As some of you may remember, I purchased a vehicle several months ago. Well, oil change time rolls around and I take it to my normal spot and the guy informs me that GM now requires Dexos oil for their vehicles 2011 and older. He said he seen other car manufacturers jump on this trend as well. He said because of this, the oil change would be more expensive, basically the same price as the dealer. So is this required now, basically being forced to take your car to the dealership for maintenance?
Do you mean Dexron? Dexron is a GM associated name brand I believe. Most aftermarket lube places should have a Dexron equivalent that shouldn't affect your warranty.
Yes and no. If you have an engine failure it would have to be traced to a lubrication issue for them not to honor their warranty. Truth is you can use conventional oils as long as you maintain proper 3k-4K mile oil/filter changes. Dexos(Any oil with a G5 rating) claims up to 10k between oil changes, while it may have a higher viscocity breakdown I always wonder how they solve the build up of harmful impurities that oil develops during operation.
For the most part, dexos1 means you have to use synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is more expensive than conventional, but it is the better oil for your car, no doubt about it. Personally, I think the whole dexos thing is bull****. In addition to "ensuring the product meets rigorous testing standards", they charge the oil manufacturer license fees just so they can put that stupid little dexos logo on their bottle. What's worse is that damn near nothing at all changed about GM's engines internally between 2010 & 2011 - yet now they "require" special oil. A big, corporate-level scam IMO.
And here's a list of dexos1 "licensed" oils FYI: http://www.gmdexos.com/licensedbrands/dexos1licensedbrands.html
You got an extended warranty on it that covers mechanical failures? I've got a GM well, Cadillac SRX and it calls for GM4718M which is actually a tougher certification to meet. I also have an extended warranty and took my car in for service a few times at a chevy dealership. They've never given me any troubles in regards to dexos. From what I've read over at BITOG, dexos is just another gm profiting strategy to force consumers to have their cars serviced at the dealership or paying the premium for this newer yet inferior specification. If you're not worried about warranty work down the line, I'd say just stick to what the original service manual calls for if you can get that done for cheaper.
