dealer mechanic ran off with your ex-wife or ex-girl friend??? LOL.

It's a small Dealership. Same guy putting in Ford oil from the bottle with a Ford filter from the box. They do the work, they will stand behind it.

Like 5Dot0 mentioned earlier. Most Ford Shops are skilled in the removal and replacement of an oil drain plug. If they ain't...... I have the receipt from the shop showing they broke it!!

So was it an ex-wife or Girl friend??? LOL

Ex-wife...No...ex-GF....No. But I did catch a Ford mechanic fondling my dog once!

so tell me...do you really know if that mechanic is actually putting mineral oil in your motor or that 5w50 synthetic motor oil that your paying $11.50 a quart for?...do you really know for sure?

MMD

 

[VoodooBoss]

This is not brain surgery. If you don't trust someone to change your oil then change it yourself. Is there much more to discuss on this subject? If so please stay on topic.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I too enjoy working on my own equipment. I have heard all the horror stories about dealers, and have experienced a few. MGW install was easy and enjoyable. I made the car better.


The deciding point for me was cost. The dealer near me will change the oil and dispose of the mess, read recycle the oil for cash, and charge me about $5.00 more than the materials cost me. Is it worth The $5.00 dollars to have the dealer handle the mess as well as Document the services on the Ford Computer system??? So far.....Yes.

Yea... but you will never know if that mechanic stripped the threads on your drain plug...or did he/she put the correct oil in...or did they put the oil in that you asked for. These are all legitimate questions as all of them have happened to me over the years. There is something to be said about performing your own maintenance. I say your $5.00 you think your saving is too great a price to pay for never really knowing if the job was done right.

Curious if a dealer mechanic ran off with your ex-wife or ex-girl friend??? LOL.

It's a small Dealership. Same guy putting in Ford oil from the bottle with a Ford filter from the box. They do the work, they will stand behind it.

Like 5Dot0 mentioned earlier. Most Ford Shops are skilled in the removal and replacement of an oil drain plug. If they ain't...... I have the receipt from the shop showing they broke it!!

So was it an ex-wife or Girl friend??? LOL

Ex-wife...No...ex-GF....No. But I did catch a Ford mechanic fondling my dog once!

so tell me...do you really know if that mechanic is actually putting mineral oil in your motor or that 5w50 synthetic motor oil that your paying $11.50 a quart for?...do you really know for sure?

MMD

Yea, you could be right. Ford could have filled the 8 bottles with something other than what was labeled. Sure looked like red bottles with 5W-50 on the side. The case they came out of may have been miss marked. They could have painted over an aftermarket filter and put ford marking on it. Could have happened..........

Like I said, small shop with a few techs. Parts, Service, showroom all on one floor and within 25 steps. Saw what they used and talked to the folks. They know their job.

I have never paid $11.50 a quart for oil. Synthetic oils for helicopters at work are less than that. I paid about $80.00 for the service with taxes. This dealership then gives 10% back onto future works/services. That makes the service around $72.00. No recycling issues, Documentation for the work, Ford oils and filter. Hard to do the work yourself for that price. If I do have a warranty issue down the road, Ford checks their computers and they will have the maintenance records.

You must have been awfully close to that dog!! LOL.

 

[ace72ace]

What is this conspiracy theory drivel? It's an oil change at a Ford dealer. Not a Wal-Mart express lube. Does the possibility exist that a dealer mechanic can make a mistake and possibly affect your service? Sure, no robots working in the service bays last I checked, and even robots can do things improperly. To me it boils down to a matter of trust, desire to work on your own vehicle, means to do your own work, and having the time available to do so. My wife has had all her oil changes done on her '11 GT at the dealer because they extend the warranty if she gets it serviced there regularly. So far, no issues at all with any of their work.

Don't presume the rest of us are cheap, uneducated, ignorant, or lazy just because we don't happen to agree with your opinion. To me, some of your posts come across as authoritative & condescending, whether intentional or not. Seems like there are a lot of very savvy people around here, and I welcome their views, opinions, and feedback. Not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, but hey, we are all entitled to our own opinion. I try to be diplomatic whenever possible, and not pick fights in a public forum. Just wanted to point out that the tone of some of your posts may come across harsher than intended. Maybe you post them exactly as you wish, and that's the way it is...

But this thread isn't about you (or me), it's about oil changes in a Mustang. If you can't trust your Ford dealer to perform an oil change, and would rather do it yourself for whatever reason, that's great. But to put down another's decision making for the sake of 'saving a few bucks' or as a matter of preference or convenience is asinine.

 

[Dvendet]

Yea, you could be right. Ford could have filled the 8 bottles with something other than what was labeled. Sure looked like red bottles with 5W-50 on the side. The case they came out of may have been miss marked. They could have painted over an aftermarket filter and put ford marking on it. Could have happened..........

Like I said, small shop with a few techs. Parts, Service, showroom all on one floor and within 25 steps. Saw what they used and talked to the folks. They know their job.

I have never paid $11.50 a quart for oil. Synthetic oils for helicopters at work are less than that. I paid about $80.00 for the service with taxes. This dealership then gives 10% back onto future works/services. That makes the service around $72.00. No recycling issues, Documentation for the work, Ford oils and filter. Hard to do the work yourself for that price. If I do have a warranty issue down the road, Ford checks their computers and they will have the maintenance records.

You must have been awfully close to that dog!! LOL.

I plan on using Redline synthetic and that's what they seem to be charging these days. Still looking though to see if there are any discounts anywhere. As other posters have mentioned, there is something to be said for performing vehicle maintenace and upgrades yourself. You will always know the work was done to your satisfaction. You'll gain confidence in your skills, you'll accumulate useful tools that will build into your own little shop in your own garage. You will also gain sufficient expertise over time to make most repairs. You just can't put a price tag on these benefits.

 

[CaliMR]

If I had a lift, I would do almost all maintenance and repairs myself. I can't afford a lift, or more precisely can't afford adding several feet to the height of my garage, so off to Ford she goes. They do thousands of oil changes at the local dealer each year and the changes on ours aren't that different from the other cars other than the particular oil. One of the local dealers I talked to had never had a Boss in, and the service writer didn't know they needed 5w-50. The other one, which I use, the service writer when I asked said it was expensive since it uses 5w-50 like the GT500. So they knew what oil to use, and had no issues with my TracKey install. So good enough. If it blows, I know who to blame for the bad oil and so does Ford.

 

[VoodooBoss]

You just can't put a price tag on these benefits.

I can't put a price on my free time.

Debating which way is better is pointless. My next visit here will be to lock this thread. :

 

[2012YellowBoss]

This is not brain surgery. If you don't trust someone to change your oil then change it yourself. Is there much more to discuss on this subject? If so please stay on topic.

Second time, keep on topic or we will have to close the thread. We don't like to censor things and different opinions are fine but when it gets personal it has no place on this forum. Please let it go at this point, nothing more off topic.

 

[Bossfan]

I will have all of my maintenance done at my Ford dealer. I do not track, race or do any competitive driving.
As with any $45,000+ machine I develop my trust in those who will be responsible for doing the job. I develop that trust by discussing the work to be done with the Service Mgr and/or write-up person. I may not know or talk with the actual tech doing the oil change but I do I ask questions if any concerns for anything. At times I have had the specific type and grade of oil expressed (in writing) on the work order. I essentially look the write-up person in the eyes and tell'm "this is my baby take care if it". I do the same thing with tradesmen working on my home such as landscapers, electricians, etc.

As a result, I have more time with family and friends and set my priorities for other time-consuming activities such as golf, shooting or bicycling, for instance. As well, I do not have a lot of maintenace 'equipment' in the garage taking up space. But that is just me.

 

[302BOB]

This is the option I go with (no dealer.. no my driveway)..I went to my gas station I've been going to for years for service on my many other cars. I supply the 5W50 oil & K&N oil filter & they do the oil change & lube & provide me with a receipt stating 5W50 has been used ( for the warranty) This is much cheaper than the $129.99 the dealer wants to charge me, plus I'm right there to see the service in progress. I don't track my Boss, But I will be changing the oil every 5000 miles.

 

[joecatch]

While it is under waranty, I bring my cars/trucks to the dealer. Once I bought a new 1999 Chevy Tahoe and the dealer did all the oil changes. At 23,000 miles it satrted to burn alot of oil. To make a long story short, the engine was decfective and they replaced it. They didn't give me a hard time because THEY are the ones who always worked on it, they couldn't blame me.

But I wonder how good the dealers are with oil changes. Who knows for sure what oil and how much they put in. More than once after an oil change I had to complain to a dealer because they didn't reset the change oil indicator on the display. If they "forgot" to reset the oil reading, what else may they have "forgot" to do? If you want it done right, do it yourself.

Joe C

 

[Bossfan]

While it is under waranty, I bring my cars/trucks to the dealer. Once I bought a new 1999 Chevy Tahoe and the dealer did all the oil changes. At 23,000 miles it satrted to burn alot of oil. To make a long story short, the engine was decfective and they replaced it. They didn't give me a hard time because THEY are the ones who always worked on it, they couldn't blame me.

But I wonder how good the dealers are with oil changes. Who knows for sure what oil and how much they put in. More than once after an oil change I had to complain to a dealer because they didn't reset the change oil indicator on the display. If they "forgot" to reset the oil reading, what else may they have "forgot" to do? If you want it done right, do it yourself.

Joe C

"If you want it done right, do it yourself".

CORRECTION: If you want to be 100% SURE it is done right, then do it yourself. This is not to say a second party won't do it right.