How the other half lives (Oil change content)

I usually end up doing oil changes on my parents and my own cars. I do it right during lunch time on a Saturday or Sunday; ramp up, loosen the drain bolt, let it drain over lunch, and finally put on the new filter and oil after lunch. I'd say it takes 15 minutes without the lunch break.

My parents Honda does go to the dealer though. $30 oil changes (I think they charge them $40 for the 0W-20 oil) are well worth it. I do the work on the BMWs since those oil changes cost $90, when parts just cost $45.

Javelin wrote:

Esoteric Nixon wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: Strange then that TAMS seems to think Bosch is an OE manufacturer. Unless TAMS is just being ambiguous.

TAMS sucks. I literally have over $5000 in checks written to me from TAMS for cataloging errors in the last 2 years.

Oh I agree. I hope it didn't sound as though I was defending TAMS. TAMS also told me that Akebono is an OE manufacturer of brake pads for my W126.

ihayes wrote: Am I the only one that has a dealer that charges north of $300 for an oil change? (Mini)

This is why some people do it themselves. More money left for cookies and milk when your done.

My old ML55 wants 8 quarts of 0w-40, plus a decent filter. $60 in supplies if I buy at walmart. Can't imagine what the surcharges would add up to if I took it somewhere. They'd probably be a lot, and if they weren't I'd get nervous.

Javelin wrote:

Esoteric Nixon wrote: In reply to Bobzilla: Strange then that TAMS seems to think Bosch is an OE manufacturer. Unless TAMS is just being ambiguous.

TAMS sucks. I literally have over $5000 in checks written to me from TAMS for cataloging errors in the last 2 years.

How does that work? When I was a GPC employee I reported errors once a week, minimum. After about two years all I eventually got was a phone call from some random person asking me what my problem was.

I take my wife's Lexus to the Indy Toyota shop, $29.95 gets it done.

My Cayenne Turbo I do myself. The dealer would charge something like $250 for the oil change and I can get it done in about 30 minutes on my lift and save $200.

I do oil changes on all of our cars for the reasons others have cited: I stock oil and filters, so it's 15-20 minutes at night to do the job vs. 20-minute drive to the dealer, wait at least an hour, 20-minute drive home. And she drives 25k miles/year, so we'd be going to the dealer every other month or so. Don't want to waste time during the week and definitely don't want to bother with it during the weekend, especially that frequently.

My wife goes to bed earlier than I do most nights, so it's easy to walk out to the garage at 10:00, take my sweet time changing the oil and be done and cleaned up by 10:30. 15 minutes of actual work, 15 minutes of picking belly button lint and drinking beer. Nice 50:50 balance.

Like many of you, I used to stock motor oil. But the Subaru turbo only gets changed twice a year because I don't drive it much. And I don't like the idea of motor oil aging on the shelf before I use it, especially in a turbo motor.

So how long are you willing to store motor oil before use?

I like doing it. Gives me a chance to look at everything else on the car that I'm responsible for maintaining.

That reminds me, I'm due for a full fluid flush....yay...

DWNSHFT wrote: So how long are you willing to store motor oil before use?

Synthetic? I don't think it matters. I have M1 0w-40 oil that's been sitting on the shelf for years. Still pours out like new. That said, I have a Walmart nearby that has everything I use in stock now, so I don't keep much on the shelves anymore (other than what I already have). I can easily swing by on my way home from work and pick up oil when needed. I have limited room for storing things like that.

That reminds me... I have some M1 5w-30 I need to get rid of since it isn't needed for anything I own anymore.

I pretty much change the oil in all of my vehicles. I don't stock up on oil anymore since the price is so high. Notice the price of fuel has come way down and oil hasn't budged an inch? I will grab a 6qt case of Mobile 1 at Costco when they run it on special for $26.