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When to get dealer service vs independent

3K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Neanderthal 
#1 ·
I have a 2018 Exclaim and our dealers have very high prices and are 45 minutes away. I am coming up on 1500 miles when I usually get the oil and filter changed and go with pure synthetic. My question is whether I should go to the dealer or work with an independent for this service, and which services (30k, 45k, etc) I should get from the dealer.

Thanks
 
#2 ·
it's your choice, you do not have to go to dealer for regular maintenance (you're the one paying for it afterall), just make sure you have the receipts for the work done at the required intervals as out-lined in your owners manual maintenance section.

You only need to go to the dealer for warranty work.
 
#3 ·
Hey sinter, like conwel says, your choice. I go to the dealer, especially during the first 5 year bumper to bumper period simply to avoid potential conflicts (complications) should something go wrong. You know what I mean, I can say to them "well you're the only ones who've touched the car."

I've been around long enough to know mechanics love blame things that go wrong on "that other guy who worked on it."

I know 45 minutes seems like a long travel time, but you can make an outing once you get there, get some lunch or coffee. I personally go for a walk from the dealer, fresh air, and it's ready when I get back :)
 
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#5 · (Edited)
Geo said: "I can say to them "well you're the only ones who've touched the car."

You can also tell them you're a alien from the planet Uranus!
Doesn't mean they will believe you!

Ps & F.W.I.W...Going to you Kia stealership does not guarantee quality work though it does guarantee the work performed.
It wouldn't be the 1st time a dealership has left off a drain plug crush washer, not topped off or overfilled the oil or left the oil filter too tight/too loose.
 
#6 ·
If you do go with an independent for oil changes I would suggest purchasing the OEM filter to take with you though, either from the dealer or there are multiple places online. (I bought in bulk through Amazon but made sure to check for the OEM stamp inside.) Home office does get snitty if you use different filters and from what I understand the OEMs are better than most anyway.
 
#8 ·
If you are like me and w̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶a̶i̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶w̶i̶t̶c̶h̶e̶d̶ signed a service agreement with the dealership you are best off going back since you already spent the money.

If you have no ties to the dealership, go to your closest Kia dealership and be straight up with them. Say you were reccomended by a customer of theirs and wanted to stay local. A good dealership will welcome you and try to gain a customer.

As stated before make sure to BYOF and specify oil or just do it yourself. (I know thats not always practical for everyone, but if you are of decent health and can turn a screwdriver, its pretty easy)

If going to third party, find someone you know well or is a trusted "family" mechanic. Helps to know what things will cost so you know what to expect and are not blindsided

I have been swindled by too many mechs because I was in a rush or just did not know better. Now I do and try to keep others from the same fate. (300 dollars to press a UVjoint bearing in place)
 
#10 ·
I tend to agree with Geo, at least until they prove they are not performing the work to reasonable satisfaction. I have a very good family shop I can go to, but will probably make the half hour drive to the dealer to make sure the warranty stays intact. I do understand that Magnussen/Moss protects me from dealer rejection, do I really want a long drawn out fight over the services performed?
 
#11 ·
Great way to put it Greg. Once things get to the Magnussen/Moss stage, basically everyone loses.

The fun and satisfaction of the car is pretty much gone, replaced with legalese stress.

I'm all for taking the course of least resistance. As long as the dealer does a good job, why not. Plus, in the first 5 years it's basically just inexpensive oil changes. Pretty much everything else is on warranty.
 
#13 ·
Look in your Owner's Manual in the Maintenance section. Carefully read the things that make usage "severe" rather than "normal". I believe that at least 80% of owners fall into the "severe" category. Short haul driving of 5 miles or less (10 miles if it's below freezing). Rough, dusty, muddy, gravel, or salted roads. Sandy areas. Heavy traffic, over 90F. Uphill, downhill, or mountains. Frequent stop-and-go. Commercial use (like Uber) or towing. Change your oil (regular or synthetic) at least as often as the recommended miles. For mine, in severe usage, that's every 3750 miles or 6 months.

Me, I don't think the shop matters, so long as they are competent and use reasonable quality parts. And Kia says synthetic or regular doesn't matter. Obviously, not everybody agrees, and there's sort of a cult of OEM oil filters, but I haven't seen a single person here say that X happened to their car, and it was because the oil filter wasn't OEM. (The OEM filters are good filters, though.)
 
#14 ·
While not trying to revive the "Oil & Filter" debate (or maybe I am...) there is good logic for using the o.e.m. oil filters.
They are inexpensive and make corporate as well as local Kia happy.
Up until our soul I was a Purolator guy with ALL 7 of my Hyundais.
I was paying as little as 99 cents when on sale and would stock up on them as I do the current Kia filters.
The world wide web was not around back then so you had to go out and purchase them from your local auto parts store.
Anyone remember Strauss auto?
Not 1 ever gave me trouble and our Elantra which the soul replaced went 140k before I sold it.
It idled smoother and quieter then the soul does, if you can believe that.
I also think Kia has amended the categories in which drivers find themselves with most falling into the "normal usage" category.
My philosophy has been that if conventional oil can go 7k miles then full synthetic is good for at least that and more.
With periodic Wallyworld sales a 5qt jug of mobil 1 sells for about 17.00 making that about 3.50 per quart.
Not a lot more then conventional oil but superior protection in extreme temps and upon start-up.
 
#15 ·
Not a lot more then conventional oil but superior protection in extreme temps and upon start-up.
If you're doing the job yourself, the cost isn't much more. But synthetic is going to cost you $50 at an oil change place, and add the cost of the filter if you require OEM. Me, I'm old and fat and $25 to have somebody else supply the (regular) oil and filter and do it instead of spending $15 and then crawling on the ground in 20F weather freezing my hands and accumulating old oil that needs to be hauled to a disposal site, that's a bargain.

Maybe Kia has changed their service recommendations, but that's not evident from Kia Soul: Maintenance under severe usage conditions - Maintenance - Kia Soul 2014-2018 PS Owner Manual so I'd suggest it's a mistake for most of us to go 7K between changes. Synthetic may be better, but it accumulates crud (including water, for us short-haul drivers) in it at the same rate as any other oil, so you still need to change it.
 
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