Quote:
Originally Posted by sumannandy Its obviously not better. There are a number of posts available on consequences of not changing the filter, it could clog the channel and eventually may cost engine damage. A mechanic should not advise this, and if they do, at least I wouldn't change oil there.
In ASS, it is not mandatory to get oil flush. I never had any problem in any of the dealership of any brand of car. They do try to push but if you don't want, you don't have to.
And for the record, parts available in the dealership are usually inspected for quality, but sometimes the parts from outside may just be from the rejected lot.
I used shell oil in my safari but did not find any difference. In fact it is cheaper to change oil at dealership and the engine sounds better. |
Sure, it's a
bad practice to not change the oil filter along with the engine oil and the mechanic certainly was wrong and the customer was mislead,
but it is of great help to see someone actually change the oil that you purchased yourself, right in front of your own eyes. With the kind of malpractices that some dealerships in India (across brands/cities) are notorious for, I would not be surprised if someone found out that they paid for an oil change, but only an oil check and topup was done, or an inferior grade of oil used but the customer billed higher etc.
Yes, it's not mandatory to get additional stuff. On paper at least. But many times innocent customers are taken for a ride by these dealership fellas who tell them it's a part of the service. That's a lie and at least as misleading as the Shell technician telling the Estilo owner the oil filter change is not mandatory at every service. What's worse, is finding out
after billing, like I once did, that engine oil additives were added. I was annoyed and demanded an explanation from the SA, who apologized and told me it would not be done again. I let it be (and paid for the crap) because they had otherwise done a decent job with the repairs. But I was sure of one thing. As soon as the car was dried and wiped after the wash and brought for delivery, I immediately opened the bonnet and pulled out the oil dipstick.
Just as I had suspected, the level was way beyond the "F" mark, probably because of the additive stuff. I asked the SA,
"Why should I pay for your crap additive and buy big trouble later, due to overfilling causing a popped oil seal, and possibly worse damage?" Needless to say, I had them put the car on a lift and drain the excess oil, and also mentioned the same on the feedback form. How many customers would do this? Why should one pay
and buy trouble, just because the SA gets an incentive and the dealership gets sales profits from the flushes, additives, lacquer, unnecessary decarbonisation and a list of other rubbish they always push for?
I don't know, mate, but you seem to have had good or at least acceptable experiences with dealerships and/or ASCs. My experiences with the ones I have dealt with, barring a noteworthy couple or so, have been far from satisfactory. And the worst of the lot, in my experience? The Tata fellows (thank God we've never had a Škoda)! The less said about them, the better!
My mother feels unhappy whenever the car goes to any dealership or ASC and stays with them for more than a day or so. I always thought she was being unnecessarily paranoid, but after reading the genuine horror stories from customers on sites like this one, and having seen (and also suffered from) some of the malpractices that these fellows indulge in, I had to agree that she was right. For folks like me, this oil change service from Shell is surely a godsend!
I agree that the oil bought as part of the service from dealerships would be cheaper than buying it from Shell, who charge MRP rates. But the peace of mind factor one gets is priceless.
As far as Shell oil goes, I personally find it to be of good quality
, on par with the better brands like Mobil, Castrol etc. and way, way ahead of the PSU stuff like SERVO, MAK etc. that some authorized dealerships/ASCs use.