I purchased my 2011 Dodge Caravan in July 2011. The Maintenance Log showed the first scheduled maintenance at 13000 Km. That sounded better compared to my 2007 Caravan which had to be taken to the dealership every 5000 Km. At around 5500 Km, the display started showing "Oil Change" message. That was a surprise, so I took it to the dealership. The service person told me that the manual is incorrect and that based on the Toronto weather, it Oil/Lube change should be done at every 5000 Km.
I find that a little tough to digest. Anyone has any comments, suggestions, views....

 

Hello, I purchased my 2011 Dodge Caravan in May 2011. I'm currently at 18000 right now. My display did show "Oil Chnage" at around 13000. I took it to my dealer and they reset it to change oil every 5000. So, the "Oil change" came up just now. I took it to my dealer again and asked why, they say that oil never changed and to stick to their schedule. I reluctantly did the oil change but since they charge twice the amount, Im thinking of bringing my van somewhere else next time. I've read some blogs saying to follow the manual but am confused, Will warrnty be void if I bring it in to a Mr. Lube? If I am to follow the 13k manufacturer recommendation, can I ignore the "Change Oil" message until its due for one based on the 13k/6 mon recommendation.Hopefully, one of the experts here can shed some light. Thanks.

 

13k/6month will be enough to keep waranty. Chrysler hardly ask for oil change prove if your engine blow up, unless your engine shows obvious sludge build up due to lack on oil change. taking it to mr.lube is acceptable as far as Waranty concerns.

However, Waranty only goes 5 yrs, if you want to keep your vehicle farther than that, or maybe give it to a friend/relative, I recommend going 5000 km interval. The "change oil" msg is just a reminder, you can get rid of the msg by "key on engine off" and then "floor the gas pedal 3 times".

If you want to stick with 13k interval, I recommend going synthetic oil. I understand it is more expensive, but just stock it up when it is on sale from your local part store.

I got a feeling your 07 caravan msg pops up every 5k is because Chrysler offers life time powertrain waranty back then, they want to cover their *** by recommending frequent oil change interval. But I could be wrong.

Don't look at Oil change as a Mandatory service, look at it as a preventative maintainence that would save you money in the long run. If you want your engine to last 300k+ problem free, 5k interval is recommended. If you are going to just trade in the car in 3 yrs, or the vehicle is lease, I recommend the bare mininum.

 

Our salesman told us on our 20122 granad Caravan to change oil every 8,000 miles and our Dodge printed maintenance listing says 8,000 miles. Oil light did come on at 5,000 miles. We change at 8,000 miles. If Dodge wants to challenge this we know many good lawyers who would gladly represent us in court.