1st Oil Change Questions - Warranty voiding...

[iamtheav8r]

I would however use Mopar approved parts. Do not use aftermarket oil filters, Mopar only

No need for this. Mopar doesn't make any parts.

 

[Bighorned]

The dealer or an insurance company can deny a claim if damage occurs, been through it once myself with an aftermarket oil filter.

More importantly the OEM filter has a valve that maintains a certain amount of oil in the lines to prevent dry starts. Quality aftermarket filters may or may not have this valve

99 percent of oil filters have an anti drain back valve. Plus, Mopar doesn't make them in house I'm sure. Like Napa filter. Wix makes them etc. Any good aftermarket filter and they can not say a thing. If the filter somehow malfunctions then that is on the filter manufacturer I would assume but that's a different topic. Use an approved oil and viscosity, a good filter and you are covered. If you wait 30000 miles to change your oil and something happens then that's another variable. Do the changes at interval etc and you're covered.

 

[Bighorned]

No, they can deny the claim for any reason they feel like stating.

It is then up to YOU to pay for a lawyer to sue them and hope you win and recoup your legal fees....and will probably take months if not longer to accomplish.

Lawyers typically require a substantial retainer to just get started which is why most people do not bother.

Yes they can deny what they want, but if they don't have a leg to stand on, when you escalate the issue to a corporate level with legal action you tend to get some results. Not always I understand but there are ways of sticking to your guns and winning. Whats right is right.

 

[Neurobit]

I used to do all my own oil changes, but now it doesn't really pay to. Till I buy 7 quarts at around $5 or $6 each, a good filter for $8 , I spent close to $50 and then have to get rid of the drain oil as well. My dealer does it for around $45 with synthetic blend in the truck and full synthetic in my 392 Challenger for around $65. As for the tire rotation, we got that done on my wife's Jeep this week at the same dealer, cost $9.95. It's not worth all that jacking up, lifting tires around, breaking your back to save a lousy ten bucks in my opinion.

I do still service our lawn tractor and front end loader though, so I didn't totally give up on the do it yourself yet. Good luck to the OP though.

This is my philosophy as well. Once I use up the free oil changes, I will let my mechanic do them.

 

[speedracernc]

Did you ever find out the answer to this?

Nope

 

[WW2]

It really doesn't make sense financially to do your own changes. I let the dealer do mine for years. However, after many return trips due to too much oil, too little oil, loose filter etc. I decided to return to doing my own. Its definitely worth the piece of mind. They put the lowest paid, most inexperienced technicians doing oil changes. There sense of pride in their work seem to really be severly lacking, at least with my experiences. Unless I have no choice due to a warranted item, I will take care of my own maintenance. And there is a place on the Uconnect/Mopar/Ram user site where you can record your maintenance. That should make for good reliable records....... Just Sayin

 

[cj7]

They can only deny the claim if they can PROVE that the use of a non-oem product caused the damage.

Well reasoned, but not quite the real world. They can, and many times have, denied the claim, forcing the customer to pursue their rights. I do my own oil/filter, for all the reasons stated above, but would not put it past FCA to find any or all excuses if they think they can get away with it. Given the long list of issues some folks are having with 5th Gen, and evolving desire to spend my time on other things, I may get the dealer full synth deals for this truck.

{ ed: Sorry to be repetitive, just realized there are a number of us with the same view...}

One thing I have noticed, is how differently a customer gets treated if they are known to the dealer. Regular, repeat clients get the benefit of the doubt, and having the dealer on your side helps immensely. After shopping for the best price, period, all these years, it's taken me too long to realize, if I can get my local dealer to get within a $500, and do all the mandatory stuff thru them, the developed relationship is valuable.

 

[bgmshrm]

Finance people are always full of $h!t .

 

[securityguy]

The dealer or an insurance company can deny a claim if damage occurs, been through it once myself with an aftermarket oil filter.

More importantly the OEM filter has a valve that maintains a certain amount of oil in the lines to prevent dry starts. Quality aftermarket filters may or may not have this valve

Even $3 Walmart SuperTech oil filters have this valve so not sure where your statements coming from. Anti-drain back valves are a standard feature on all oil filters, however their quality and performance may differ. I like Mobil1 and WIX XP filters and, unless there is a catastrophic oil filter failure, you should not have to worry about non-MOPAR parts. The chances of a catastrophic oil filter failure is like winning the PowerBall. EVERY low to high quality oil filter made has an anti-drain back valve...that's a staple of all oil filters to prevent dry starts and causes oil to remain in the filter after the engine is shut off. They all also have a bypass valve in the top of the filter in case the internal oil pressure becomes to great due to an extremely dirty filter that has been installed far longer than it should have.

 

[Myk5486]

Maybe I missed this but do any of the aftermarket oil filters have this baffle that the Mopar oil filter does? Doesn't sound like K&N one does.

 

[cj7]

Simply put, there is nothing special about the Mopar filter. It‘s made by one of the filter manufacturers on contract to Mopar. It’s probably a good one, as it meets their specs, but functionally the same as the market‘s better competitors.

 

[securityguy]

Simply put, there is nothing special about the Mopar filter. It‘s made by one of the filter manufacturers on contract to Mopar. It’s probably a good one, as it meets their specs, but functionally the same as the market‘s better competitors.

Well said.

 

[securityguy]

Maybe I missed this but do any of the aftermarket oil filters have this baffle that the Mopar oil filter does? Doesn't sound like K&N one does.

What "baffle"? There are YouTube videos that actually show a Mpoar filter being cut open and analyzed. It is a decent filter but there are better ones. It depends upon how anal you are about your oil and filters. I just bought the WIX XP, a very highly rated filter ,on all of these types of videos, from RockAuto.com for around $6.50. The NAPA Gold filter is a rebranded WIX XP as well if you have a NAPA store near you.

 

[Myk5486]

What "baffle"? There are YouTube videos that actually show a Mpoar filter being cut open and analyzed. It is a decent filter but there are better ones. It depends upon how anal you are about your oil and filters. I just bought the WIX XP, a very highly rated filter ,on all of these types of videos, from RockAuto.com for around $6.50. The NAPA Gold filter is a rebranded WIX XP as well if you have a NAPA store near you.

I was going off of Scram1500 who was saying it has baffles. Thank you for the video, guess no baffles so no need to worry about it.

 

[rotts4u]

I dont know where these people are buying oil above at 6-7$ a quart but I pay about $24 for for 5 quart jugs. Then the filter is about $6 at Walmart etc. I insist on doing all my own changes to prevent the idiots at the dealer from leaving on the oil oil filter rubber gasket etc and having oil leak everywhere. When I do it myself I never make a mistake and it costs me about $40. I end up buying two jugs the first time and then I can use the second job twice to make up the extra 2 quarts. Actually I just bought a bunch of 5 quart jugs at a local Pepboys that was going out of business and I ended up paying about $12 each for full synthetic jugs of Penzzoil or Castrol etc.

 

[Willwork4truck]

I dont know where these people are buying oil above at 6-7$ a quart but I pay about $24 for for 5 quart jugs. Then the filter is about $6 at Walmart etc. I insist on doing all my own changes to prevent the idiots at the dealer from leaving on the oil oil filter rubber gasket etc and having oil leak everywhere. When I do it myself I never make a mistake and it costs me about $40. I end up buying two jugs the first time and then I can use the second job twice to make up the extra 2 quarts. Actually I just bought a bunch of 5 quart jugs at a local Pepboys that was going out of business and I ended up paying about $12 each for full synthetic jugs of Penzzoil or Castrol etc.

Glad to hear that you never make a mistake. Several years ago I was changing oil on a new to me car and ended up removing the trans drain plug instead of the oil pan plug. Ahh heck, it need a trans fluid change anyway.
I would often get oil draining onto crossmembers or other not wanted places when I did my own, or would mess up the driveway... I did make mistakes.

 

[securityguy]

Glad to hear that you never make a mistake. Several years ago I was changing oil on a new to me car and ended up removing the trans drain plug instead of the oil pan plug. Ahh heck, it need a trans fluid change anyway.
I would often get oil draining onto crossmembers or other not wanted places when I did my own, or would mess up the driveway... I did make mistakes.

This is why some folks should not be servicing their own vehicles and leave it to the "professionals"

 

[popcenator]

I do wonder who thought designing the front sway bar to run right under the oil drain plug was a good idea. And the oil filter was more of a pain in the *** to remove than my 2012 was.

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[securityguy]

I do wonder who thought designing the front sway bar to run right under the oil drain plug was a good idea. And the oil filter was more of a pain in the *** to remove than my 2012 was.

Automotive Engineers don't change their own oil

 

[popcenator]

Automotive Engineers don't change their own oil

Why do you keep winking at everyone??

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