Follow Our Long-Term Test Fleet
The first oil change totaled $75.96 for swapping six quarts of the recommended 0W20 synthetic oil, replacing the oil filter as well as the drain plug gasket and inspecting parts for wear. The cost was out of pocket because our BRZ didn’t come with included maintenance like its Scion FR-S twin, which has two years or 25,000 miles of complimentary maintenance. Even so, the oil change’s price isn’t as jaw-dropping once you consider that they occur every 7,500 miles or seven-and-a-half months, whichever comes first. That’s less frequent than the traditional 3,000-mile/three-month recommendation, which is becoming a relic.
Each quart of the low-friction 0W20 synthetic oil cost $7.69, for a total of $46.14, while the oil filter tallied in at $8.95 and the oil drain plug gasket was $1.25. The remaining $19.62 included labor, tax and environmental fees/shop charges. We skipped the recommended tire rotation because our factory summer tires received a break for the first five months while the BRZ rode on a dedicated set of winter tires; the current summer tires only have roughly 3,000 miles on them. Rotating the tires would have been an additional $19.99, though a coupon on the dealership’s website would have cut the cost when paired with an oil change. The dealership’s service department website almost always has maintenance coupons and specials.
Scheduling an appointment for the first service was as simple as visiting a local dealership’s website. The service department’s online calendar lists available spots and requires year, make and model info plus a brief description of the desired service. I took the car to my local dealership instead of the dealer we bought the car from because we came up on 7,500 miles faster than expected.
