How Long Does An Oil Change Take At A Dealership? (Best Tips!)

Do you know how long an oil change takes at a dealership? this is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

Oil changes are one of the most basic and necessary maintenance needs for your vehicle (unless you own an electric car and that’s a whole different can of worms).

If you’re the proud owner of a shiny, new car, you’re probably interested in getting your oil changed at the dealership.

So, how long does an oil change take at a dealership? Oil change takes at a dealership on average between 30 – 45 minutes. The tools available at a dealership make the process extremely simple and expedient. But their tendency to check everything slows the process down a bit. Getting your oil changed at the dealer is much like getting it done everywhere else.

Any extra time is spent doing the things that dealerships are prone to do, such as a full, visual inspection of the vehicle, checking the engine air filters, wiper fluids, radiation fluids, and notifying you of any recall activity or important notices for your year, make, and model.

Outside of that, it’s a fairly simple process and, unless you choose a day when everyone decides to change their oil at the dealership, you’ll be in and out of there pretty fast.

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What Do Dealerships Usually Check During An Oil Change?

The good thing about getting your oil change at the dealership that you purchased your car from, is that everything about your vehicle is in their system.

From the moment they sold it to you, including all of the tune-ups, general maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations, etc., they keep a track record of those maintenance costs, parts, and procedures.

Tire Rotations: Dealerships keep a track record of the mileage on your tires. They’ll rotate, balance, and change them when the service is due
Belts: Worn or cracked belts will also be replaced, after recommending and getting your permission, of course.
Wiper Blades: Careful inspection of wiper blades and a track record of when they were last changed.
All Air Filters: It’s especially important to stay on top of engine air filters, as it’s part of the driving force behind your vehicle’s combustion cycle.
Battery: Dealerships keep track of battery longevity and recommend replacement.

Usually, none of this slows down the process because a careful record is kept for when everything is due and what has already been replaced or maintained in the past.

The visual inspection, complete with the files on your vehicle, ensures that the entire process is speedy.

Why You Should Get Your Oil Changed At The Dealership

One of the most important aspects of buying a new car—or an eligible used one—is the warranty coverage that comes with it.

One of the best reasons to take care of all of your maintenance needs at the dealership is to keep track of everything, protecting your warranty.

If the dealership is doing all of the maintenance, including oil changes, you will have a consolidated and detailed workup of your vehicle’s history.

This makes it easier to deal with any disputes if your warranty comes into play.

It’s low-risk taking your vehicle to an independent mechanic for your oil changes but there’s always the risk that they will do something that will mess the vehicle up.

Even if it’s something that’s not associated with an issue down the road.

If you do get your oil changed elsewhere, be sure to keep every receipt for every service that was provided at that location.

Lastly, the best reason to go to your dealership is that they know your car through and through. There won’t be any questions about compatible parts or the procedures for changing your oil or other services.

By law, taking your vehicle to independent mechanics, regardless of how bad they might mangle your vehicle, cannot void the warranty.

A dealership doesn’t maintain sole authority over your vehicle’s maintenance after all.

However, that doesn’t mean that things can’t happen and that a dealership will immediately honor the warranty.

You’ll have to jump through rings of spitting fire if your vehicle is messed up at an independent mechanic.

You’ll win in the long run, but the headache may not be worth it.

Is It Cheaper To Get An Oil Change At A Dealership?

Dealerships have to maintain a balance between staying competitive with local shops and sticking with their OEM products that are far better and more efficient for your vehicle.

That doesn’t equate to cheaper prices in the short term.

In the long-term, it’s probably better and more affordable to use a dealership, as they know the ins and outs of your vehicle and use the best products that match your vehicle’s age, make, and model.

Since they use matching parts from the same manufacturer and have a thorough knowledge of your vehicle, they’re less likely to mess anything up, which will go a long way towards helping you avoid expensive maintenance in the future.

Do Dealerships Overcharge For Service?

It’s not necessarily a matter of overcharging for prices. Dealerships are just more stringent about the products they use for particular vehicles.

Often, those products are more expensive than the cheap, bulk fluids purchased at an independent shop.

In 2010, AutoMD.com did a nationwide study on dealerships versus independent mechanics. The study overwhelmingly concluded that dealerships cost an average of $300 more on all repair services across the board.

Also, if you have the unhappy fortune to own a car with a part that’s patented and exclusive to the manufacturer that built your car, the cost will be enormous.

When a dealership for your manufacturer knows your part is exclusive, they know they can charge you whatever they want, because there’s little to no competition.

All Things Considered

There are a lot of excellent reasons to take your vehicle to the dealership from where you purchased it to have your oil changed.

While keeping records isn’t exclusive to dealerships, it’s good to have your vehicle’s history tied to one place.

When it comes to other services, it’s up to you whether or not you prefer consolidation of your vehicle’s history or finding better-priced options elsewhere.

Regardless, oil changes at dealerships don’t take much longer than anywhere else and you get a lot more from technicians that know your vehicle inside and out.

Here are some of my favorite tools & equipment´s

Thank you for reading this article. I hope it helps you find the most recent and accurate technical and repair information for your car. Here are some tools that I use as an automotive technician and hope you´ll also find helpful.

There are affiliate links, so if you do decide to use any of them, I´ll earn a small commission. But in all honesty, these are the exact tools that I use and recommend to everyone, even my own family. (NO CRAP)

To see all my of most up-to-date recommendations, check out this resource that I made for you!