Being a busy guy, I decided to schedule a 1200 mi oil change at the dealer after break-in. By the time I could schedule something, it was at 2000 mi and I needed to miss some work. They wanted about $80 here in CA. I used to work at a gas station when I was younger, and I felt that the hassle of bringing my car in and the cost were more than what it would take for me to do it myself. I had already had my car checked out after I bought it to make sure everything was in order at around 1000 mi. There wasn't anything it needed but an oil change.

Here are some observations:

1.) The instructions listed in the FAQ/DIY section are right on the money. Thanks gsedanman! (I hate the fact that your dogs are all over this BB, but you did a nice job.

2.) Ramps are a very nice way for the DIY'er to get the car up with minimal effort. However, be sure that the ramps are not too steep. I bought Rhino ramps at 17° incline from Walmart ($25). They actually hit the front air dam. I have to put them out a little. While still safe, it isn't ideal. I think 14° would be nice.

3.) There is a single pop-up type fastener holding the platic under-shroud along with the screws. This should be left on support the piece untill all the screws are removed. This will keep it from sagging down on you while removing screws.

4.) The screws are very time consuming. A low power and slow (to avoid stripping) power screwdriver would be a nice tool to have.

5.) The oil filter from the factory was on very tight. How tight? My oil filter wrench would not fit the tiny little filter. My hands are pretty strong, but that b*tch wasn't going anywhere. I finally had to attempt the stab-and-turn approach with my large screwdriver. Usually this works enough to break loose the filter and then my hand works. The seal on the factory filter was so stuck on, I had to stab it about 5 times, twisting a little eash time. It finally came off very clean.

6.) I was very surprised with how dirty the oil was after only 2000 mi. I strongly suggest everyone changes their oil at 1200 or sooner. Do not wait for the 3750 the dealer told me. The first oil change may be the most important. My parents' minivan that went about 10,000 mi cross country before an oil change had cleaner oil than my G after 2000. I am going to change the oil again after another 2000 and I expect it to be pretty clean. If not I will have the car checked out.

Thanks to everyone on here keeping me a happy G owner!

Danation.com - G35C CB/GR/NAV/PREM

 

Hey, aquinas--
dealer down here charged me $35 for first oil change with all the trimmings...tire presssure, car wash and vacuum and took 30 minutes. $80 seems steep.....

 

Are you sure you didn't break a window for $80? Synthetic doesn't even cost that much to change at Mercedes.

 

I could quite possibly be wrong. I will call again to be sure they knew I just wanted an oil change. They may have thought I wanted a scheduled maintenance or something I don't know...

Danation.com - G35C CB/GR/NAV/PREM

 

aquinas

Damn man I know how you feel about the factory filter. I could not get it off either. I had to buy two filter wrenches and I broke both of them so then I said [censored] it and took the biggest screw driver I could find and took it off. I was so mad because it took me like two hours to do an oil change when it took me like 20 mins the second time.

 

amen! It is nice to know that I wasn't the only one. My problem was it was getting dark as I finally finished. It was a pain putting those little screws in...

Danation.com - G35C CB/GR/NAV/PREM

 

if you take the front PSI up to 40, you should clear the rhinos.

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bs g35c lth/prem - a poser with no lsd

 

FYI, yesterday, I had my first oil change as well, and was surprised to see it cost $70. Turned out, my dealer apparently has 2 oil change options; a quick lube $35 (simple oil change), and a service, where they oil the doors and supposely check the windows, blah blah blah. Well, I was unaware of this, and I guess if you don't tell them, they just give you the full service. The full service also includes a rental car, which they also failed to mention, so I ended up waiting an hour and 30 min. for it. Needless to say, I am still a little pissed!!!

 

It's amazing at all of the variation in what happens at the Dealers.
I just went in for my first oil service (3700 mi.) and it was first rate. They had a loan car ready and they fixed all of the problems I had. They charge $26 for the oil change, but when they noted that I bought the car there, it was free! Now this is in Los Angeles, you can't get a much higher cost area. So people getting quotes of $80 is insane.

 

I brought my car to Frontier Infiniti off of Stevens Creek in Santa Clara / San Jose for the grease streak problem. The lady on the phone said that they would reserve a loaner for me just in case. I inquired about the oil change just to get a price, even though I just did it, and they wanted $45 on the coupe! That is rediculous...

To top it off, they made me wait because they said the grease streak is only a 1.5 hr job. I wasted an hour and a half at that place. On the good side of things, the receptionist asked if I wanted a bottle of water as I was leaving and they did a nice job washing and vaccuming.

Danation.com - G35C CB/GR/NAV/PREM