How the other half lives (Oil change content)

I tend to change my own. The price locally for the various quick lube shops can run me upwards of $100, especially for the Volvo. Nearly two gallons of synthetic oil, special filter, etc. As well the drama of making sure they don't add anything like coolant or power steering fluid, contaminating the correct fluids ("ours is compatable with everything sir").
And then there is the usual damage done by them when they attempt to reinstall the air filter cover or such. They even managed to break the Miata's once, and lost a bolt.

But, there are times, especially in the winter. There is a $19 guy I've tried to use, but he works office hours and his counter man is a jerk, requiring you to schedule weeks in advance and prepay, so I've never succeeded with him.

I am a father of three young kids who works in tech, I also drive 6,000 miles a year now. I would like to change my own oil, but economically and time wise it dosent work out. I don't drive much and have two cars so they always go to thr local garage for changes. Which means a day out of commission for the car, but the company pays for a bus pass so no biggie. No quickie places, unless I know them.

I never change my own oil. As long as I can find an hour or an hour and half to sit at the local dealership, I'll pay my $25 bucks, drink their coffee, eat their hot cookies, watch their tv, and use their wi-fi. Last time I oogled the dealership owner's Viper that was sitting in the showroom. No clean up, no old oil, no changing to dirty garage close...

I pitty the fool that changes his own oil or goes to the quick lube places for $100.

In 25 yrs if being able to drive, I've let someone besides myself change the oil in whatever I'm driving, 3 times. Once was it was sub zero temps for two weeks straight and the other two times were freebies under vw's maintanence plan when I bough the Jetta.

When I went to change the oil in the suburban the first time, I had to hammer a screwdriver into the filter to turn it from the dealership UCI oil change. Yeah, I'm not going back plus they probably would have a hissy fit over the filter I use vs the thimble-sized tincan the factory specs out.

I do mine because of substandard products, incompetent people, and high pressure upselling. Oil changes are lost leaders for any and every shop out there. Same goes for tire rotations.....

I very rarely let someone else change mine, but yesterday I had the oil changed in the 300SDL. There's a great indie shop a few miles from my house, and I know the owner very well. The shop is always full of Factory Fives being built, Corvettes getting LS1s installed, and other weird/awesome stuff. I trust them, and I feel bad always borrowing tools/using the tire machine, but never taking stuff to them for work. Plus, I'm driving to North Carolina in a few hours, and didn't have time to do it myself.

Of course, while it was parked there, I called back and read them the list of every little annoying project I'd been planning to do myself. $150 later, it's back and better than ever.

The closest any of my vehicles have been to a dealer is the parts dept parking lot.

I haven't even used an indie repair shop for 6 years.

RossD wrote: I never change my own oil. As long as I can find an hour or an hour and half to sit at the local dealership, I'll pay my $25 bucks, drink their coffee, eat their hot cookies, watch their tv, and use their wi-fi.

I don't get this. In 15 minutes I can change my oil (on my own schedule). This leaves 45-75 minutes to change back into normal clothes and do so many things I enjoy doing... none of which are sitting at a dealership drinking coffee and eating cookies.

The convenience factor is a good point. If it happens to be midnight on a Thursday when I have time for an oil change, I can do it. What shop is going to be open at that time?

In reply to ProDarwin:

Does that 15 minutes include the time required to buy the new oil and filter, and dispose of the old oil?

I try get oil changes done during my lunch break. I bring my laptop, so once I'm done eating I can use their wifi to answer emails, review docs and other work that needs to get done.

By doing this I don't lose time that could be spent doing things I enjoy, it's time that would have been spent in the office working. I keep my personal time along with getting the coffee, cookies, and paid for the time.

I take the BRZ to the dealer. Get there first thing saturday morning, drop the car off, walk across the street to a little diner and have breakfast.

By the time I walk back over, the car is done and I'm ready to do whatever else I need/want on a saturday.

ProDarwin wrote:

RossD wrote: I never change my own oil. As long as I can find an hour or an hour and half to sit at the local dealership, I'll pay my $25 bucks, drink their coffee, eat their hot cookies, watch their tv, and use their wi-fi.

I don't get this. In 15 minutes I can change my oil (on my own schedule). This leaves 45-75 minutes to change back into normal clothes and do so many things I enjoy doing... none of which are sitting at a dealership drinking coffee and eating cookies.

You forgot that you need to get the oil/filter. So now you are going to walmart and waiting in line. yay. Then get rid of the oil/filter so going to the county recycling office, which locally you need an appointment to drop oil off. Getting cleaned up, too. Sure it might take you 15 minutes once you're in the garage and ready to work, but not truely start to finish.

Okay so instead of eating cookies and drinking coffee, I'll walk across the street and have nice lunch. Come back, pay slightly more than the cost for the oil and filter, and drive away.

I'll do my own brakes, however.

My sweet minivan is under warranty, and the first 4 oil changes are free----so I'll go there as free is free. If they screw it up---- it's under warranty-- they can fix it.

I always change the oil myself in my other cars. It gives me the chance to inspect the old oil, give a look under the hood, and underneath the car where I can judge the wear and tear of other items that may need replacing. Recycling the oil is no big deal----every auto parts store has a bin in back----and Lord knows I'm in those places frequently enough.

The last time I allowed a "Grease Monkey" type place to change the oil in a car of mine---- they put the pan bolt back in with an impact wrench. They dented the pan, and caused a leak that wouldn't have happened otherwise. No--- I'd rather do it myself.

Sears once forgot to tighten the drain plug on an old girlfriend's Mazda3. She got a hundred miles before the motor fused itself together (to Mazda's credit, it died in a quiet, dignified fashion). I change my own oil, now!

jstand wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: Does that 15 minutes include the time required to buy the new oil and filter, and dispose of the old oil?

I generally order oil and filter online or pick them up when I'm already near or at an auto parts store for something else. I'll hold onto the waste oil afterwards and bring it by the store for disposal when it's convenient or I already need to get something else. That keeps those tasks down to almost zero time-cost.

I do my own, on a fairly reasonable schedule. If I wasn't running synthetic in everything I own I might have it done, but this keeps cost down. The biggest headache is disposing of old oil. That part's going to get worse since I added the powerstroke to the fleet.

Speaking of...anyone seen a plastic catch pan that holds better than 15 quarts?

ultraclyde wrote: Speaking of...anyone seen a plastic catch pan that holds better than 15 quarts?

I got an open-top one from Advance at one point that holds 20 quarts, IIRC. Probably a little awkward to drain with 15 in it, but it'll fit with room to spare.

You had me at the cookies.

Cost and convenience! I had a job that had me using my own car and they paid $25 towards my oil changes. Had a place I liked and got changed it at 3500 to 4000 miles like clockwork. I paid about 5 bucks out of pocket for most of the run. They would top off my washer fluid, brake fluid, spot a leaking oil sending unit (replaced free!), ran a vacuum over the interior and occasionally hit the grease fittings.

I was in there about every 5 weeks and got to know the techs and even had a pizza party for my 50th oil change! Good friends, good value and never had a horror story to tell. Then it all changed! Work cancelled the 25 buck oil change thing, oil place got a new manager and a new computer system and only had one tech from the "old days". Oil changes had become $39.99 by then and I only hung around for 2 more changes from them (75th).

Now I have a midrise lift that I pull up on and pop the hood, crack the filter loose from the top and lift her up to slide my handy pan under and drain oil. Find a good deal on oil and filters to stock the shelves. Rotated my tires while I had it up and then finished the oil change. Spend more time helping unload graceries.

Bruce

Since I only need to change it once a year or so (about every 10K is the max I'm willing to go, even though analysis shows me I can go farther), and it only takes about 10 minutes to do it I'm ok saving $15 and doing it myself. That is almost one entry fee.

In reply to ultraclyde:

They are plenty of options for 20qt plus oil catch containers. I think the last one I bought was from Walmart.

rslifkin wrote: I generally order oil and filter online or pick them up when I'm already near or at an auto parts store for something else. I'll hold onto the waste oil afterwards and bring it by the store for disposal when it's convenient or I already need to get something else. That keeps those tasks down to almost zero time-cost.

Sorta this. I have an auto-parts store on the way home. I usually have to go in there once every 6 months or so, so I just snag some oil + filter when I'm picking up something else. I pretty much never make a trip to go just to the auto parts store. I actually have all of my waste-oil for the last 4+ years on a shelf in my garage. The shelf is almost full, so I'll drop it off at the landfill in a single 30 minute stop sometime this year I imagine.

jstand wrote: I try get oil changes done during my lunch break. I bring my laptop, so once I'm done eating I can use their wifi to answer emails, review docs and other work that needs to get done.

This makes sense... but my lunch break = 2+ mile run + cross training workout OR 15+ mile bike ride. I value daytime hours a lot.

If there isn't snow on the ground, I usually do all of mine. However the new car, goes to shop so that the interval is documented by a third party. IF the garage we plan to build this summer happens, well, then I won't have the snow excuse. For me, an oil change is when I give the car a once over anyway, especially the wife's car.

I have 2 years of free oil changes and maintenance on the BRZ, so it goes there for service. They've done a fantastic job and it always comes back clean and with a nice bottle of water in the cup holder. They have even repaired a couple of issues I didn't know it had. Nothing but praise for our local Subaru dealer.

Before that I had my friend with a shop do all of mine. Not only did he do a great job, but there was always something interesting laying around like Nissan GTP race cars. Sadly he has now closed his shop and gotten a real job after 30 or so years in business.