Author Topic: OIl Change cost? (Read 6194 times)

newC5owner · **on:** June 01, 2011, 01:39:14 am

Hi all - I just past the 300 mile marker with my new C5 -- in just three days

and am scheduled to bring it in for the service on Friday.

Here are my concerns/issues -- and any input is greatly appreciated.

Just so you know, I used to own a harley and do most of the minor service myself on it -- saved me a ton.

1) The dealer told me it would cost around 150 to 200...which sounds overly excessive IMO... what do you think?

2) It appears that the 300 mile "tuneup" really is only about changing oil filter and oil? Am I correct? or am I missing something???

3) In the event I do the oil & filter change myself...will that in anyway void my warranty??

THANKS for your feedback on this!!

Chris

Fox · **Reply #1 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:04:31 am

WAT?
$200 will buy you enough oil and filters to last you 40,000 miles or more, depending on your interval.

Filters: OEM Part #500613
Oil: Castrol 20w50, $4/qt

If I took it to my dealer for every oil change, I would have used up all my vacation time and would be 500 dollars in the hole by now. Highly recommend the DIY method, especially if your dealer has never had one of these bikes in for service, as was the case with mine.

prof_stack · **Reply #2 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:06:35 am

Do the filter and oil yourself. Go over the bike and check every fitting. Have blue threadlocker on tap. Check the chain and tighten and oil as needed. Lube the cables and you're about set.

$150 to $200 is high, imho, but if you figure $90/hr labor and various parts and tax it's probably in that ballpark. Another question to ask yourself is: Do I want to support my dealer and help keep them going?

Fox · **Reply #3 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:17:03 am

Quote from: prof_stack on June 01, 2011, 03:06:35 am

Another question to ask yourself is: Do I want to support my dealer and help keep them going?

If I were stranded on the side of the road, or had an engine failure, I don't think I'd even bother telling them. They care so little it would only be a waste of time. In my case, changing my own oil is a moral imperative. Then again, you could probably count on one hand the number of these bikes my dealer has moved in a year, as they are primarily a car dealer.

I really hope your dealer experience is better than mine.

newC5owner · **Reply #4 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:22:03 am

Thanks for your responses all.

My dealer experience has been kind of so - so thus far...

I am really mostly concerned about the warranty..any ideas on that?

I love getting my hands dirty and would def pref. to do this myself anyhow...

Fox · **Reply #5 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:29:42 am

Quote from: newC5owner on June 01, 2011, 03:22:03 am

Thanks for your responses all.

My dealer experience has been kind of so - so thus far...

I am really mostly concerned about the warranty..any ideas on that?

I love getting my hands dirty and would def pref. to do this myself anyhow...

I'm fairly sure oil changes are not an issue as far as the warranty goes. Just watch out for that oil filter cap - summbitch is spring-loaded. As always, thread all bolts by hand and don't overtighten.

r80rt · **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:33:57 am

Use motorcycle specific oil and take pictures to show that you did it right.

Ice · **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2011, 04:34:39 am

Helps if you have a service manual on hand to check everything on the check list and interval table and verify the specs as listed,,,,,,saves a lot of headache.

Arizoni · **Reply #8 on:** June 01, 2011, 06:29:03 am

newC5owner
My dealer said that changing the oil and filter myself would not cause a warranty problem if I kept records of the mileage and oil type and costs.

I just posted some instructions in the TIPS section to let folks know what is involved in doing this job.

The 300 mile service requirements are listed in your owners manual and for the most part they don't require much.
If your dealer is chargeing you $200 he's making a fortune. Next service, consider doing it yourself. For less than $200 you can buy all the tools you will ever need and then start paying yourself $200 for each service job you do.

greggers · **Reply #9 on:** June 01, 2011, 07:28:32 am

My dealer quoted around $200 for a service as well, but they do more than just an oil change. Most of the cost is for 2-3 hours of labor, including the oil change, tightening down of every nut and bolt on the bike (as we've seen things like to fly off these bikes occasionally), adjusting and lubing the chain and cables, and in general giving the bike a once over by an experienced mechanic. If you feel comfortable doing all that on your own, then by all means do it. I wouldn't say the dealer is ripping you off though. I did my first service with my dealer and am happy i did, but am slowly trying to learn the process of doing all this myself and will hopefully do most future work personally. But if you don't want to wrench, just ride (which the UCE bikes are great for), a couple hundred bucks every few thousand miles is just protecting your investment in a great machine. And your butt from hitting the pavement when the whole thing shakes itself to pieces

newC5owner · **Reply #10 on:** June 01, 2011, 12:41:42 pm

Yeah...I am just afraid that they won't do that good of a job...they didn't even know whether my toolkit was included etc..at the time of purchase...I feel they only carry Enfield, but really don't care much for them actually...they all ride and sell vespas more than anything...they didn't even have one spare part in stock -- such as a pillion ....

GreenMachine · **Reply #11 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:44:58 pm

some people may not have the space nor the capability to change out the oil ..what ya gonna do. do it on the sidewalk..Now if u think your dealer can't do it...then that's another story..sounds like a place that just sells stuff...

Sub · **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2011, 03:53:06 pm

Go buy the 5 pack of filters off nfield and do it yourself. Its dead easy, and kind of fun. If you still want to support a local dealer, buy the oil there. Save your receipts and write the mileage and date on there when you did the oil change. I also take a cellphone pic or two while its draining for fun.

The other benefit is that you can see first hand all the GUNK thats stuck in your primary filter.

Be sure to post a pic..!

newC5owner · **Reply #13 on:** June 01, 2011, 04:04:42 pm

The problems I have:
a) I live in NYC..(Manhattan -- and am not sure what to do with the oil etc...)
b) I want to go riding this weekend

so ordering the 5 oil change kit will take a while to get here...and I already have 340 miles on my new bike...

Maybe I'll go over there and buy the oil change kit from them...

Sub · **Reply #14 on:** June 01, 2011, 04:06:27 pm

Ya do that. Or ride upstate and I'll give you a filter and do the oil for $50.

Ok, ok, I'll do it for beer.

Ps- I think its a NYS law that any location that sells oil has to take back used oil. I usually bring mine to Autopalace.

olhogrider · **Reply #15 on:** June 01, 2011, 04:13:49 pm

At least have them do a service in the first few thousand miles. My dealer found a few things that I missed and covered them under warranty. Of course, that is a competent dealer. They also made some mistakes but that had more to do with being new to RE.

Superchuck · **Reply #16 on:** June 01, 2011, 04:40:18 pm

I live in Baltimore, MD and do all my own oil changes and troubleshooting on the sidewalk or between two parked cars under a streetlamp on the side of the road. You can probably buy the filters from your dealer (wait you just said that), and if not, the least you can do is switch out the dirty oil, then once your filters come in the mail, just change the filter then and top it off. Less than ideal, but the dirty oil is the main problem and your bike will thank you for it.

My dealer is 160 miles away but I'll be taking the bike to a shop some time this year to get a 'check-up' while it's still under warranty. Like olhogrider said, i trust myself to do most of the maintenance, but there's probably something i've overlooked, what with being a total blundering novice and all..

best of luck!

chuck

Ducati Scotty · **Reply #17 on:** June 01, 2011, 06:13:48 pm

This is why I do my most of my own maintenance. A full tune up on my old Ducati can cost around $800 and with labor cost considered that's not really unfair. I did it for under $200 in an afternoon.

You can do the RE yourself much cheaper. I would say it's oil & filter, check the air filter, check brake fluid level, lube cables and chain, adjust chain if needed, and tighten all fasteners, check tire pressure. Check the user's manual for whatever else it lists. $200 is a lot of money but probably a fair NYC price for the hour or two of labor and parts/supplies needed.

There's nothing in the RE service that should be too hard if you've been around a wrench before and in NY most auto parts stores are required to take back old oil free of charge from non-professionals. The one hitch (at least when I lived there) is that you have to have it in an approved collection container. Milk jugs or the original oil bottles don't count so you need a sealable collection container, which they just happen to sell

If you can't do the first few services yourself the cost is a bitter pill to swallow since there are a few fairly quickly. This applies to all motorcycles and they never tell you this when you're buying one. Decide to take a day and do it yourself or pay the man and chaulk it up to the cost of living in one of the most interesting cities in the world.

Scott

Arizoni · **Reply #18 on:** June 01, 2011, 09:09:15 pm

At least with the RE you are not paying some service guy $40 for 1/2 hours work just to take off and put on all of the plastic parts so he can work on the engine to do what is needed.

john hut · **Reply #19 on:** June 01, 2011, 09:42:55 pm

Anybody in UK tell me how long a 3750mile service takes? We are tied down to Main Dealer service her in UK to comply with warranty.I did my own 2000mile service and changed the oil twice but need a service long before the warranty runs out.
The reason I,m asking is that it,s a 60mile round trip and would hope that they could do it while I went for a long walk to look at the Iron Men on Crosby beach..
John Hut

GreenMachine · **Reply #20 on:** June 01, 2011, 09:53:37 pm

At least with the RE you are not paying some service guy $40 for 1/2 hours work just to take off and put on all of the plastic parts so he can work on the engine to do what is needed.

That true and I help my kid put the farings back on his 1000 RR and you got to get all those plastic pieces line up just right before u start screwing it in...Yeah it takes time and time is money..

singhg5 · **Reply #21 on:** June 01, 2011, 10:31:43 pm

Quote from: newC5owner on June 01, 2011, 01:39:14 am

Hi all - I just past the 300 mile marker with my new C5 -- in just three days

Here are my concerns/issues -- and any input is greatly appreciated.Just so you know, I used to own a harley and do most of the minor service myself on it -- saved me a ton.

1) The dealer told me it would cost around 150 to 200...which sounds overly excessive IMO... what do you think?

2) It appears that the 300 mile "tuneup" really is only about changing oil filter and oil? Am I correct? or am I missing something???

3) In the event I do the oil & filter change myself...will that in anyway void my warranty??

Welcome Chris to the Forum and congratulations on your new bike C5.

As you are a handy person, I think you can do your own oil change and 'service'. To my knowledge, this does not void warranty but you can call CMW the importers of this bike and this website to confirm. If the dealer charges $150-200, ask him what will he actually do and how much time will he spend on bike. If he does some maintenance routine besides oil change then it may be worth it, unless you want to do it yourself. The advantage of doing it by yourself is that you will become more familiar with the bike.

An important aspect of maintaining RE, especially for the first few months, is to tighten EACH and EVERY nut or bolt that you can see or do not see. You also want to lube or/and adjust cluth cable and speedo cable, adjust chain, check battery voltage and electrolyte levels. Clean battery holder in case of any spills to avoid paint damage. Also, you want to spray bike with a protective coating such as ACF50.

Some gas stations take dirty oil for disposal.

Here is a link to oil change for G5 on youtube. Your C5 has all the same parts, except that the oil filter cap has slightly different shape with three screws instead of two on G5. Basic method is the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo0IW8JVS_I

SimonT · **Reply #22 on:** June 01, 2011, 11:14:55 pm

My first service was free

so that worked out well....

I think the main problem is keeping your warranty when servicing yourself. I made a deal with my dealer that i would take it back to them every second service, meaning i could do every other one myself. This meant i could still keep my warranty.

$12 for a filter and about $15 worth of oil sure beats the $150 odd they will charge me for a service

That said, this is the first vehicle ive ever got serviced by a 'professional'. Ive always done it myself, as i dont trust my bikes and cars with other people. They arent the ones that will be stranded on the side of the road, or crashed into a tree if something goes wrong.

Ducati Scotty · **Reply #23 on:** June 01, 2011, 11:20:37 pm

Getting the first service worked in for free as part of the deal is always a good idea.

Scott

olhogrider · **Reply #24 on:** June 02, 2011, 12:17:46 am

Quote from: SimonT on June 01, 2011, 11:14:55 pm

I think the main problem is keeping your warranty when servicing yourself.

Doing your own will not void the warranty. That's federal law in the US. You may be asked to prove you did it, and if you overlooked anything, that may let them off the hook.

SimonT · **Reply #25 on:** June 02, 2011, 03:59:14 am

hmm not sure how that works here in Aus.

olhogrider · **Reply #26 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:04:48 am

Ah, I was afraid of that.

SimonT · **Reply #27 on:** June 02, 2011, 04:13:02 am

i dont mind taking it back to them for ever other service... they are good guys, and hopefully they will check all the other stuff out too like tensioning the chain etc.

just the inconvenience of giving them my bike for the day.