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Synthetic Oil Change Prices At Dealer

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by The Critic, Nov 28, 2011.

  1. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I was at a Toyota dealer today (not my usual one) to purchase some wiper inserts and found that they were no longer upcharging for 0w-20.

    This dealer's service menu showed a $44.88 price for all oil changes- synthetic or conventional, regardless of how much oil. I asked one of the service advisors and he confirmed that this is now the regular price. He told me that they are making near zilch on the service at this price (obviously) but plan to use it as a competitive advantage.

    I wonder if more dealers are beginning to do this in order to encourage owners to use the correct oil. The Honda dealer that my friend uses for her 2012 Civic does the same thing-- one price of $40 for all oil changes, synthetic or not.

    Unfortunately, most other dealers I know are still charging $65-$70 for a 0w-20 oil change. In truth, the true premium of 0w-20 is only $10-$12 in most cases anyway ($2.50/qt vs $5/qt). I am estimating that their cost for bulk conventional is in the mid $2/qt range and bottled Toyota 0w-20 is $5/qt, since that is what I see it on sale for.

    Have any of you noticed this new pricing strategy at your local dealer? How much is your dealer charging for 0w-20?
     
    #1 The Critic, Nov 28, 2011
  2. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    My last 10k service at the dealer was listed as $77 for 0W-20 oil, filter, tire rotation and "inspections".

    It sounds like your dealer has the right idea advertising at the lower rate. I know my dealer Service Advisor has said that the 10k OCI has really hurt their service business.
     
    #2 jdcollins5, Nov 28, 2011
  3. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    WOW, our dealer an oil change is $29.95 with coupon and synthetic is $10 more
     
    #3 paprius4030, Nov 28, 2011
  4. smokiejoe

    smokiejoe Member

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    Our dealer charged $54.95 for a Synthetic Oil Change. I paid for this change at 5K, and Toyota paid at 10K. I wanted to do the first oil change at 5K, and not wait for the free one at 10k. I feel that this is a little extra insurance.
     
    #4 smokiejoe, Nov 28, 2011
  5. Puyallup83

    Puyallup83 Junior Member

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    My local Toyota dealership (Tacoma, WA) charged me $79 for full synthetic on their $25 coupon...yes, that's $54 more for full synthetic vs a regular oil change. You can bet I'm in the market for a new place to go.
     
    #5 Puyallup83, Nov 28, 2011
  6. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    To give you a baseline: I changed my own oil. I paid $25 for 5 quarts of Mobil 1 0W20 and $7 for the oil filter. I don't know if the dealers use Mobil 1, which is pretty expensive, but that's what it costs. My dealer wanted $50, which seems pretty reasonable, but they add tax and an oil recycling fee. If you add their charges for changing the engine air filter, cabin air filter, and tire rotation, which I also did, I would have been at $150. Changing the oil was by far the hardest; cabin air filter and engine air filter changes on this car are ridiculously simple.

    It seems wasteful to change such good oil every 5,000 miles.
     
    #6 Rebound, Nov 28, 2011
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  7. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Which dealer are you referring to? Was it Capitol?
     
    #7 The Critic, Nov 28, 2011
  8. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    My dealer is One Toyota in Oakland. But I bought the oil at a Wal-Mart.
     
    #8 Rebound, Nov 28, 2011
  9. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    Yeah, I think my dealer wanted about $135 for the 10k maintenance, or somewhere around $100 for just the oil change. Instead, I spent $130 or so on oil, filter, jack stands, funnel, drain tub, etc. It takes me a while to get it done, but at least I know it's done carefully...
     
    #9 macman408, Nov 30, 2011
  10. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    I just checked with the dealer near my work (which is actually my most local dealer) and their price is $55.00. They also offer 15% off on Sundays so the price is only $46.75 + tax. Not bad, since the 5-qt jug of Mobil 1 0w-20 has risen to around $26 and the filter is $5. For just $15 more than doing it myself I'll probably just take it there since it'll be super convenient and I get the documentation in the national database.

    Also, I was doing a google search and came across a Toyota parts bulletin to its dealers back in 09. The doc said that the price for the Toyota 0W20 synthetic under the Toyota bulk oil program was $12.76/gal or $3.19/qt. Prices have probably risen a bit since then, but a lube publication published back in Oct that Toyota actually lowered the price of the oil a little bit.

    So, at $3.19/qt (probably no more than $3.50/qt in today's prices) dealers are still making a very healthy profit on 0W20 oil changes if they are charging the market rate of $65-$80. Clearly I think Toyota is subsidizing the cost of this oil because I'm pretty sure that bottled name-brand synthetic 0W20 is costing quick lubes much more than what the dealer is paying for the bulk 0W20.
     
    #10 The Critic, Dec 2, 2011
  11. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    I'll tell you the old saying you get back what you give is sometimes true. I just got back from my local dealer (Halterman's Toyota) and got a synthectic (0-20) oil change with tire rotations for $24.95. They had an add on the radio that said "mention you heard this add and get an oil change with tire rotations for $24.95, all makes and models". So I told the service advisor (who is a great gal) that and she said no problem, but you know the 0-20 is extra charge. I figured that but I said nicely to her, well on the ad it did say all makes and models. So when I went to pay she said she checked with her boss and said they would honor the $24.95 price. They always make me feel like they appreciate my business so that's why I keep going back there. So there are good dealers around after all.
     
    #11 paprius4030, Dec 2, 2011
  12. socratesthecabdriver

    socratesthecabdriver Member

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    my oil alone costs me 55€ here in greece stop the whining allready!!!!!! lol and a litter of gas is 1.62€ on the cheap side!!!!
     
    #12 socratesthecabdriver, Dec 2, 2011
  13. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    Just for a cost comparison, the AMSoil that I got over summer was $8/qt so if you can get it for $3/qt cheaper at Toyota, that's not a bad price for the 0w20 synthetic Signature Series (the supposed 25k mile stuff) or you can get the XL variety for around $6/qt. Since I tend to do 10k oil changes, I'll probably switch to the XL when I use the final quarts of the other stuff. The XL is listed as 10k/6 month, but I would expect you could push 12 months if you needed.

    Their "low end" oil is the OE which is just under $5/qt.

    I use AMSoil in my motorcycles, so the shipping costs averaged out are usually less than $1/qt depending upon what I order (it's weight based, I believe).

    That could provide some comparison costs vs dealers and savings. I do my own, as it's quicker than driving to the dealer, waiting, and driving home.
     
    #13 wick1ert, Dec 2, 2011
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