I purchased an '05 warehoused base coupe in July 2007 that had 30 miles on it at the time of delivery. As of today, I have 1650 miles on it, with a lot of city driving in there. Given that it's been 10 months, and I don't know exactly what happened to the car (or whether oil was changed) between 2005 and 2006, should I pay the $150? My local crossfire-certified dealership laughed and said i was wasting my money. Thoughts appreciated.

 

I would just for the piece of mind. And I would laugh right over to another dealer

 

Yep you can purchase your own oil and filter, run down to your neighborhood lube shop and save yourself about 60 bucks ! My local Wally World used to handle Mobil 1 0w-40 but for whatever reason doesn't anymore. So for me it's AutoZone for oil and filter and the local lube shop charges me 10 bucks. All totalled a lil over 90 bucks.

In answer to your question...........if it were mine..........most definetly change the oil !

Just my Dos Centavos !

 

I would change it, but I'd do it my self!! Changing a car's engine oil has to be one of the easiest, mechanical things to do. Yes, you get a little dirty, but honestly, it only takes about 20 minutes tops, a couple household tools, the standard jack (if doing it the old fashioned way), the oil, and a new filter assembly. You'll save about 50 bucks and you'll know it is done properly. Not sure why so many people are afraid, lazy, or unwilling to give it a try. There are step-by-step how-to instructions with pictures available on this site.

 

thanks for the good thoughts. Do you guys bother re-setting the alert icons (that little wrench that appears when you start up)?

 

Why would you laugh and go to another dealer? I would stick with that dealer as it seems that they are more interested in doing whats right instead of trying to make a quick buck..

On the subject of oil, if it buys you peice of mind, then do it, but oil does not have a shelf life. Its not like it will go bad if it sits there...

 

Yes there is a procedure to reset it. Use the search feature on the forum. FSS reset.

 

Shelf life is different than sitting in your car life.

Why do most oil change specs always specify months and miles as part of the changing interval?

As I understand it oil, when in your engine, does an excellent job of absorbing moisture and other contaminants that over time break down the effectiveness of the motor oil.

By your recommendation, I would still be waiting to perform the first oil change on my 73 Cougar that has only been driven 2500 miles since I acquired it in 1999. FYI, I do change it every spring, not every 3 months.

jhb, Go ahead and change your 3+ year old oil and filter now. And do it yourself. Its easy.

On my new 2006 that was purchased 21 months after it was built, I changed the oil after the breakin period was reached. I do this with any cars that I purchase new. It removes any break in materials that result from new engine components breaking in. Most would consider it overkill, but its cheap and removes any metal shavings /particals that resulted from the engine breakin.

I didn't reset my FSS when I changed at 1000 miles. My next change will occur whenever the FSS thinks that it should have been changed the first time. Its really your call.

 

of course... when a car is purchased new I would change the oil immediatly after break-in period regradless if it stood or not... but yours is well over break in period and has stood for some time, a change of oil is very needed...

 

RESETTING THE FSS MAINTENANCE INDICATOR AFTER AN OIL CHANGE

1. Move the ignition switch to the “RUN” position.
2. Within 4 seconds of moving the ignition switch into the
“RUN” position, press the reset button for the trip odometer
twice within one second. The display for the FSS service
request is activated for 10 seconds
3. During the 10 seconds the FSS service request is displayed,
move the ignition switch to the “OFF” position.
The FSS service request will continue to be displayed.
4. Press the reset button for the trip odometer and
hold.
5. Move the ignition switch to the “RUN” position
6. Continue to press and hold the reset button for the trip
odometer (about 10 seconds) until the audible signal
sounds and the new start distance appears in the display.
The tool symbol should disappear at this time.

This was posted by Andrew in a previous post on the forum. (He has alot of answers to questions on this forum). Just read it thru several times before doing the reset. It sounds more complicated than it really is.

 

STOP STOP STOP... I stopped reading after post 4. Mobil1 goes on sale about 2 or 3 times a year at your local autoparts store. RIGHT NOW Murrays/Checkers/CSK has a great deal goign on. $3.99/qt (limit 6) for any M1 Full Syn Product. And your local dealership will change the oil for $10-$20 at most! Mine does it for $10 (Use to for $1 per a glitch in their computers) Sorry, but for $10-$20 I'll save myself the hassle... What filters should we look for? K&N? Fram? M1? Chrysler?

Not sure if this link will work but give it a try
http://ads.murraysdiscount.com/murra...4&pagenumber=1

 

I bought a brand new '05 Limited coupe from a dealer in April '07, it had 45 miles on it when I first test drove it. Yesterday, after a year it had about 3400 miles on it, so I decided to change the oil. Let me tell you, the oil was filthy! I would definately get it changed, or better yet, do it yourself. It was pretty easy using the Topsider, just took a lot longer at 40 degrees than I expected, felt like I was milking cows on the farm trying to get all the oil out! (And yes, I did let the engine warm up before I started....)

Another thing, I have big hands, but that filter housing was a *****! to get broke loose!

 

I use a cotton cloth wrapped around the filter housing cap (to protect it) and an oil filter socket with a ratchet. You need to be very careful and slow when loosening the cap so you don't damage it.

 

Who cares if you have an oil related failure as long as you follow the guidelines in the owners manual & have a Lifetime Powertrain Warranty? Besides, there was a newspaper article about a saleman in the area that had a Mercedes with this engine in it that only changed oil according to the readout..(about every 7-8K miles) and he now has like 350 or 450 K miles on it!!! No oil related issues!!!

 

The original poster's crossfire is a 2005 which did not qualify for the lifetime powertrain warranty.

Personally, I will do whatever I can to avoid trips to the dealership.

Have you not read the numerous threads reqarding bad dealer experiences people have had when trying to have warranty work done?

If you don't think Chrysler will attempt to weasle out of waranty work, do a google search on the sludge problem with Chryslers 2.7 litre engine.

 

Check out pg. 108 of the April Car & Driver..........an analysis of a synthetic after 9100 miles showed it's still good. I'm just convinced nowadays that changing my oil ever 3,000 miles all my life has been something of a waste.....even my wife's 2.4L Chevy HHR's oil life monitor calls for >8-10K miles between oil changes & those cars only require non-synthetic oil.

 

I do not think anyone in this thread said to change the oil in a Crossfire every 3000 miles. Myself and others were only recommending making the first oil change after the break in period was over. Especially on ones that have been sitting around awhile before being sold. After that we will let the FSS do its job.

I use Mobil 1 in all my vehicles and usally change it at the 4500-5000 mile range. That might be a bit of overkill, but I have taken a few cars to over 100k miles without a single internal engine problem. Besides its the least expensive preventive maintenance you can perform on your car.

You are correct about changing oil every 3000 miles is a waste, even with non-synthetic oil. My other cars recommend oil changes at 7500 miles, although I would never let non-synthetic oil go past 4500 miles.

Jiffy Lube has us duped.

 

According to the Chrysler Crossfire owners manual, oil changes should be performed every year, or 7,000 miles, or when the Flexible Service System (FSS) alerts you on your dash. It's always good to check your owner's handbook for such information. They can't refuse warranty repairs if you follow what the Chrysler/Mercedes engineers call for.

 

IMABENZ has a good point. Even the best manufacturing techniques can allow "flash" to occur on metal engine parts and when they become loose during the break-in period can cause unwanted engine wear that can be reduced by performing an oil change between the first 1,000 to 1,300 miles.

 

Oil in a bottle doesn't have a shelf life, but oil in an engine does. Due to gravity, when the engine is "off", the fuel in the fuel/air mixture in each cylinder will eventually find it's way past the piston rings and down into the crankcase, thereby diluting the engine oil and reducing it's viscocity which will cause unwanted engine wear.