GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

As it was the time for an oil change and I really do not have the time to go to the dealer (I love so much the fact that dealer service is open from 7:30 to 5:00), I decide to change the oil myself. so I went to the closest Toyota dealer (part dept. is open until 8pm) and bought an oil filter ($6,95 at Toyota vs. $19,95 from GM) and go home.I took my ramps and lift up the front of the car. Even with a 2.5 inches drop, the front bumber does not hit the ramp (with the ramp extention for sure).The drain plug and oil filter are very easy to find out.But the oil filter was a pain in the @$$ to remove. The mechanic who changed my oil the last time tighted it so much that it took me more then 15 mins to remove it. I even thought about a screwdriver through the filter to remove it. Anyways, after playing hard with the oil filter key and saying few bad words, the oil filter loosen-up.The rest was a piece of cake. And I took care to not over-tighten te oil filter, that way I will be able to remove it easier the next time.

The dealers and quick oil change places always put the filter on way too tight! I'm not sure, but I'm guessing they use an air wrench to put it on. Another theory is that they are trying to keep people from changing their own oil.

its actually a "cover our own (removed)" to make sure its tight and doesn't come off a few days down the road.where did you pay $19 for a filter? GM? the GM dealership I work at doesn't charge that much.

I have 1 question about changing the oil. Does doing it yourself void any warranty? Do you have to keep records of it? How does it work?Update:Never mind called Pontiac serv. dept. and told me will not void anything.

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »its actually a "cover our own (removed)" to make sure its tight and doesn't come off a few days down the road.I've been changing oil my own for yearm and I used to tigh the filter by hand and it never fall off.Also, it is whritten on the filter to tight it of 1/4 turn, not 3/4 as the dealer did.Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »where did you pay $19 for a filter? GM? the GM dealership I work at doesn't charge that much.On my first oil change at the dealer they charge me $29,95 (sorry I double checked the invoice and it was 29,95, not 19,95) for the filter only.This is was for the Toyota OEM filter, the AC Delco filter is more like $6-7

Well in the beginning when the Vibe first came out there was an issue with the price of the filter, most (but not the one you go to) have brought the price down to the same as that of a grand am or sunfire. Speaking of those two cars, their filters were pricey as well for a while and are now down to a nice reasonable price.And our guys tighten by hand as well, no tools involved.

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Well in the beginning when the Vibe first came out there was an issue with the price of the filter, most (but not the one you go to) have brought the price down to the same as that of a grand am or sunfire. Speaking of those two cars, their filters were pricey as well for a while and are now down to a nice reasonable price.Good news they reduce the price of the filter... But it does not clear the trouble I have.GM service here is not open after 5pm, and even less on week-end, so it is very hard for me to have my oil change done by the dealer....Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »And our guys tighten by hand as well, no tools involved.I really don't know how the mecanik tighten the filter, but even with you hands, you have much more torque on a lift then on ramps.May be it was that tight because the filter was on for 5-6 months, and it stick there.

Six months between oil and filter change! Shame on you.

Quote, originally posted by Sunny »Six months between oil and filter change! Shame on you.now, now remember he might only drive a few miles a day.

just remember, whether you changed the oil or somebody else did it, check the oil level with the dipstick periodically, and also check for leaks.

Quote, originally posted by Sub-Vibe-R »I really don't know how the mechanics tighten the filter, but even with you hands, you have much more torque on a lift then on ramps.May be it was that tight because the filter was on for 5-6 months, and it stick there.I'd say combined with the better leverage with the car up on a hoist combined with the 6 month since the last time it was done probably was the cause of it being seized on there like that.I hand tightened mine when I did my last oil change and it took me a while to spin it off the other day when I changed my oil for the second time. I didn't know my own strength hah.

Mavrik: can you tell us if the filters/oil used by chains like merlin's are as good as what my dealer would use?i used to have my oil changed at the local merlin's. they have very good service and would often take walk-in's in the morning. with my old aspire it didn't matter if the filter/oil was a notch below premium.as for my new vibe, i want to pamper that baby thankssylvain

Quote, originally posted by Sunny »Six months between oil and filter change! Shame on you.I know..... I've been driving around 7000km (95% highway) since the last oil change. I know I was late, but time is missing.... But anyways, Toyota says to change oil at every 8000km, so I'm within the spec.

Quote, originally posted by sylvainber »Mavrik: can you tell us if the filters/oil used by chains like merlin's are as good as what my dealer would use?i used to have my oil changed at the local merlin's. they have very good service and would often take walk-in's in the morning. with my old aspire it didn't matter if the filter/oil was a notch below premium.as for my new vibe, i want to pamper that baby thankssylvainWell here we actually use a blue toyota one... says toyota right on it. I'm not sure who makes theirs, what type of filter does your place use? Penzoil, FRAM, ACDelco?

I use the FRAM with the grip on it. It makes it so easy to take off.

I have never had a problem with ACDelco or FRAM and I actually really liked that black grip the FRAM filters have. I used to change oil at wal-mart back in the day and always prefered using those.

I just changed my oil for the first time (2 months, 3517 miles, 2000 of which are from last week's road trip) the day before yesterday and I had to buy a filter wrench to get the filter off. I humbled a couple of guys in my apartment complex who, when I asked them if they had a wrench told me they would be able to get it off. One commented, "Who put this thing on, a gorilla?"Anyway, I put on the FRAM with the grip spray-on. Cost me around $4, and I tightened by hand. Don't forget to moisten the seal with new oil before putting the filter on.

Change all my new engines at 1,500... I get the AC filters from Murrays auto for $6 too, avoid my dealers. I also use Rhino Ramps, made of high impact plastic and have no issues getting the Vibe on them due to their low profile design. Bought them for my Vette because it is very low already. Hand tighten and changing it on your own voids no warranties.

I changed mine today at 500 miles. I figure that there must be quite a bit of microscopic flakes floating around in the oil or caught in the filter right after break in, so I figured changing it is cheap peace of mind.The filter was on real tight and I had to use an oil filter wrench to get it off.I really like that I can fill the new oil filter up with new oil and then screw it on. Assuming that the oil flows from the pan through the oil pump and then into the filter and then onward into the oil galleys, a lot of guys say that filling your filter saves your engine from a second or so of oil starvation.Does anyone else do this?

Definitely. I've heard (and read) that you want to get as much oil as possible in the filter. I usually fill it half way then tilt it 45 degrees and keep rotating it - it's amazing how much oil the filter element absorbs. I keep doing this until it's saturated, then I fill it up and screw it on.I had an ''88 Grand Am with the Quad4 engine. The filter was mounted almost horizontaly (why GM? why?). So I could never get much oil into the filter before screw on. When I started the engine after an oil change it would make an awful rattle for the first couple seconds.