I just took my baby into the dealership this morning to have the oil changed, and to have the annoying arm rest problem looked at(driver side being lower than passenger side). I didn't question the service manager, but when he wrote up the paperwork he said for THIS car the price of the oil change would be $32.00. Since this is my first oil change on this car, can someone tell me if there's something special about what's done during the oil change? Is it a special filter? Something else? I could easily go to Jiffy Lube or any other oil change place and pay $19.99, but would rather have it done at the dealership. I'm just wondering if there's something different about the HHR.

 

I think you would be better off just going to Jiffy Lube, thats where I always go and they do a good job. I haven't done an oil change myself on the HHR but, I believe it's just a standard change.

 

The stealership is raping you, there is no need to have you oil changed at the stealership. It dosen't help your resale, and it doesn't make the car last longer, there is no benefit in your case.

 

This is weird. Around here, the dealer does the change for under $25, and Jiffy Lube wants over $30. Find another dealer or someplace else to get the oil changed.

 

If there is any chance of you doing it yourself, do it. That way you know exactly who is changing your oil..no under or overfills and they Chevy guys made it SO easy to DIY.

Not to mention you can do it for a lot less money. BUT I understand not everyone is into this like I am....I change oil a lot more frequently due to the miles I put on my car in such a short amount of time...not economically feasible to pay for someone else to do it so often, I'd go broke!


Goose

 

Oh, I totally understand the DIY method, and I may start doing it. Believe me, I'm not too thrilled about paying 32 bucks everytime I have my oil changed, nor would I have taken it to the dealership to have it done if I didn't originally take it in for the armrests. The only "upside" of taking it to the dealership is a program they offered me(for free) if I take it to them for ALL services at factory recommended intervals then they offer what they call a "warranty forever". Basically meaning the warranty on the powertrain is never void, even after 100,000 miles, however, I know this could get very expensive and they will be making the difference on the money they are charging for services rendered.
They also have the same warranty on tires called "tires forever". If I religiously take it in every 6,000 miles and pay them 25 bucks(or whatever the cost) to have tires rotated then they will replace my tires for free when the time comes. Yeah it sounds great in theory until you start shelling out all the cash.

 

If it's any consolation, it costs me $46 CDN for an oil change at the dealership.

$18 labour, $14 for bulk oil, $6 for the oil filter, disposal fee, taxes.

If I want a tire rotation, that's an extra $10 (or more).

All I have left to do is pick up a drain pan, crush washers and the oil of my choice, and I will start doing my own oil changes.

 

Cost me $28.91 for my last oil change at the dealer, so they're not doing you any favor. (They're just "Doing You") I'm sure they could knock 10 Bucks off of that and still be making money!
I'm afraid to go to places like Jiffy Lube for fear that they'll drive the car into the pit!

 

I've changed my oil myself since day one. For one thing I want to use Mobil 1 synthetic, and if you want synthetic oil, the price goes up to $60 for an oil change, and I'm not willing to spend that much. A 5 quart container and a filter runs me about $28. Much better than 60. As far as the old oil, what I do is drain the oil into a drain pan, add the new oil, then drain the old oil into the container I just emptied and take it to Oreilly Auto for them to recycle. This turns out to be a very clean way to dispose of old oil. Also the HHR is the easiest car I have ever had to change the oil. I don't even have to jack the car up, and the filter is accessed very easily from the top. I understand completely why others don't want to mess with doing an oil change themselves (mess, time, hassle), but this is the only way I will change mine.

 

Jiffy lube here charges 36 bucks for oil change... Having a dealer do it for 32 bucks is not bad, considering the risks.