Where do you do maintenance after warranty expired

[sdpapet]

My Sonic 2013 LT bump to bump warranty expired at the end of 2016. I have more than 36,000 mileage. I was wondering where do you guys normally do your maintenance after the warranty expired. I mean the store (I don't know a lot about car,if you DIY, ignore my post). Here are couple of things I met in the official service center recently. Their price is outrageous without warranty.

1> My front bump air deflector fell off. I asked them how much to fix it. They told me $100+ labor + $150 new pair (they can't fix it and have to change new one). I walked away. I went to Autozone and I only paid $40 for fix it. They can fix it.

2> I only change oil and do 27 inspections, which cost me 59.99$. I think this is OK. However, this store did a sloppy job. I even didn't see their inspection sheet and I was told they have check 27 points. It was less than 1 hour. I doubt they went over details.

3>They tried to sell me the 30,000 mile maintenance package, which is 499$. They said I should do this. I decline it.

I was thinking if I should switch to Autozone in future for maintenance, although some personal car store might be cheaper. I am kind of worried about their quality. Is the big chain store like Autozone is a good choice? If I do oil change or add coolant? Does Autozone give me the same oil or generic brand? Also, is the so-called 30,000 mile maintenance package really necessarily, if I am keep doing maintenance every 5000 miles or six months? Does the autozone have similar service. $499 sounds too high.

Thanks

 

[RMinNJ]

499 anywhere for a 30k service seems high...what do they do for that? Isn't 30k just oil and possible cabin or air filter? It's not plugs belts or trans fluid.

I do some work myself but it would be nice to find a cCevy specialist somewhat familiar with the 1.4 etc for when the car is older. I have not been impressed by 2 dealers work yet.

 

[Natesriv]

I DIY most I can. So far no issues.
General stuff like belts and hoses CAN be DIY if you have the skills & tools. But otherwise, places like Meineke, Goodyear, etc... can do that general stuff.
Our engines are "designed" to NOT need lots of maintenance prior to 100K

 

[RMinNJ]

Right but 100K is a terrible arbitrary life span chosen by the car manufactures. Past 100K do any of the dealers even know how to work on the cars then.

Im at 60k and have a transmission leak that is leaving 2 dealers stumped.. I'm waiting for the second one to tell me its normal and they are designed to leak..
So basic common problem are given back to the customer.. Lots of service places but is any service place familiar with the car design and how to fix difficult problems?

 

[Natesriv]

thought I had a tranny leak, was the oil pan...hmmm

There's nothing unique about the Sonic, stuff like leaks & what not, any place can do that work.

 

[Maddmatts]

They may look at you weird, but you can bring it to another manufacturer's service center like Ford, Mercedes, VW, etc. Their rates will likely be similar though and the warranty on the repair may be more limited.

 

[sdpapet]

499 anywhere for a 30k service seems high...what do they do for that? Isn't 30k just oil and possible cabin or air filter? It's not plugs belts or trans fluid.

I do some work myself but it would be nice to find a cCevy specialist somewhat familiar with the 1.4 etc for when the car is older. I have not been impressed by 2 dealers work yet.

Here is the list they do? Tell me what do you think.
1>change engine oil and filter (up to 6 quarts)
2> lubricate chassis components
3> inspect and top off all fluids
4>Multi-point inspection
5>Rotate tires and set pressure
6>Fuel system service
7>Transmission service
8>Brake system service
9> Transfer case service (if equipped add $129.95)

 

[Natesriv]

#2 Are there any certs on our cars to even lube? Don't know what 6-9 even entail...
You can buy some Techron for fuel cleaner/service. Tranny is either a fluid/filter change or they look at the dipstick and go "Yup, it's full", brake service... MAYBE lube the caliper pins, check the rear drums, either that or they look at the brakes and go "Yup, they're good"

 

[sdpapet]

#2 Are there any certs on our cars to even lube? Don't know what 6-9 even entail...
You can buy some Techron for fuel cleaner/service. Tranny is either a fluid/filter change or they look at the dipstick and go "Yup, it's full", brake service... MAYBE lube the caliper pins, check the rear drums, either that or they look at the brakes and go "Yup, they're good"

This is what I am worried. Particularly, the local GM service is really sloppy compared to the town I used to live. So, it is not worth it? (I barely have any knowledge about car.) I guess they knew this based on our conversation and tried to sold this service to me.

 

[Natesriv]

If your car is running fine, I'd not worry about most of that. The oil should be changed with regularity, keep an eye on the tranny fluid level (if automatic), and the coolant doesn't require changing this early I believe (look in the reservoir, ensure it's up to max on a level surface with car cold. Rotate tires once a year, keep them properly inflated to around 36 psi...
easy stuff like that.

Always refer to your owners manual for maintenance schedules..

 

[Maddmatts]

#2 Are there any certs on our cars to even lube? Don't know what 6-9 even entail...

These are a "one-work-order-fits-every-car" kind of thing. The transfer case entry is there to cover 4x4/awd vehicles. If it doesn't apply, the tech skips to the next step. There are no greasable zerk fittings on a Sonic, except when certain non-OEM suspension parts are installed.

 

[SmoothSonic]

I’m at 61k. Once I reached 50k, I stopped having engine problems. I guess I replaced everything that was a low quality part. I take my car to a local mechanic who I trust. The cost is lower than the Chevy dealer. I only go there if there’s something I can’t fix or diagnose. So far, my car hasn’t broken down since the last visit. All I need to do now is replace my hankook tires.

 

[EyeluvSmegma]

www.alldatadiy.com plus if you dont want to take on a specific repair, you can look up book time etc.... keep yourself from taking an input shaft up the bumhole.

 

[tdiller]

My sons shop. Labor is cheap and I help him.

 

[walkncontradxn]

Late to the subject, but I have 130,000 miles and everything on that list of stuff they do is BS. With that low of miles you should just change oil and filter at least every 10,000 miles, check your fluids and belts regularly, and don't worry bout anything till it goes wrong. These are easy to work on yourself with things like this and cruzetalk forums. Don't go to dealerships, find a highly rated mechanic in your area on Google if you must.

 

[66roadie]

Your best bet is a qualified local mechanic. I would never take my car to a "jiffy lube" type place for any reason. A dealer service department is only for warranty issues. I'm lucky to have a certified Chevy guy with his own shop, only a few miles away.

 

[Blue Moon Sonic]

I just do everything myself regardless of what it is unless I don't have a specific tool/computer to do certain things or if I need an engine/transmission rebuilt. These car's are pretty basic when it comes to tool set requirements and everything is easy to work on.

 

[AEMalakai]

When I hit 35k miles they recommended some tranny flush service with injector cleaning. They quoted me $750. I told them no.

They charge way to much for an oil change.

Last two times they did an oil change they stripped the oil pan bolt.

I do my own oil and maintenance now.

 

[OssiansFolly]

When I hit 35k miles they recommended some tranny flush service with injector cleaning. They quoted me $750. I told them no.

$750?! WTF?!

 

[AEMalakai]

$750?! WTF?!

They said the same to me, They wanted to do a tranny flush and an injector cleaning.

I can do both of those myself while following the manuals severe schedule.

That said, I probably voided my "lifetime powertrain warranty" since that said you have to have all service performed at the dealership.