RE: Free maintenance.
Well, everyone has an opinion. I agree with about all you do it your selfers. The dealerships make money on every free service. The Dexos oil GM now recommends, what a joke. The zero weight oil is like water coming out of a hot engine. I'm old school, every 3k I try to be religious and change the oil. The oil life meter on the DIC also should be eliminated by GM. I believe these are on timers programmed in the computer. I have 2 brand new 2017 GM trucks. One a Tahoe Premier, the other a Sierra Denali. Call me nuts, oil was changed on both at 500 miles. Oil was replaced with Royal Purple. I have been using this brand for years without a single issue. No lie, this oil seems to stay cleaner and gets me better performance and mileage. When I dump the oil after 3k, the oil still has a translucent shade of purple when you put it in a glass jar to inspect. The conventional oils are black and are very dirty. It is a bit more expensive than Mobil 1, but I like Royal Purple thus far. I still run Mobil 1 in my Vette which was born with that brand oil. Mobil 1 is still a super oil with an awesome reputation. My father taught me Mobil 1 was the oil to use when I was a young lad. I don't like mixing brands once the engine is broken in. That is why I don't mind changing the oil at the first 500. Now you can finish the break in with the new oil. The dealership keeps calling and wanting me to get the trucks in for an oil change or the OnStar service email reminders. I have no desire to wait over an hour at a dealership to do what I could do on a relaxing Saturday or Sunday afternoon sitting in my climate controlled garage having a beer and watching a ball game as I wait for ALL the oil to drain. I have watched these dealer Tech's who are sometimes kids just starting out, replacing the drain plug before all the old oil is out just to save time. I get the satisfaction knowing the oil change was done completely and properly. GM made such a great deal that you get free service for two years, which really only amounts to two oil changes because they say that their oil is better. If they were so confident, they would offer free oil changes for life at 3k miles, I may consider. What happens after that? Bearings, burning oil, knocks? It is still a gasoline engine with wearing parts. The better you can protect against friction the less issues you get down the road. Another tip is to find a reliable non ethanol fuel that you trust. I know that these claims that GM vehicles are designed to run fine on ethanol blend fuels. Try ethanol free and see the difference for yourselves. I believe that the ethanol blends hamper performance as well as add unnecssary water to the internal components causing corrosion. Take my opinion for what it's worth. So far I have had no issues doing the service myself. But those beware that if you don't play the GM game and get their service, be prepared for resistance from your dealership if something mechanical goes wrong blaming you that it was your fault not bringing your vehicle in for service. Document everything. Spreadsheets, receipts, date stamped photos or video of you doing the service. I know it is a bit crazy, but GM tries every angle. If you don't have the luxury to do it yourself, watch the service being done like a hawk. Like the recent post of the service guy coming out to the waiting area with the glass vials of the poor old lady's vehicle fluids that needed to be replaced, shame on them that prey on the less knowledgable who place their trust in that dealership or shop. Get that second opinion and if you have a dealer you can trust, great. They are few and far between, but there are some still out there.
