First Oil Change
 

I just finished the first oil change on my Z51 at 1,200 miles. This is my first dry sump vehicle but it went really smooth just following the procedure outlined in the manual. I purchased a set of Race Ramps RR-XT-2 two piece 67-inch service ramps to get the car up in the air. I measured using the yardstick method outlined on their website and it looked like I would have about an inch to spare but they just barely cleared. The inner edge of the flexible air dams just touched the ramp surface but they did clear. Any mods lowering the car and you would need the extenders but the 67 inch ones work saving 100 bucks or so if you are at stock height.

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil1.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil3.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil4.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil5.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil8.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil9.jpg

The drain procedure was pretty simple, the car was warmed up so the oil drained very quickly. The drain plugs were 15MM and easy to deal with but the rear plug was easier to get to using a ratcheting box end versus a ratchet and socket.

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil11.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil17.jpg

My car came with the PF64 filter from the factory. I replaced it with the UPF48R which was dimensionally identical.

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil13.jpg

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil23.jpg

Here is a shot of the oil filter head:

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil26.jpg

There is very little hand clearance when reinstalling the oil filter so I did use a rubber strap wrench for the final tightening to ensure it was properly tightened.

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil28.jpg

I did a drain, flush and fill of the Dexcool for the Duramax too while waiting on the oil to drain out of the Vette. :)

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil21.jpg

All in all a pretty easy job once you get the car up in the air. I was glad to get that first change in to dump out any break in wear particles etc. The oil looked pretty good with nothing evident of excessive wear and I did save the first filter for inspection if anything ever comes up wrong with the engine. :w00t:

Good information, good pictures, beautiful car

Changed my base car yesterday at 5000 miles
Used std mobil 1 - about $35 at Advance Auto Parts
Used most of a quart the night before pre-filling/soaking the Mobil 1 M-113 filter
Drained, filter installed and took 6 .1 quarts to bring it to 90% of hash marks on stick.

http://www.bmdmax.com/Stingray/Stingrayoil11.jpg

Is the drain bolt just the front or the side too? I'm going to do an oil change to 5w50 this weekend and came across this thread hoping to learn more about the c7 oil change.

Also how is a dry sump oil change different from a regular oil change?

Thanks in advance, and great post. It's exactly what I needed to build confidence to do the oil change myself.

Great photos, thanks for posting them. Beautiful car too. I have a question, why are you guys changing your own oil instead of using the Chevrolet 2 year scheduled maintenance program where Chevy does it for free up to 2 years or 25000 miles? I prefer to change my own oil but since they have that program thats what i was going to do. Some insight on this would be appreciated. thanks

I assume, on the dry sump Z-51, one drain plug is for the small amount of oil in the sump, and the other is for the oil tank?

They don't want the free dents you get at the dealer, the conventional oil you often get at the dealer, sometimes they don't even change the filter, and they don't want to spend hours waiting for their car for a 30 minute job.

Exactly!! Don't forget the overfill issue too!

Yep, correct.

The dry sump car has two plugs versus just one drain plug for the standard oil pan. Just look it up in the owners manual as it will lay out the procedure for you.

Yes, and probably more reasons that I haven't even thought about.

If I use my preferred oil and filter and then have some type of engine issue will GM stand behind their warranty or balk on a fix because I didn't follow scheduled maintenance?

GM does not check if you've been naughty or nice when something breaks, unless it looks as if the oil is completely dirty or low level. They are not looking to screw you, in fact the dealer loves the work and is the approver of the fix. Changing more than the sched will never hurt you. Just keep your recepts of when you changed....

Hi guys. Just changed my first oil and filter at 1200 miles. Question: How do I reset the computer oil life to 100%? Keep saying 82%.

On the steering wheel up/down scroll buttons on the right side, go to the oil life display then press and hold the center button and the display will re-set to 100%. This same button is used for setting the Trip odometers etc.

Sad
 

It's quite sad that we do not "trust our dealers" with our Vettes, even when provided free oil changes up to 4 over the first two years...of ownership.

GM customer service should take note...

Sorry, don't include me in the "we". I trust my dealer, but to each his own.

when i bought my 2011 4runner i had 2 yr free oil change, was all excited. hit 10k miles, dropped it off at the dealer. it was there all day. when i picked it up, i checked to see if the oil level was right...i found out that the oil was never changed. it was still a dark color! was so pissed off i went off at the service manager who helped me. give me a receipt saying it was changed and charged to Toyota $100. They ended up changing it the next morning with me sitting there watching their every moves. I file a complaint with Toyota about this dealer... After that I don't trust the service dept at car dealerships. Not sure now if I will bring my C7 Z51 in. Might try to request to sit and watch if I could...

I trust my dealer......

The dealership don't want the customer in the shop.I believe not because they might get
Hurt.I believe the dealership don't want the customer to see what the mechanic is doing.
Just my opinion.

V
Simple .......garage insurance does not cover customers in the shop, nothing more than that.

Perhaps so in many cases. However, my dealership allows me to go into the shop any time my Stingray is being worked on, as long as I'm escorted by an employee of the dealership, be it my salesperson, the service writer or the techs. They even take me back to see new Corvettes getting their PDI. Perhaps it's a small perk for taking delivery of their very first '14 Stingray....

I think the insurance issue is primarily to prevent customers from wandering around aimlessly and unescorted, potentially getting onto trouble or being injured from stupidity. I'm sure we all know people like that....

There are many dealers that let their best customers into the back end of the service department. I was the general manager at Sewickley Porsche Audi BMW from 1989 through 93. I used to let 10 or 20 of my best customers back there when their Porsches, until A guy backed up and smacked his head on another lift and I had three months worth of medical bills to fix his head and stitches. After that, it didn't matter who was involved, no one got back into my shop. I would bring the car out of the garage if they wanted want to do inspect anything. So it all depends on your personal experience and what's happened in that shop.

BMDMAX,
I did my 1st oil change at 5,610 miles. (Oil life remaining was 27%) I had already replaced the oil filter once, at approximately 1,600 miles. I have the use of a car lift so my Stingray was level when I drained the oil. I noticed your Stingray was on race ramps with the rear wheels on the ground. I'm not sure how much oil did not get drained from your engine because of the angle. It may not be an issue. Before a friend got his car lift I used ramps but always jacked up the rear end and made the car level.
Thanks for posting the info and the photos. Enjoy your Stingray.
Cheers,
Dan
P.S. I used a Mobil One oil filter, the M1-113. Great filter.

I just had my 4th free oil change from my dealer, Jeff Gordon Chevrolet in Wilmington, NC and they forgot to put the oil cap back on the car. I didn't find this out until I washed it 10 days later and the oil cap was under the wiper blade... Oil splashed on the hood, dirt in the lip of the reservoir etc. Also I noticed they have been putting valvoline instead of the promised Mobil 1. I am planning to cancel the additional 6 oil changes I had purchased in a package as I would rather do it myself and know it was right. Currently negotiating with them as I'm not sure if I should let them change it again to flush the oil, or just do it myself and try to get them to reimburse me for the oil and filter. I could go watch them change the oil every time but I would rather save time and just do it myself than be that jerk that everyone hates to see coming.

Someone need to ban her from the site......WTHeck!

Agee!! I am on my cell and can't find a way to report this post to the mods, but I am sure there is a way to do it.