[alfako]

Also on your mobile app there are specials. $79 for full synthetic and 3 for 200?... I can't remember, through Mopar.

View attachment 28657

watch for specials like this at your Alfa dealer! I made my appt to take advantage of it. This is Benson Alfa in Greenville, SC

I checked my local alfa, there are none of specials.

 

[alfako]

Also on your mobile app there are specials. $79 for full synthetic and 3 for 200?... I can't remember, through Mopar.

Which mobile app?
If that is some thing I get them $79 or 3 for 200, I going to get 3 for 200. My local alfa dealer is Maserati, Bently, RR, and Aston Matin dealer as well. That is why oil change is so expensive.

 

[Alfie]

Just went on my app and found this.. try calling the dealer with the coupon code. My app is called My Mopar

 

[alfako]

Just went on my app and found this.. try calling the dealer with the coupon code. My app is called My Mopar
View attachment 28658

Just downloaded app and registered my stelvio. I don't get any offers, but thank you for the tip. If I get something like this offer, I will definitely get it. For now, I ordered mobil1 and mopar oem filter.

 

[Alfie]

Just an FYI, this coupon applies to FCA US LLC. so most Chrysler and Jeep dealer has to honor it. Problem is whether they know the Alfa or not.

 

[alfako]

I went to local Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler dealer yesterday if they have max pro oil, they don't have them. Also asked if they can do oil change on my stelvio when you have mopar max plus available. They said they don't have access to Alfa romeo thus they can't do it. Hmm, they use mopar oil and filter though.

 

[John5495]

honestly there are only two places I would trust to get it right, the Alfa Dealership or my garage since I will take the time to do a little research. I just bought my Stelvio from a Hyundai dealership and the salesman was very proud to tell me they did a 120 pt inspection and changed the oil for me. I made an appointment with my Alfa Dealership as I was driving off the lot.

 

[alfako]

honestly there are only two places I would trust to get it right, the Alfa Dealership or my garage since I will take the time to do a little research. I just bought my Stelvio from a Hyundai dealership and the salesman was very proud to tell me they did a 120 pt inspection and changed the oil for me. I made an appointment with my Alfa Dealership as I was driving off the lot.

I bought my stelvio at Echopark and they did inspection and oil change. I drove my car for a month and got engine check light on. Went to alfa dealer and found vacuum hose loosen and some oil leak on engine timing belt area. Warranty covers evrything. They clean my car in and out. It was great experience. Love my stelvio, but I am not paying $450 on just oil change. I rather do it myself.

 

[John5495]

I bought my stelvio at Echopark and they did inspection and oil change. I drove my car for a month and got engine check light on. Went to alfa dealer and found vacuum hose loosen and some oil leak on engine timing belt area. Warranty covers evrything. They clean my car in and out. It was great experience. Love my stelvio, but I am not paying $450 on just oil change. I rather do it myself.

Absolutely, that is silly for an oil change! We are not driving exotic cars.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

Technically exotic cars don't exist anymore, or are alot rarer then we think.

Take a Lambo Urus.

Lambos are by definition exotic right?

... Only if you define exotic as sharing a significant number of parts including the engine with several other mass produced cars including some rather inexpensive VWs.

It isn't exotic... It just looks like it. That describes most exotics now.

IMO the Stelvio is more exotic then most exotics just because it is the first use of electric brakes. Half a decade pater they are still primarily an unknown factor due to them still being rare.

But to address your point.... Normal cars have gotten harder to work on them "exotics" were in the 80' and 90's. So shops are charging exotics prices pretty much for everything that isn't considered an economy or family car.

If things were charged fairly... Actually based on work... A Fiat 500 would cost more for an oil change then a Stelvio. It's a lot more of a pain on the butt. Alot.

But... Shops can't. Oil change pricing is based less on the amount of work and more on what the shop thinks they can get. Cheap cars get cheap.. expensive expensive. Nothing to do with the amount of work.

 

[John5495]

Technically exotic cars don't exist anymore, or are alot rarer then we think.

Take a Lambo Urus.

Lambos are by definition exotic right?

... Only if you define exotic as sharing a significant number of parts including the engine with several other mass produced cars including some rather inexpensive VWs.

It isn't exotic... It just looks like it. That describes most exotics now.

IMO the Stelvio is more exotic then most exotics just because it is the first use of electric brakes. Half a decade pater they are still primarily an unknown factor due to them still being rare.

But to address your point.... Normal cars have gotten harder to work on them "exotics" were in the 80' and 90's. So shops are charging exotics prices pretty much for everything that isn't considered an economy or family car.

If things were charged fairly... Actually based on work... A Fiat 500 would cost more for an oil change then a Stelvio. It's a lot more of a pain on the butt. Alot.

But... Shops can't. Oil change pricing is based less on the amount of work and more on what the shop thinks they can get. Cheap cars get cheap.. expensive expensive. Nothing to do with the amount of work.

Agreed, but $450 still seems extraordinarily high! I guess they charge it because they can.

 

[MNPNW]

Current link: Robot or human?
Now $29.97 / bottle (5 quarts).

At Walmart, 5 quart jug $ 24.47 (4.89 / quart). Free delivery. Was in October.

API = SP

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

$450 is highway robbery.

However, yes....people do it because they can.

And to make up for the Honda oil change they got maybe $100 (in labor) for that took more labor than the Alfa.

Should add, the dealer also has to charge prices like this for maintenance.

... Unlike any other brand you want to name, Alfa dealers do not have a fleet of 10 y/o plus cars that need expensive repairs regularly. ... And despite the reputation, new Alfa don't need much work besides maintence, and even that is less than many other brands. Basically, oil changes are all the dealer has to make money off. Doesn't make it ok, if they charged less they would probably make more because more people would go there.

 

[Alfie]

How come no one complains Audi charging 300 for their oil changes or BMW charging 250 and yet here we are... The answer is..... The branding. Is Alfa there with Audi and BMW? Do people purchasing Alfa know the cost of maintenance upfront? This is more of question to ourselves than to the others. BMW and Audi use 0w-40 off the rack for most of their cars. even cheaper and more readily available than ours. They sell those at their service department at very affordable prices as well.
So do we drive a car that's worth that much attention for oil changes?

 

[John5495]

How come no one complains Audi charging 300 for their oil changes or BMW charging 250 and yet here we are... The answer is..... The branding. Is Alfa there with Audi and BMW? Do people purchasing Alfa know the cost of maintenance upfront? This is more of question to ourselves than to the others. BMW and Audi use 0w-40 off the rack for most of their cars. even cheaper and more readily available than ours. They sell those at their service department at very affordable prices as well.
So do we drive a car that's worth that much attention for oil changes?

You make a funny point...Perhaps just the cheap - eh hem - FRUGAL Alfa owners chimed in on this one!

 

[Alfie]

You make a funny point...Perhaps just the cheap - eh hem - FRUGAL Alfa owners chimed in on this one!

LOL.. I didn't mean 'cheap or frugal' owners but as anyone can see from the posts, people want some quality since they paid so much for their cars. But at the same time, some complain about the cost of maintenance. As a previous/current owner of BMW,Audi and Merc, I did the oil changes myself at home and never even thought of posting how expensive the shops are charging me. But you often see them here so I was just curious. I did it to save some money and to make sure that they were done properly but the major thing was the convenience of doing it when I had the time.
Expectation of paying $$$ at the dealer is a given and should be understood IMO, since most of the Euros will charge you that much and basically telling people to stay away unless you have other issues than oil changes.

Plus the fact of what my oldman once told me.... "if you can't fix it yourself, don't drive it" mentality which led me to the path of learning about cars in general.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

My ONLY issue is the Alfa oil change is both easier and often more expensive then the equivalent (insert generic German nameplate) at some dealers.

If dealers charged $2-300, no problem. It's charging over $400 that's is a bit.....unrealistic. I am definitely not saying the pricing should be like a Honda, we want more attention to detail and that costs more.

My hope is these type of conversations maybe get read by dealer personal who realize they will get more customers by charging more appropriate prices. In turn that should increase profitablity.

 

[Bladecutter]

I don't know if I agree with either one of you on servicing issues.

Let's compare servicing the Stelvio (or Gulia) against my 2015 Cayman.

So, for the Cayman, I need 8 quarts of 0W-40 oil that meets the Porsche A40 oil spec.
There are a million oils that meet that specs, and one of the easiest to get is the Mobil 1 FS European Car Formula 0W-40 available at any Walmart, AutoZone, King Soopers, O'Reilly's, or anyplace else on the planet that sells engine oil. No need to even think about what oil to use than that one, as its available everywhere, and is cheap.

For the Alfa's, I need 6 quarts of API SP/GF-6A Certified SAE 0W-30, which meets the manufacturer Material Standard MS-13340.
Yeah, good luck finding that.
Or, they give you the option of using "equivalent" full synthetic 0W-30 API SP engine oil, but must have the API Donut Trademark.
Not too many of those running around right now, so Mobil 1 wins in that regards.
I'd rather use Pennzoil Platinum, too, but they haven't gotten their act together, yet.

So Porsche wins for oil.

Now lets look at the oil filters.
Just take a moment - Alfa wins that one, because you an buy the Mopar filter at any Walmart for under $12.
I have to order the Porsche Oil Filter from someplace, and its costs a bit more for an OEM Porsche, or a MANN filter.

So I have the filter, I have the oil, let's get the car off the ground in my garage, and get working.

Here, the Porsche wins, in my opinion.

I back the car onto the Rhino Ramps, and I have immediate access to both the drain plug, and oil filter housing.
Slide the pan under the car, a socket wrench, an extension, and the 8mm bit key, and I have the oil draining in about 5 minutes.

With the Alfa's, I have to mess around with that stupid under body tray for the next 10 minutes, to get access to the drain plug and the oil filter.
13 bolts and dirt in my eyes, and now I can do the deed.

So, cost wise, the Alfa oil change is cheaper for me, because less oil, cheaper oil filter, and easier to procure filter, but the Porsche doesn't require me to remove an undertray to get at the bits I need to service, and get sand in my eyes while doing it.

As for cost at a local dealer, I think my Alfa dealer charges more than the Porsche dealer does, so there's that.
It's that damn underbody tray, I tell you.
That's why they charge so much more.

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

Nothing about the Cayman is typical.

Yeah the oil change is easy.

Hell . It's the easiest car to do anything on.... As long as you have a lift and the ability to drop the engine out of the car for advanced work. The oil stuff is easy to access because it has to be, the only access to the entier engine is from under the car dude.

I put over 50k on a Boxster, yeah oil changes are gravy, let's talk about the serpentine belt where you gotta remove half the interior behind the front seat then pray your car isn't filled with rattles after and none of the leather got jacked up, or carpet stained with grease.

As far as oil selections...yeah, American brands take the certification game way too far. Euro brands are generally better, but Alfa being tied to Stellantis ...they are stuck in this BS system.

 

[Darth Stelvio]

MaxPro+ 159AA SN+ was superseded by MaxPro+ 988AA SP last year, that is why you can't find it....outdated spec. Go for 68523988AA