Oil and filters cost

[Peacekeeper6]

I had my first oil change last year at my dealership and it cost me $235. I asked why so much and my salesman told me they go thru the entire bike and make sure everything is up to spec"s. Funny thing is, they only took 45 minutes to do everything.

Last spring when I took my Spyder out of storage, I decided to do my own oil change. It was a bitch removing all the panels, but once that was don, changing toe oil and both filters was a snap. I also believe that the tranny filter was the one that came with the bike meaning they never changed it the first time. I can't prove it but all indications were that the cover had not been removed since the factory build. The filter also had differant markings than the replacment filters I bought from the dealer, and they were in BRP boxes.

I was in Virginia Beach last summer and I made a visit to the Spyder dealer there and asked about there policy. They include first free oil change and check-up with each new sales. It leads me to believe a lot of dealers are ripping-off all us nice folke that laid-out $30,000 just to buy the Spyder. Just the same, I love my Spyder and will continue to to my own service.

For all who don't know, BRP has replaced the side panels to make it easier to do the oil change. The dealer is suppose to replace the panels the next time you get your oil changed. I have asked my dealer for the panels as he knows I do my own oil changes, but so far I have not recived them yet.

Happy ridding to all,George

I'd be leery of oil change/total inspection that takes such a short amount of time, and here's why:

I took my boat for its first oil/oil filter change, as well as the fuel filter, at a dealer. I put a small black dot on BOTH filters in an area that wasn't obvious. When I got my boat back, they said they did all the 20 hr service maintenance, INCLUDING replacing both oil and fuel filters.

Riiiiiiiight.

I knew they were bullsh*tting me when lo and behold, I inspected their work and saw that the filters still had the black dots, which proved to me that they didn't replace the damn things.

I believe most dealers are out to make a quick buck. If they have the opportunity to maximize their profits by "providing service" in a short amount of time, they'd do it in a New York second. How is the owner gonna know anyway, right ??

That is why it behooves you to learn to maintain your bike as much as your abilities can handle.

My opinion, your results may vary....

[wd8ajj]

U Hope !!!

[scarecrow]

where did you get Oil and Filters for $75.00?

[carbonation]

where did you get Oil and Filters for $75.00?

The post mentioning that was from January of 2013. Two filters, 5 quarts of oil and o-rings would have been about right at 75 from BajaRon back then.
If you are sold on AmSoil, quite possibly more now.
There are other options that will give very good performance, some on par with AmSoil, for much less.

[BajaRon]

It is very unfortunate that you can't trust dealerships. It isn't always greed or that they just don't care. It is common that everyone wants service at about the same time. Dealership service departments get busy and customers are screaming for a quick turn-a-round. And they give it to them. Many times at the expense of doing a proper job.

Here is a story from a customer that is similar to others that I have gotten over the years. This customer does all of his own services using my HiFlo oil filter kit. He planned a tour with his wife in the spring and intended to do a service on his RT Spyder before he left. Well, things happened and he just didn't get time to do it. So, he bit the bullet and took it to his dealer to the tune of around $300.00.

When they returned from their trip a few weeks later, he did an oil change because he wanted to go back to Amsoil, which he had been using up until the dealer service. When he discovered that his Spyder had a HiFlo oil filter, he called the dealership and asked what brand of filters they used for the Spyder. He was told that they only used BRP products. Which means, they did not change the oil filter. Then he wondered if they even changed the oil.

I think most dealerships will do the job right. The sad truth is. How do you know? Not everyone can go to Lamonster Garage or SpyderPops, etc.

[bikerbillone]

I always had that nagging thought as well. When I rode the GW trike I had my independent 'go to' guy I trusted, now with my Spyder I'm stuck with the dealer, it is what is and I hope it works out.

[2dogs]

On my first spyder service i guess i lucked out. I got an extra quart of oil (6qt. instead of 5qt.) and an extra 100 lbs. of tension on my drive belt. However, the sad thing is that some (not all) doctors/surgeons do the same dam thing by lying to their patients and performing needless operations raking in thousands of dollars for themselves and the hospitals where they conduct their misdeeds. Not to trivialize a simple oil/filter change, but more crime/thefts are committed without a gun than with. I feel so sad for people who get taken by these crooks.