rico334

Took my truck to the dealership yesterday and had the engine serviced. Noticed on the windshield that they applied one of the reminder stickers when it is due again.

On the sticker it says to service again in 3000 miles. I thought I remember seeing on here some talk about 7500 mile intervals. They used Pennzoil 15w40 if that matters.

dodgedude361

7,500 miles at minimum. I do mine between 7,500 and 10,000. read yer manual. Unless you have the cali version, these figures apply.

I would be worried about that Pennzoil they put in her. Does Pennzoil make a Diesel oil for our trucks? Asking what brand to use around here will start a war, I use Rottela. Many folks use it as well. Just make sure it meets the propper specs.

Buckshotmckee

I do mine every 5k. Read your owners manual. Usually these dealerships have ex-jiffy lubers doin just basic LOF's. I agree with dodgedude, stay away from pennzoil/quakers state. I use the Delo 400, 15w40.

rico334

OK, now I'm concerned about the Pennzoil they filled her up with. I'm about to go and buy my own + a new filter and have it changed again, then take this bill to Dodge.

I have tried the search and don't find what I am looking for quickly. How much oil does the engine hold plus to fill a new filter.........Rather, how much oil do I need to purchase?

Thanks guys.
Rick

Buckshotmckee

Don't be concerned. Just leave it be until the next LOF. Cause the dealership ain't goin to pay for it. There goin tell you thats whats recommended. It'll be ok.

Sam Strano

Rick,

I'm no Pennzoil fan myself, but it's not worth the hassle to have it changed again. And they won't re-imburse you for the cost either. Pennzoil does have a Diesel spec oil, and I would assume they are smart enough to have used it. You didn't ask what oil they used in the first place, and they likely used an approved oil too. They won't (and no reason they should) re-imburse you.

The biggest thing I'd worry about is the oil coking. Just make sure you idle down after any turbo inducing driving. The oil won't hurt anything over the course of one change cycle.

And it's 3 gallons of oil. FWIW, I use Valvoline now, and am changing to Redline when I get to 12-15k.

rico334

******* UPDATE ********

I went to a Cummins truck sales/service center here in town since posting this thread. As mentioned, they advised me that the Pennzoil would probably not hurt anything, but that they recommend Delo400 in the Cummins they sell and service.

Just to feel more comfortable, I purchased 3 gals or Delo400 and a new Fleetguard filter from them, then drove to a Quik-Lube center to have it changed. I spoke to the manager and told him I had the Dodge dealership do the engine service and transmission flush the day before and that I wanted the oil drained and my new oil and filter installed. He agreed to change out the oil for a small fee. After they drove my truck on the rack, the manager summoned me to the bay and told me I had some real problems with the truck that he did not want to deal with and that I would need to go back to the dealership.

My truck is pristine underneath, with no oil or grease anywhere. I take pride in keeping one clean and serviced. When I got beneath the truck, it was coated in oil, from engine to rear bumper and dripping from everything.

I went ballistic and drove the 3 miles back to the dealership. The service manager was located and informed that his pi$$ed off customer of day has now arrived. A connection was not properly installed from the transmission flush and had blown all this oil out. Fortunately, I had not put but 30 miles on the truck since the engine and transmission service had been done.

They drained the bulk Pennzoil 15w40 they had used and installed my new filter and oil while I sat in the service bay and watched every move. The transmission line was repaired and then the truck was taken to the detail center and the underside was steam cleaned at my demand.

They would not reimburse me for the oil and filter I had purchased, but did not charge me for changing or repairing the problems, plus gave me a coupon for my next service free.

Word of advice - - - NEVER ASSUME THEY WILL DO WHAT THEY SHOULD, AND WATCH THEM LIKE A HAWK.

danram11

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Most dealers seem to be clueless. I took my truck in for an oil change and they put 14 quarts back in. Then tried to tell me I was wrong when I told them it held 12. Finally got the book out and straightened them out.

tdupuis

Can't say I'm surprised in the least. The only dealer that I believe would actually service my truck correctly is the one I bought it from. Unfortunately, they're 900 miles away. Makes it a little inconvenient.

MOPE540

rico..same thing for me on the first oil change, when I climbed in to leave the dealership I noticed the "service in 3000 miles" tag..the first things that came to mind were; 3000 miles?..hell this is a diesel...did the dumb techs confuse it with a passenger car??...does it have only 5 qts??...I got out and checked the dipstick, full.

Could it be some slick attempt to make us change oil more than we need to??...naaaah

the other posts have me re-thinking. I had planned on having all oil changes done at a dealership to avoid any warranty hassles...maybe I'll do it myself from here on out instead.

KJRessler

I change oil at 5k miles and always have a Mopar filter installed. It also gets lubed and fluid check.

I used Valvoline All-Fleet 15w-40, but have switched to RotellaT (same weight) since it's much easier to find. No Dodge dealer has ever given me grief about using my oil, and I always pull the dipstick to make sure they put 12, not 11, quarts into the crankcase.

rossn2

My experience was that the Dealership didn't know the proper LOF requirements for the Cummins either. They open the Maintenance Manual where it states "3750 for severe applications" That's where they're getting the 3000 miles OCI from. What they fail to read or notice is that little cross-looking icon next to the 3750 which, when you look up the icon, is for California engines only. Schedule B for you truck is 7500 miles and Schedule A is 15k.

The Pennzoil they used was probably the Pennzoil Long-Life 15w-40 for Diesels. Go to bobstheoilguy.com forum ( http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi) and look at some of the thoughts on this oil. Not too many people using it out there....

tdupuis

Change every 7500-15000 depending on use (for most of us, 7500-10000 is probably the best range to consider). Use dino oil for the first few oil changes, then switch to synthetic, if you so desire. I plan on switching to synthetic either at my next oil change (15k) or the one after (22.5k).